Analgesic effects of erector spinae plane block can differ according to needle size: A case report.

RATIONALE: Unlike brachial plexus block, erector spinae plane block (ESPB) does not target specific nerves, so the analgesic effect may differ depending on the extent of diffusion of local anesthetic. Therefore, needle size, which can affect the diffusion of local anesthetic, may be an important factor in the analgesic effect. PATIENT CONCERNS: Four patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis received vascular surgery due to arteriovenous fistula occlusion. Vascular bypass surgery was performed on the axillary vein. DIAGNOSES: Four patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis were diagnosed with arteriovenous fistula occlusion. One in 4 patients was diagnosed with diaphragm paralysis after ESPB, and the other 3 did not develop diaphragm paralysis. INTERVENTIONS: ESPB was conducted by ultrasound using a 25- or 22-gauge needle at the C7 level. The extent of nerve blockade was determined based on cold sensation, and diaphragm excursion and thickness were measured via ultrasound. OUTCOMES: The analgesic effect was excellent in 2 patients treated using a 22-gauge needle, but was poor in 2 other patients treated with a 25-gauge needle. LESSONS: ESPB at the C7 level can cause diaphragm paralysis, and needle size may affect the extent of diffusion of local anesthetic.

Detection of anatomical variation during left internal jugular vein cannulation under ultrasound: A case report.

RATIONALE: The left internal jugular vein has a higher possibility of anatomical variation than the right side. Therefore, the complication risk during cannulation is expected to be higher. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 74-year-old woman was scheduled for elective surgery for left upper lobe wedge resection. We observed an anatomical abnormality at the location of the common carotid artery (CCA) and left internal jugular vein (IJV). DIAGNOSIS: During the ultrasound, the left IJV was detected at the medial side of the CCA, and this anatomical variation was confirmed by color Doppler ultrasonography. Enhanced chest computed tomography showed that the left CCA ran across the left IJV from medial to lateral at the level of the clavicle. INTERVENTION: A triple-lumen central venous catheter was inserted at the right IJV to avoid complications caused by the anatomical variation. OUTCOMES: There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. LESSONS: Anesthesiologists should consider anatomical variation during central venous cannulation, especially with the left IJV approach. Because of anatomical variation, ultrasound-guided intervention is highly recommended to prevent procedure-related complications.

Quality of postoperative recovery after upper-arm vascular surgery for hemodialysis in patients with end-stage renal disease: A prospective comparison of cervical epidural anesthesia vs general anesthesia.

Cervical epidural anesthesia (CEA) is generally not used during upper-arm vascular surgery for hemodialysis in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, despite its advantages. The Quality of Recovery-40 questionnaire (QOR-40) has been validated as a tool for assessing the degree of recovery after surgery. We hypothesized that CEA could provide a better outcome on the QOR-40 than general anesthesia after upper-arm vascular surgery for hemodialysis in ESRD patients.We divided anesthetic methods into general anesthesia and CEA. The QOR-40 was administered to 70 patients on the night before surgery and at 24 hours after surgery. Additional data, including consumption of opioid analgesics, occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, and scores on a numeric rating scale (NRS) were collected.The total QOR-40 scores of the two groups differed significantly (P = .024) on postoperative day 1. Opioid consumption (P = .005) and occurrence of postoperative nausea (P = .019) in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) were significantly lower in the CEA group, whose NRS scores were significantly lower in the PACU (P < .001) and at postoperative day 1 (P = .016).Assessment of postoperative quality of recovery after upper-arm vascular surgery in ESRD patients showed that the CEA group had significantly better total QOR-40 and NRS scores. CEA could be used as an alternative anesthetic technique for upper-arm vascular surgery for hemodialysis in ESRD patients to improve the quality of recovery.

