Raising the Bar: Multimodal Analgesia with Transdermal Lidocaine for Nuss Repair of Pectus Excavatum Decreases Length of Stay and Opioid Use.

INTRO: Pain management for minimally invasive (Nuss) repair of pectus excavatum (PE) is challenging, particularly as the judicious use of opioids has become a patient safety priority. Multi-modal pain management protocols are increasingly used, but there is limited experience using transdermal lidocaine patches (TLP) in this patient population. METHODS: Pediatric anesthesiologists and surgeons in a children's hospital within a hospital designed a multi-modal perioperative pain management protocol for patients undergoing Nuss repair of PE (IRB00068901). The protocol included use of TLP in addition to other adjuncts such as methadone, gabapentin, and NSAIDS. Following initiation of the protocol charts were reviewed retrospectively, comparing outcomes before and after implementation of the protocol. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients underwent a Nuss procedure between 2013 and 2022, 15 prior to initiation of the protocol and 34 after. Patient demographics and operative length were similar between the two groups. Average length of stay decreased from 4.7 to 3.3 days and reported opioid use at the time of the first outpatient post-op visit dropped from 60% to 24% (p < 0.05). Morphine milligram equivalents (MME) usage was decreased following implementation during hospital admission, at discharge, and at first post-operative visit (464 vs. 169, 1288 vs. 218, and 214 vs. 56, respectfully, p < 0.05). There were no ED visits or readmissions <30 days related to post-operative pain. CONCLUSION: Post-operative opioid usage and hospital length of stay were decreased after initiation of the protocol. Transdermal lidocaine patches may be a helpful adjunct to minimize narcotic requirements after repair of pectus excavatum. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

Hypothermic Machine Perfusion and Spontaneous Kidney Allograft Rupture: Causation or Correlation? A Case Report and Review of Pertinent Literature.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous kidney allograft rupture (KAR) is a severe complication of kidney transplant. KAR occurs when no identifiable injuries noted at the time of the organ retrieval are present. KAR is associated with acute rejection, renal vein thrombosis, severe acute tubular necrosis, or trauma. In recent years, the introduction of hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) has provided an excellent option for kidney allograft preservation reducing the incidence of delayed graft function. On the other hand, HMP can also represent a potentially traumatic event for a fragile graft, especially one belonging to expanded criteria donor. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, to our knowledge, we report the first case of KAR after the use of HMP, which occurred in 60-year-old women undergoing a single kidney transplant from a donation after brain death donor belonging to the expanded criteria donor category. The allograft was perfused for 240 minutes with HMP with passive oxygenation. The post-transplant course was unremarkable with early graft function, but on post operatory day 14 the patient complained of severe pain over the transplant site. A computed tomography scan showed a massive fluid collection in the perigraft region. Immediate surgical exploration showed 2 lacerations of 10 cm and 5 cm length at the upper and midpole of the kidney, requiring transplantectomy. Histologically, the graft did not show features of acute rejection. CONCLUSIONS: In the presented case, the repair and salvage of the kidney allograft was not possible. However, the review of the pertinent literature does not report another case linking HMP to KAR.