Pulsed Radiofrequency of Stellate Ganglion for Neuropathic Pain Associated with Recurrent Pleural Leiomyosarcoma - A Case Report.

Pleural leiomyosarcomas are rare soft-tissue sarcomas. Neuropathic pain associated with such tumours can be quite debilitating. We present the case of a 62-year-old woman with chronic neuropathic pain refractory to pharmacologic interventions in association with recurrent pleural leiomyosarcoma. Pulsed radio-frequency of the stellate ganglion was performed after due consideration and planning as a palliative measure to provide pain relief. The patient was discharged the same day with pain score 0/10 and followed up for 3 years. The unique features of this case report are: (1) Different approach of the treatment modality and (2) longer follow-up.

Hydro-dissection of Dorsal Scapular Nerve for Neuropathy Post Radical Neck Dissection and Radiation: A Case Report.

Neuropathy of dorsal scapular nerve (DSN) following neck dissections or radiotherapy has not been reported so far nor has its treatment in the form of hydro-dissection. Hydro-dissection of nerve under ultrasound guidance has been receiving more attention in the recent past and it is a minimally invasive procedure. We report here a case of neuropathy of DSN following radiotherapy in a patient for whom we could at least provide pain relief as a palliative measure during his last 6 months of life.

Tumescent Local Anesthesia in Parotid Abscess - Novel Application of Old Technique.

Tumescent local anesthesia (TLA) is a regional anesthetic technique in which the diluted local anesthetic drug (commonly lidocaine) and epinephrine solution in large volume is injected subcutaneously around the site of incision. The main advantages of TLA are excellent bloodless field and longer duration of analgesia because of addition of epinephrine. Although TLA was used in various surgical procedures, there is no literature to date that has reported its use in the parotid region. Hence, we present an interesting case where this old technique found a novel application in avoiding general anesthesia and its sequelae. We also believe that it provides valuable information to doctors of various categories such as surgeons, Anesthesiologists and general practitioners/family physicians.

Comparison of Trocar Site versus Trocar Site Plus Intraperitoneal Instillation of Local Anesthetic for Shoulder Pain Following Laparoscopic Abdominal Surgery.

Background: Laparoscopic surgery in recent times has noteworthy advantages over conventional surgery, yet recovery is prolonged due to debilitating shoulder tip pain (STP) and operated site pain. Various studies have compared the effect of trocar site, intraperitoneal instillation of local anesthetic (LA) for pain relief while only a few studies have tested the combination of these two techniques. Hence, this study was undertaken to compare the combination of these two techniques versus trocar site alone for STP particularly. Subjects and Methods: This prospective, randomized, comparative study was conducted on 52 patients who were undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery. The patients were allocated into either of the two groups. Group I (n = 26): trocar site infiltration (20 mL) and intraperitoneal instillation (20 mL) of 0.25% levobupivacaine and Group II (n = 26): trocar site infiltration (20 mL) of 0.25% levobupivacaine and saline (20 mL) intraperitoneally. Postoperative STP was the primary outcome while surgical site pain, nausea, and vomiting were secondary outcomes. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups with regard to shoulder pain, surgical site pain, total rescue analgesics, and incidence of nausea and vomiting (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Trocar site infiltration with intraperitoneal instillation of LA or trocar site infiltration alone was found to be equally effective. However, we suggest that it is better to provide a combination of trocar site infiltration plus intraperitoneal instillation of LA if we have to restrict opioid usage such as in day-care surgeries.

Comparison of Duration of Analgesic Comparison of Duration of Analgesic Effect of Nalbuphine and Morphine as an Adjuvant to Bupivacaine in the Supraclavicular Block under Ultrasound Guidance.

BACKGROUND: Although many studies are available in the literature that has analyzed the effects of morphine, nalbuphine, and other opioids, no study had compared the effects of nalbuphine versus morphine as an adjuvant to bupivacaine in the supraclavicular block under the guidance of ultrasound. METHODOLOGY: A randomized, double-blinded, prospective study was carried out on 60 patients of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Class I and II who were undergoing upper limb surgeries under the supraclavicular block. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups (n = 30). Group N received 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with 50 µg.kg-1 of nalbuphine, while Group M received 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with 50 µg.kg-1 of morphine. The characteristics of sensory and motor blocks, hemodynamic changes, duration of analgesia, adverse effects, and analgesic requirements were studied at different time intervals. RESULTS: In Group N, there was a statistically significant reduction in the time of onset of sensory block (9.9 ± 3.0 vs. 12.2 ± 2.6 min, P = 0.002) and motor block (14.4 ± 3.6 vs. 19.4 ± 3.6 min, P = 0.0005). The duration of sensory and motor blockade and duration of analgesia were comparable. There was no statistically significant difference regarding block characteristics and hemodynamic parameters. CONCLUSION: Nalbuphine when added to bupivacaine as an adjuvant had significantly shortened the time of onset of sensory and motor blockade than morphine. However, the duration of analgesia, sensory and motor blockade of nalbuphine versus morphine were comparable.

Another simple regimen for perioperative management of diabetes mellitus.

Persons with diabetes who require surgical procedures are increasing day by day. Many of the regimens available to manage patients with diabetes perioperatively are complex. Hence, the junior doctors and the paramedics (Primary care providers on a 24/7 basis) find it difficult to execute them. We need a simple regimen that can be executed in a primary care setting/general floor as it is becoming difficult to accommodate the patients in a sophisticated setting because of the increasing burden of the disease. We suggest a simple regimen in this article (Ram's regimen) which we believe safer, economical and more effective than few simple regimens available to date. Moreover, this regimen does not require any additional equipment such as syringe pumps, measured-volume set, etc. Hence, this regimen can be implemented in a primary care setting/general floor easily and we hope that it will be useful for doctors of various specialties and their patients.

Efficacy of the Stellate Ganglion Block Through the Lateral Approach Using Ultrasonogram and Fluoroscopy.

OBJECTIVE: Stellate ganglion (SG) block can provide pain relief in sympathetically mediated painful conditions. SG block at the sixth cervical (C6) vertebra level through lateral approach under the ultrasonogram (USG) guidance is very safe but may spare the fibres supplying the upper limb. When the drug is given at the C6 subfascially, it spreads along the cervical sympathetic chain, blocking the head/neck and upper limb. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of the SG block given at the C6 level after confirming the subfascial needle position under USG and downward spread of dye under fluoroscopy. METHODS: Ten patients with sympathetically mediated painful conditions belonging to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Class I and II and aged between 18 and 60 years were included in the study. The SG was approached laterally under the USG guidance, and the dye was injected after confirming the subfascial needle position. A downward spread of dye was confirmed on fluoroscope, and 4 mL of 0.25% of bupivacaine with 40 mg of methylprednisolone was injected. Patients were assessed in terms of the pain relief, an increase in axillary temperature and adverse events after 30 minutes. A statistical analysis was done with Student's t-test and paired samples t-test. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant reduction in the post-block pain scores with the rise in temperature in the ipsilateral arm (p=0.000). The dye spread was observed from the fourth cervical vertebra to the first thoracic vertebra in all patients. Transient hoarseness was seen in 20% of patients, and the sensation of a lump was seen in 10% of patients. CONCLUSION: We conclude that SG can be blocked effectively and safely through the lateral approach at the C6 level under ultrasonogram and fluoroscopic guidance.