The effect of education on decreasing the prevalence and severity of neck and shoulder pain: a longitudinal study in Korean male adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Neck and shoulder pain is fairly common among adolescents in Korea and results in significant health problem. The aims of this prospective study was to identify the effects of education, in terms of recognition of this issue and posture correction, on prevalence and severity of neck and shoulder pain in Korean adolescents. METHODS: A prospective, observational cohort design was used. The 912 students from two academic high schools in the city of Seoul were eligible for the current study and 887 completed this study. After a baseline cross-sectional survey, students listened to a lecture about cervical health, focusing on good posture, habits, and stretching exercises to protect the spine, and were encouraged by their teachers to keep the appropriate position. And follow-ups were conducted 3 months later, to evaluate the effect of education. RESULTS: The prevalence of neck and shoulder pain was decreased 19.5% (from 82.5 to 66.4%). The baseline mean usual and worst numeric rating scale were 19.9/100 (95% CI, 18.1-21.7) and 31.2/100 (95% CI, 28.7-33.2), respectively. On the follow-up survey, the mean usual and worst numeric rating scale were decreased significantly by 24.1 and 21.7%, respectively, compared with baseline (P < 0.01). Of the 570 students reporting neck and shoulder pain, 16.4% responded that they had experienced improvement during the 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Education; recognition of this issue and posture correction, for cervical health appeared to be effective in decreasing the prevalence and severity of neck and shoulder pain at a 3 month follow-up.

Temporal linear mode complexity as a surrogate measure of the anesthetic drug effects during sevoflurane anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to compare the stability, correlation with end-tidal sevoflurane, and area below the effect (AUCeffect) vs. time curves of temporal linear mode complexity (TLMC) and approximate entropy (ApEn) during sevoflurane anesthesia. Another study goal was to characterize the time course of the effects of sevoflurane. METHODS: Electroencephalogram (EEG) parame1ter stability was evaluated using the coefficients of variation (CV) of the median baseline (E0 ), maximal (Emax ), and individual median E0 - Emax values. Correlations between sevoflurane concentration and EEG parameters were tested. AUCeffect vs. time curves of TLMC and ApEn were calculated to quantitate any decrease in central nervous system activities. A sigmoid Emax model was used for pharmacodynamic modeling. RESULTS: TLMC and ApEn demonstrated CVs of 8.36 and 7.35 (for E0 ) and 19.61 and 13.45 (Emax ), respectively. The CVs of the individual median E0 - Emax values were 65.16 for TLMC and 59.97 for ApEn. The Spearman correlation coefficient was -0.3103 for TLMC and -0.3410 for ApEn (P < 0.001 for both parameters). The median AUCeffect value was 338.9 for TLMC and 246.5 for ApEn (P = 0.457). The final pharmacodynamic parameters estimated by sigmoid Emax models were described as follows; E0 : 0.614, 0.617, Emax : 0.334, 0.287, Ce50 : 5.48, 5.07 vol%, γ: 1.88, 2.01, ke0 : 0.306, 0.236 min (TLMC, ApEn). CONCLUSIONS: TLMC is comparable to ApEn according to the univariate EEG descriptors of the effects of sevoflurane. A sigmoid Emax model well described the pharmacodynamics of sevoflurane for TLMC and ApEn.

Opioid sparing effect of low dose ketamine in patients with intravenous patient-controlled analgesia using fentanyl after lumbar spinal fusion surgery.

BACKGROUND: The opioid sparing effect of low dose ketamine is influenced by bolus dose, infusion rate, duration of infusion, and differences in the intensity of postoperative pain. In this study, we investigated the opioid sparing effect of low dose ketamine in patients with intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) using fentanyl after lumbar spinal fusion surgery, which can cause severe postoperative pain. METHODS: Sixty patients scheduled for elective lumbar spinal fusion surgery were randomly assigned to receive one of three study medications (K1 group: ketamine infusion of 1 µg/kg/min following bolus 0.5 mg/kg, K2 group: ketamine infusion of 2 µg/kg/min following bolus 0.5 mg/kg, CONTROL GROUP: saline infusion following bolus of saline). Continuous infusion of ketamine began before skin incision intraoperatively, and continued until 48 h postoperatively. For postoperative pain control, patients were administered fentanyl using IV-PCA (bolus dose 15 µg of fentanyl, lockout interval of 5 min, no basal infusion). For 48 h postoperatively, the total amount of fentanyl consumption, postoperative pain score, adverse effects and patients' satisfaction were evaluated. RESULTS: The total amount of fentanyl consumption was significantly lower in the K2 group (474 µg) compared to the control group (826 µg) and the K1 group (756 µg) during the 48 h after surgery. Pain scores at rest or with movement, the incidence of adverse events and patient satisfaction were not significantly different among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose ketamine at 2 µg/kg/min following bolus 0.5 mg/kg significantly reduced the total amount of fentanyl consumption during the 48 h after lumbar spinal fusion surgery without increasing adverse effects.

