A Review of the Current Status of Anesthetic Management of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic connective tissue disease of immunological etiology. In the course of the disease, symptoms of the musculoskeletal system predominate, but other systems can also be affected. The disease may require long-term treatment, and patients often require surgery on damaged joints. Complications of the disease and drug interactions may contribute to difficulties in perioperative care; therefore, knowledge is required to provide appropriate care. When anesthetizing a patient with RA, we should pay special attention to preoperative evaluation, taking a medical history, risk of difficult intubation or cardiac incidents, respiratory insufficiency, and frequent pulmonary infections. It is important to be aware of perioperative glucocorticoids supplementation, especially in patients with suspected adrenal insufficiency. Postoperative management, such as pain management, early rehabilitation, and restart of pharmacotherapy play, an important role in the patient's recovery. Special attention should be paid to perioperative management in pregnant women, as the disease is a significant risk factor for complications, and some anesthetic procedures can be noxious to the fetus. Due to the nature of the disease, it can be challenging for the anesthesiologist to provide good and appropriate pain medications, symptom management, and other necessary techniques that are done to anesthetize the patient properly. This work is based on the available literature and the authors' experience. This article aims to review the current status of anesthetic management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The Use of Muscle Relaxants After Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy.

Introduction: Patients after chemotherapy and radiotherapy while being operated can suffer from different systemic problems, which may complicate the anesthetic management. Some interactions between muscle relaxants and chemotherapeutics can occur. Aim: This article aims to present the use of muscle relaxants in cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Material and Methods: Our work is based on the available literature and the authors' experience. Conclusion: Based on our observations and a thorough examination of the medical literature, it is advisable to exercise significant caution when employing muscle relaxants in individuals undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. All muscle relaxants can behave differently after chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and for this reason, practitioners should familiarize themselves with the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of their chosen muscle relaxant.

Methods for Clinical Monitoring of Neuromuscular Transmission in Anesthesiology - A Review.

The administration of general anesthesia is a crucial aspect of surgery. However, it can pose significant risks to patients, such as respiratory depression and prolonged neuromuscular blockade. To avoid such complications, it is essential to monitor neuromuscular transmission during anesthesia. While clinical tests have been used for decades to evaluate muscle function, they are now known to be unreliable, and relying on them increases the risk of postoperative complications. Thankfully, there are now six methods available for neuromuscular monitoring during anesthesia: mechanomyography, acceleromyography, electromyography, kinemyography, phonomyography, and compressomyography. Each of these methods differs in terms of their approach and methodology, and their importance in clinical practice varies accordingly. Mechanomyography involves measuring the mechanical response of a muscle to nerve stimulation, while acceleromyography measures the acceleration of muscle contraction. Electromyography records the electrical activity of muscles, while kinemyography tracks muscle movement. Phonomyography records the sound waves produced by contracting muscles, and compressomyography involves monitoring the pressure changes in a muscle during contraction. Overall, understanding the differences between these methods and their clinical significance is crucial for anesthesiologists. This review aims to provide an updated understanding of the current methods available for neuromuscular monitoring during anesthesia, so that anesthesiologists can make informed decisions about patient care and reduce the risk of postoperative complications.

Decoding the Neurological Sequelae of General Anesthesia: A Review.

General anesthesia is an integral part of modern surgical practice, but it is associated with a number of complications, including neurological ones. This article provides a thorough analysis of these complications, taking into account the most common ones like drug complications, through delirium, postoperative cognitive impairment (POCD), to the rarest ones like perioperative stroke (POS), spinal cord ischemia (SCI), and postoperative visual loss (POVL). Its main goal is to familiarize healthcare professionals, especially those involved in anesthesiology, with the intricacies of neurological complications. Given their specificity and frequency of occurrence, it is well known that the diagnosis and management of these complications can sometimes cause problems for physicians without advanced neurological knowledge. Also, in addition to complex diagnostics, the pathomechanism of non-pharmacological complications is often not fully understood due to their multifactoriality and sometimes paucity of research. For this reason, an increasing amount of work is being done in the medical community to better understand this group of conditions, enabling faster diagnosis and more effective treatment, as well as perioperative prevention. This paper aims to increase awareness and vigilance among physicians across the spectrum of surgical patient care, from premedication to postoperative follow-up. Drawing on the authors' experience and the extensive medical literature, this paper includes 39 selected articles from 1994 to 2023, seeking the latest insights in the constantly evolving field of neurology and anesthesiology. This article aims to review the neurological complications of general anesthesia.

