Effect of binaural beat music and noise cancelling headphones on intraoperative anxiety in patients undergoing spinal anaesthesia - A randomised controlled study.

Background and Aims: This study aimed to determine the effects of music and active noise cancellation on intraoperative anxiety in patients undergoing lower limb surgeries under spinal anaesthesia. Methods: After obtaining ethical approval, this randomised controlled study was conducted in adult patients (18-50 years of age) of either gender. Patients were randomly allocated to binaural beat music (Group A), noise cancellation (Group B) or no headphones (Group C) group (n = 36 in each group). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-6 (STAI-6) score and Visual Analogue Score for Satisfaction (VAS-S) were noted preoperatively and at the end of surgery. In addition, Ramsay sedation scores and Likert communication difficulty scores were noted at 30 min intraoperatively. Haemodynamic parameters were noted preoperatively and at different intervals intraoperatively till the end of the surgery. Results: There was a significant decrease in anxiety scores in Group A, Group B and Group C with postoperative STAI-6 scores (mean ± standard deviation) of 7.8 ± 1.7, 11.7 ± 4.2 and 14.7 ± 5.3, respectively. The difference was significant in Groups A and B compared to Group C (P < 0.001). Patient satisfaction scores in Groups A and B were better than in Group C (7.3 ± 1.7 and 6.2 ± 1.6 vs. 5.2 ± 1.3, respectively). Sedation scores and communication difficulty was significantly better in Groups A and B compared to Group C. Systolic blood pressure was significantly better intra- and postoperatively. There were no significant differences in other haemodynamic parameters on most occasions. Conclusion: Music and noise-cancellation headphones can reduce anxiety and improve satisfaction and sedation scores in patients undergoing spinal anaesthesia.

Recent advancements in total intravenous anaesthesia and anaesthetic pharmacology.

Target-controlled infusion pumps and depth of anaesthesia monitors have made total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) easy, safe, and precise. The merits of TIVA were highlighted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, confirming its potential further in the post-COVID clinical practice as well. Ciprofol and remimazolam are newer drugs that are being tried with a hope to upgrade the practice of TIVA. While research on safe and effective drugs continues, TIVA is being practised with a combination of drugs and adjuncts to overcome the disadvantages of each and to provide complete and balanced anaesthesia with additional benefits in recovery and pain relief postoperatively. Modulation of TIVA for the special population groups is still under process. Advancement in digital technology with mobile apps has increased the scope of TIVA in day-to-day use. The formulation and update of guidelines can establish a safe and efficient practice of TIVA.

Planning and Setting Up of a Communication Program for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: Challenges and Potential Solutions in Resource Constrained Setting.

Background The recent onset of COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated many patients to be hospitalized in the COVID-19 treating centers. Owing to the need for isolation of these patients and minimizing the risk of transmission to healthy people, COVID-19-positive patients are completely restricted from meeting their friends and families. This gives rise to anxiety amongst the patients' relatives as they are not able to monitor the progress of the patients and have to depend entirely on the healthcare staff for any updates regarding the patient. In contrast, the treating doctors are undergoing severe stress due to the unknown nature of the virus and the risks involved in treating patients. They are thoroughly exhausted after the long hours donning the personal protection equipment (PPE). Objective To structure and form an interface for communication between the treating physician and the families, as a "communication team," to decrease the workload on the treating physicians and minimize their contact time in a COVID-19 setting. Results The addition of a communication team improved the physicians' efficiency of patient management and family satisfaction. Several challenges were faced during the setting up of this interface effectively. However, most of these were dealt with along the way. The communication team was instrumental in allaying the anxiety of the family with respect to their patients' clinical condition. This also ensured engagement of doctors from non-clinical and laboratory-based departments in the COVID-19 treatment process. Conclusion Adding up a communication team for communicating clinical updates to the family in a resource-limited scenario greatly improved communication and thus family satisfaction of the COVID-19-positive patients.

Sonographic assessment of predictors of depth of the corner pocket for ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is wide variation in depth of brachial plexus in patient population at supraclavicular region. We plan to find the depth of the corner pocket and correlate it with age, weight, height and body mass index (BMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: After approval from Ethics Committee, right-sided supraclavicular region of volunteers was scanned. Once an optimal image, which included subclavian artery, pleura, first rib and nerve bundles, was obtained, the corner pocket was kept in the middle of the screen and the image was frozen. Depth of the corner pocket from the skin was measured. Thereafter longest distance (LD) approximating needle trajectory was calculated. The Pearson correlation was used to calculate the relation between these two distances and various predictors such as weight, height, and BMI. RESULTS: Mean shortest distance that is, vertical distance from skin to corner pocket for all volunteers was found to be 1.7 ± 0.8 cm and the mean LD that is, distance traveled by needle entering 1 cm from the edge of foot process to the corner pocket in an in-plane approach was 3.7 ± 0.2 cm. We did not find any significant correlation between age, height versus measured distances. However, significant correlation (0.11) was found between weights, BMI versus two lengths. CONCLUSION: Prescanning of supraclavicular region for estimating depth of corner pocket should be done before choosing an appropriate size needle. Furthermore, the needle should not be advanced more than the predicted corner pocket depth.

Comparative evaluation of midazolam and clonidine as pediatric oral premedication.

BACKGROUND: Clonidine provides many desirable effects like sedation, analgesia, anxiolysis, and hemodynamic stability and these properties make it a potentially useful anesthetic premedication in the pediatric settings. The aim of this study was to compare oral midazolam (0.5 mg/kg), which is considered gold standard with oral clonidine (5 mcg/kg) as a premedication in pediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty children classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I, aged between 2 and 12, who were scheduled to undergo an elective surgery, were enrolled for a prospective, randomized, and double blind controlled trial. They received either oral midazolam (Group M) or oral clonidine (Group C) 60 minutes before induction of anesthesia and were submitted to an evaluation of anxiety and sedation scores. We also evaluated secondary outcomes such as palatability, parental separation, effect on hemodynamic status, co-operation during venipuncture and facemask application, postoperative analgesic requirement, and recovery profile. RESULTS: Oral midazolam had better efficacy in the preoperative period as sedative and anxiolytic (P < 0.001), allowed better cooperation during venipuncture and facemask application (P < 0.001), whereas, oral clonidine provided better palatability (P < 0.001), parental satisfaction (P < 0.001), stable perioperative hemodynamics (P < 0.001), better postoperative analgesia (P < 0.001), and night sleep pattern (P < 0.05) without any noticeable side effects (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that under the conditions of this study, oral midazolam is a better medication than clonidine in children in preoperative period while clonidine is a better medication postoperatively with added advantage of palatability, hemodynamic stability, and no significant side effects.