The effect of aprepitant for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing gynecologic surgery with intravenous patient controlled analgesia using fentanyl: aprepitant plus ramosetron vs ramosetron alone.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an aprepitant, neurokinin-1(NK1) receptor antagonist, for reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) for up to 24 hours in patients regarded as high risk undergoing gynecological surgery with intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) using fentanyl. METHODS: In this randomized, open label, case-control study 84 gynecological surgical patients receiving a standardized general anesthesia were investigated. Patients were randomly allocated to receive aprepitant 80 mg P.O. approximately 2-3 hours before operation (aprepitant group) or none (control group). All patients received ramosetron 0.3 mg IV after induction of anesthesia. The incidence of PONV, severity of nausea, and use of rescue antiemetics were evaluated for up to 24 hours postoperatively. RESULTS: The incidence of nausea was significantly lower in the aprepitant group (50.0%) compared to the control group (80.9%) during the first 24 hours following surgery. The incidence of vomiting was significantly lower in the aprepitant group (4.7%) compared to the control group (42.8%) during the first 24 hours following surgery. In addition, the severity of nausea was less among those in the aprepitant group compared with the control group over a period of 24 hours post-surgery (P < 0.05). Use of rescue antiemetics was lower in the aprepitant group than in the control group during 24 hours postoperatively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In patients regarded as high risk undergoing gynecological surgery with IV PCA using fentanyl, the aprepitant plus ramosetron ware more effective than ramosetron alone to decrease the incidence of PONV, use of rescue antiemetics and nausea severity for up to 24 hours postoperatively.

Prevention of pain with the injection of microemulsion propofol: a comparison of a combination of lidocaine and ketamine with lidocaine or ketamine alone.

BACKGROUND: Aquafol, a microemulsion propofol, causes more severe and frequent pain on injection than propofol. The purpose of this study was to compare a combination of lidocaine and ketamine on aquafol-induced pain with lidocaine or ketamine alone during the induction of anesthesia. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized, double-blinded study, 130 healthy patients who were undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia were enrolled. The patients received IV lidocaine 40 mg plus ketamine 25 mg (Group LK, n = 43), lidocaine 40 mg (Group L, n = 42), or ketamine 25 mg (Group K, n = 45) with a rubber tourniquet on the forearm 1 min before the injection of microemulsion propofol. The pain score was assessed by a 4-point verbal rating scale (VRS) at 10 seconds after injection of microemulsion propofol 30 mg and during the injection of the remaining total dose. RESULTS: The incidence and severity of pain was significantly lower in Group LK than Group L or Group K at 10 seconds after the injection of microemulsion propofol 30 mg (P < 0.05). And the incidence and severity of pain was significantly lower in Group LK and Group K than Group L during the injection of the remaining total dose (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment with IV lidocaine 40 mg plus ketamine 25 mg with a rubber tourniquet on the forearm 1 min before the injection of microemulsion propofol is more effective than lidocaine 40 mg or ketamine 25 mg alone in preventing pain from the injection of microemulsion propofol.

Survival rate according to grafted density of Korean one-hair follicular units with a hair transplant implanter: Experience with four patients.

BACKGROUND: The survival rate of grafted hairs in hair transplantation has been frequently discussed by many hair-transplant surgeons. Several factors, including skill of doctors and assistants and the amount of perifollicular connective tissue, are suggested to have predictive values in foretelling the eventual quantity of hair growth. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine survival rate according to density of Korean one-hair follicular units grafted with a KNU implanter. METHODS: We designed four templates of 1 cm2 made by tattooing two templates on each side of empty frontoparietal recesses in four Korean patients with male pattern alopecia (beyond Norwood-Hamilton-Type IIIa). One-hair follicular units were prepared from occiput and we grafted 20, 30, 40, and 50 one-hair follicular units using a KNU implanter on each template, respectively, and counted the number of surviving hairs after 10 months. RESULTS: The survival rate of 20 and 30 grafts per template was higher than that of 40 and 50 grafts. CONCLUSION: We think that 30 one-hair follicular units grafted with a KNU implanter is the proper density for better survival in Korean hair transplantation, and repeated sessions will be necessary for a better final result. However, we need further evaluation with a larger number of participants to overcome the small sample size and limitation of one-hair follicular unit grafts. The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters.