A Review of Stellate Ganglion Block as an Adjunctive Treatment Modality.

Peripheral nerve blocks are becoming increasingly used as adjunctive treatment modalities for a variety of conditions refractory to medical management. Right or left stellate ganglion blocks (SGB) are a specific type of peripheral nerve block that target the sympathetic blockade of neuronal impulses using the injection of local anesthetic and steroids into nerve bundles in the cervical area. This review article is intended to summarize the common uses of stellate ganglion blocks and explain the procedural technique, which has evolved with technological advances in ultrasonography. The similarities between these disease processes are centered around sympathetic hyperactivity. This sympathetic overdrive state is created by increased levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), which causes a cascade of sympathetic sprouting resulting in increased norepinephrine (NE) systemically. Reversal of this cascade by local anesthetic injection into the stellate ganglion thereby reduces NGF and sympathetic sprouting subsequently lowering overall norepinephrine levels. This is the unifying theory by which SGB is able to provide resolution for the varied clinical conditions described in this article.  This review article discusses the physiology of several conditions where stellate ganglion blocks are being investigated as an adjunct treatment modality, including anosmia, PTSD, long-COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome, menopausal hot flashes, and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Overall, the current literature supporting the use of stellate ganglion blocks for several esoteric conditions is limited; however, case reports to date have shown promising evidence-based results supporting their use as an adjunctive treatment among patients with refractory symptoms to existing treatment algorithms. In conclusion, SGB should be considered among patients with refractory symptoms for medical management in the conditions discussed in this article. Further research is needed to delineate which patients will benefit from the use of SGB, the use of subsequent blocks and timelines in between injections, and unilateral versus bilateral blockade.

Stellate Ganglion Block for Long COVID Symptom Management: A Case Report.

Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is gaining increasing acceptance as a treatment modality for various medical conditions. It works by blocking neuronal transmissions which in turn alleviates sympathetically-driven disease processes. Many of the prolonged sequelae of long COVID are thought to be mediated by dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, and SGB is being investigated as a potential option for symptomatic management of long COVID. This case report demonstrates the efficacy of SGB in a previously healthy patient for the management of long COVID symptoms including fatigue, post-exertional malaise, shortness of breath, and gastrointestinal symptoms. .

Colon cancer survival in California from 2004 to 2011 by stage at diagnosis, sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

BACKGROUND: Disparities in cancer survival exist between groups. This study aims to examine these disparities in stage-, sex-, race/ethnicity-, and socioeconomic-specific colon cancer net survival in California for adults diagnosed between 2004 and 2011. METHODS: We estimated age-standardized net survival using the Pohar Perme estimator for colon cancer by stage at diagnosis (localized, regional, and distant), sex, race/ethnicity (Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic), and socioeconomic status (SES). Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database on adults diagnosed with malignant colon cancer during 2004-2011 in California were included (n = 78,285). County-level SES was approximated using quintile groupings based on the Federal Poverty Level. RESULTS: Five-year survival for all included adults was 66.0 % (95 % CI: 65.6 %-66.4 %). The difference between Non-Hispanic White (White) adults and Non-Hispanic Black (Black) adults was 9.3 %, and between White adults and Hispanic adults was 3.4 %. A higher proportion of Black (24.5 %) and Hispanic (21.4 %) adults were diagnosed with distant disease compared to White adults (19.4 %). Differences in sex-specific survival were minimal, with only differences between Hispanic men (62.0 % [60.5 %-63.4 %]) and women (65.9 % [64.4 %-67.3 %]). SES differences were largest between the lowest quintile 63.0 % (62.3 %-65.2 %) and the highest quintile 67.8 % (66.8 %-68.8 %). SES-, stage-, and race/ethnicity-stratified analysis demonstrated improving trends for White adults with localized and regional disease, and Hispanic adults with regional disease. CONCLUSION: Colon cancer survival in California is lower for Black and Hispanic adults than for White adults in all three categories: stage, sex, and SES, suggesting the need for improved health policy for Hispanic and Black adults.

Exploring Balloon Sinuplasty Adverse Events With the Innovative OpenFDA Database.

BACKGROUND: Balloon sinuplasty (BSP) has become a common, minimally invasive treatment for chronic sinusitis. Like any surgical procedure, there are definite risks when using it as a stand-alone procedure or in conjunction with other revision procedures. OBJECTIVE: To explore the adverse events of BSP using the openFDA cloud with regard to malfunction and injury following surgery. METHODS: Between January 2015 and December 2018, the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) openFDA database was queried for adverse event use. Reports were further categorized by procedure location, injury type, device malfunction, procedure (stand-alone BSP vs hybrid), and source of complication (anatomical or surgeon related). RESULTS: Seventy-eight events were reported to the FDA in the study period. Majority of cases consisted of device malfunctions (64.1%), while patient injuries consisted of 43.5%. Frontal sinus procedures had the greatest presence of adverse events (47.4%) with the majority reporting significant cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks (P < .001) and device retention (P = .021). Orbital complications (P = .004) were found to be significantly associated with dilation of the maxillary sinus. Skull-based injuries were the only factor incident in which surgeon-reported anatomical complications were significant (P = .018). CONCLUSIONS: As balloon dilation procedure continues to rise in the United States, significant adverse events continue to occur. Frontal sinus BSP leads to the highest number of complications and a 4.75 reported CSF leaks yearly. Based on real data, surgeons performing the procedure should be acquainted with common BSP-related injuries so they can prepare for those circumstances and share informed consent with their patients.

Comparison of steroid-releasing stents vs nonabsorbable packing as middle meatal spacers.

BACKGROUND: A randomized controlled trial was held to compare nonabsorbable packs to steroid-eluting absorbable stents as middle meatal spacers after endoscopic sinus surgery in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). METHODS: CRS patients were randomly assigned to receive either nonabsorbable Merocel packs wrapped in non-latex glove material (packing type A) or Propel steroid eluting stents (packing type B). Twenty-two-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) scores were collected preoperatively and postoperatively during the initial 4 debridements up to 3 months. Recording of the nasal endoscopy was also collected during all postoperative visits. In addition, Lund-Kennedy scores and middle turbinate lateralization scores, using a new visual analogue scale, were compared between the 2 types of packing. RESULTS: Forty CRS patients were prospectively enrolled in this institutional review board (IRB)-approved study. Patients with packing type A had significantly lower middle turbinate lateralization scores at their first (∼10 days) postoperative visit (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, for left and right sides, respectively). This difference disappeared by later postoperative visits (from 20 days to 3 months). Overall, patients receiving packing type A had significant lower SNOT-22 scores at 20 days postsurgery (p = 0.05). This difference also disappeared at 1 and 3 months postoperation. There were no statistically significant differences in Lund-Kennedy scores. CONCLUSION: In this study, nonabsorbable packing materials showed significant superior middle meatal spacing capacities as evidenced by greater middle turbinate medialization capability at the first postoperative visit. Additionally, patients with this type of packing saw improvements in their SNOT-22 scores at the 20-day postoperative visit. This study showed that there was no significant improvement in postoperative outcomes with drug-eluting stents when compared to nonabsorbable packing.