Neurological Complications of Regional Anesthesia: An Updated Review with Clinical Guidelines.

The main purpose of this article is to present the neurological complications of regional anesthesia. Our analysis may help clinicians determine when regional anesthesia can be administered safely and in which patients it needs additional precautions. Regional anesthesia has a major role in anesthesia practice. Here, we focus especially on the most common neurological complications: epidural hematoma, post-anesthesia headaches, and peripheral nerve function defect. We investigated risk factors of these states and propose ways of reducing the risks. This work is based on the available literature and the authors' experience. The research process involved using relevant keywords in various electronic databases, resulting in the selection of 32 articles published between 1989 and 2022. This manuscript provides an overview and analysis of the existing literature related to neurological complications of regional anesthesia. We believe that our article provides up-to-date information on the most common regional anesthesia complications, emphasizing differences concerning children and pregnant women and provides important guidance for clinicians in preparing for and performing anesthesia.

Comparison of Relaxometry Between Ulnar Nerve and Posterior Tibial Nerve After Cisatracurium Administration Using Electromyography.

Background: Electromyography can be used for quantitative neuromuscular monitoring during general anesthesia, mostly using the stimulation train-of-four (TOF) pattern. Relaxometry measures the muscular response of the adductor pollicis muscle to electrical stimulation of the ulnar nerve, which is routinely used in clinical practices for monitoring the neuromuscular block. However, when it is not always possible to be used for all patients, the posterior tibial nerve is a suitable alternative. Objectives: Using electromyography, we compared the neuromuscular block between the ulnar and the posterior tibial nerves. Methods: In this study, the participants were 110 patients who met inclusion criteria and submitted their written consent. Following the administration of cisatracurium intravenously, the patients had relaxometry performed simultaneously on the ulnar and the posterior tibial nerves using electromyography. Results: Eighty-seven patients were included in the final analysis. The onset time was 296 ± 99 s at the ulnar nerve and 346 ± 146 s at the tibial nerve, with a mean difference of -50 s and a standard deviation of 164 s. The 95% limits of agreement ranged from -372 s to 272 s. The relaxation time was 105 ± 26 min at the ulnar nerve and 87 ± 25 min at the tibial nerve, with a mean difference of 18 min and a standard deviation of 20 min. Conclusions: Using electromyography, no statistically significant difference was noticed between the ulnar and the posterior tibial nerve during the neuromuscular block. The onset time and the relaxation time assessed with an electromyogram to compare the stimulation of the ulnar and posterior tibial nerves showed large limits of agreement.

A Review on the Anesthetic Management of Patients with Neuromuscular Diseases.

Context: Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) are regarded as a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by weakening muscle strength and dystrophic changes in the muscle. Due to the nature of these diseases, it can be challenging for anesthesiologists to provide appropriate pain medications, symptom management, and other necessary techniques that are implemented to anesthetize the patient properly. Evidence Acquisition: This study was based on the available literature and the authors' experience. The current study aimed to review the available anesthesia for patients suffering from NMDs. The search process resulted in the detection of relevant articles using valid keywords on electronic databases, including Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Subsequently, 19 articles published between 2009 to 2022 were identified as eligible for this review. Results: When anesthetizing a patient with NMD, special attention should be paid to preoperative evaluation, medical-history taking, risk of difficult intubation or cardiac incidents, respiratory insufficiency, and frequent pulmonary infections. It is also necessary to keep in mind that these patients are at risk of prolonged paralysis, hyperkalemia, rigidity, malignant hyperthermia, cardiac arrest, rhabdomyolysis, or even death. Conclusions: Problems of anesthesia in patients with NMDs arise from the nature of the condition itself and the interaction of anesthetics and muscle relaxants with anticholinesterase drugs used in therapy. Each patient's individual risk should be assessed before anesthesia. Therefore, it is important (and even necessary before major surgery) to perform a thorough preoperative examination to not only determine perioperative risk but also to ensure optimal perioperative follow-up.

The Use of Muscle Relaxants in Pregnancy and Puerperium Period.

Introduction: Anaesthetising a pregnant woman and during the postpartum period is challenging for most anaesthetists. There are many factors involved, including all the physiological changes that occur in the body of such a woman. Particular attention should be paid to muscle relaxants. Aim: The purpose of this article is to present the use of muscle relaxants in pregnancy and puerperium period. Material and Methods: This work is based on the available literature and the authors' experience. Conclusion: In our experience and from a broad review of the medical literature, a great deal of caution should be exercised when using muscle relaxants during the anaesthesia of pregnant or postpartum patients. The pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic differences in the action of this group of drugs during this period should be known.

Trismus during tracheal extubation as a complication of general anaesthesia - A case report.

Tracheal extubation is a risky phase of anaesthesia. Most complications that occur when an endotracheal tube is removed are of minor nature, but those that require critical action can end in serious complications or even death. Patient - A 55-year-old woman was admitted for elective transabdominal hysterectomy and adnexal procedures. Anaesthesia - Standard monitoring. For induction, we used fentanyl, propofol, and rocuronium. The maintenance phase of anaesthesia was without complications. After extubation, the patient presented with severe trismus and mask ventilation was unsuccessful (cannot ventilate) - It was not until 200 mg of succinylcholine was administered that the masseter muscle spasm subsided. Extubation is a process that must always be planned. A routine approach and lack of a contingency plan is responsible for a number of complications related to the period of patient awakening and associated with the removal of the endotracheal tube. Trismus, in response to extubation, is a phenomenon not described in the literature in non-high risk patients.

Psychological Distress after the COVID-19 Pandemic among Anesthesiologists in Poland-An Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: The response to the COVID-19 pandemic by anesthesiologists has been simply heroic. Unfortunately, there are very few evidence-based studies in the literature that focus on anesthesiologists' burnout during that time. The purpose of our study was to examine the psychological distress, after the COVID-19 pandemic, among anesthesiologists in Poland. METHODS: We conducted an anonymous internet survey among a group of anesthesiologists in Poland. It contained a questionnaire, entitled "Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI)", with demographic questions about sex, age, and family, as well as questions related to working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We received data from 158 people, including 109 women and 49 men. RESULTS: Results from the analysis showed that 73% (115/158) of the participants suffered from burnout. Moreover, 95.6% of the participants thought that the COVID-19 pandemic had had an influence on their level of burnout, and 97.3% found that it had had a negative impact. CONCLUSIONS: There is no doubt that healthcare workers, despite the difficulties associated with their daily work, have not faced challenges on such a scale in a very long time. Support for their mental health should be an essential component of the modern public healthcare system.

Effect of Bilateral Quadratus Lumborum Block Type I on Patient Satisfaction and Incidence of Chronic Postsurgical Pain Following Cesarean Section-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Quadratus lumborum block (QLB) provides a reduction in pain scores and opioid consumption after cesarean section (CS). Intrathecal morphine (ITM) is still considered as the gold standard of acute postoperative pain therapy, but it does have some significant side effects. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate whether performing the quadratus lumborum block type I in patients undergoing CS would be associated with an increased satisfaction of pain therapy and a decreased incidence of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). METHODS: Sixty patients scheduled for elective CS were enrolled. All patients received spinal anesthesia and were randomly allocated to either the QLB group (received bilateral quadratus lumborum block type I with the use of 24 m mL 0.375% ropivacaine) or the control group (received no block). The level of satisfaction was evaluated using a three-step scale and the answers provided in a questionnaire regarding the patients' satisfaction with the method of postoperative pain treatment in the first 48 h. After a 6-month period, all patients were interviewed to evaluate the incidence and possible severity of CPSP. RESULTS: Satisfaction scores were significantly lower in the QLB group than in the control group (p = 0.0000). There were no significant differences between the QLB and control groups regarding the occurrence of chronic postsurgical pain after 6 months following CS (p = 0.102). No statistical differences between the groups were recorded when we compared the results of the questionnaire after a period of 48 h from CS (the number of participants were limited in number). CONCLUSIONS: QLB type I is an analgetic option that increased the satisfaction of parturients with pain therapy after CS compared to patients who did not receive the block, and there is a tendency for a lower incidence of CPSP.