Pericapsular Nerve Group Block as an Effective Intervention for Pain Relief and Improving Functional Mobility in Cancer Patients: A Case Series.

Pericapsular nerve group block (PENG) is an ultrasound-guided regional block technique that blocks the articular branches of the femoral nerve, accessory obturator nerve and obturator nerve. These nerves richly innervate the anterior capsule of the hip joint and blocking these nerves helps in hip analgesia. PENG block is commonly used in hip fracture pain perioperatively. In this case series, we have used PENG block in cancer patients with hip pain. PENG block was given to six patients with bupivacaine and triamcinolone, out of which five patients had good pain relief and their functional mobility to activities of daily living improved.

Management of Malignant Ascites by Indwelling Tunnelled Catheters in Indian Setup: A Case Series.

Malignant Ascites (MA) poses significant symptom burden in patients with peritoneal malignancies at the end of life. Various treatment options are available and Indwelling Tunneled Catheters (ITC) have the advantage of increased patient comfort being soft on abdomen, less painful, easy to tap fluid, and less chances of infection etc. A total of 5 patients underwent insertion of ITC after proper counseling and assessment. Insertion was done in operation theatre under combined ultrasonogram and fluoroscopy guidance. Results: 4 out of 5 patients had favorable outcomes in terms of symptom free days spent at home at end of life. ITC's are a suitable option to manage symptoms in patients with terminal malignant ascites. Careful patient selection and proper education of the caregivers will increase the success rates of procedures.

Feasibility and efficacy of indocyanine green in monitoring systemic drug leakage during isolated limb perfusion for recurrent melanoma of extremity.

Melanoma is known for its high metastatic potential and aggressive growth. Recurrence is common post-surgery, sometimes leading to unresectable disease. Locally recurrent unresectable melanoma of extremity has been treated with high-dose anticancer chemotherapy via isolated limb perfusion (ILP) to improve local efficacy of drug and salvage limbs. Standard ILP monitoring uses radiolabeled dyes, requiring specialized personnel and involving radiation exposure. In this case, we used indocyanine green (ICG) to track systemic drug leakage during ILP. A 47-year-old gentleman with recurrent malignant melanoma of the left foot, operated twice earlier and treated with adjuvant pembrolizumab, presented with multiple in-transit metastases in the limb. ILP was planned, with 5 mg ICG administered in the perfusion solution along with high-dose melphalan. Stryker's SPI PHI handheld device was employed to visualize ICG during ILP. Absence of fluorescence beyond the involved extremity, such as fingers, ears, and the abdominal wall, indicated no systemic drug dispersion. For control, technetium radiocolloid dye was co-administered, monitored by a precordial gamma probe, confirming no systemic leakage, and validating effectiveness of ICG in leakage monitoring. ICG proves to be a safe, reliable, cost-effective, radiation-free approach for precise systemic drug leakage monitoring during ILP for recurrent melanoma of extremity.

Optimizing quality of life: integrating palliative care for patients with hand-foot syndrome in oncology practice.

Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) emerges as one of the common dermatological side effects associated with anticancer medications such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), capecitabine and docetaxel. This condition can be notably debilitating, exerting a predominant impact on the clinical, functional and psychosocial domains of health. With prevalence rates of HFS, ranging from 43% to 71%, there exists an unmet need among palliative care physicians to comprehend this syndrome in addressing physical, psychological dimensions and its integrated management within healthcare. This understanding enables them to adopt diverse approaches aimed at preserving the quality of life for patients, by enhancing the overall healthcare experience. Our primary objective is to underscore the imperative for the high-quality integration of palliative care with respect to HFS in contemporary oncology practices. We aim to achieve this by providing evidence-based insights to enhance patient outcomes.The intent of this study: (1) The article delves into the range of symptoms linked to HFS, and stresses the necessity of a holistic strategy and the difference that a palliative physician can contribute during cancer treatment-in picking up certain intricate aspects of patient care and addressing them. (2) The article also highlights the comprehensive approach through the incorporation of quality-of-life assessments, with the goal of enhancing patient outcomes, overall care experience within an integrated healthcare framework.

A randomized controlled study to compare analgesic efficacy of sublingual buprenorphine and intravenous tramadol in patients undergoing mastectomy.

Sublingual (SL) buprenorphine is approved for managing acute postoperative pain, characterized by easy administration, good pain relief and good patient compliance. We hypothesized that SL buprenorphine would be a better perioperative analgesic compared to intravenous (IV) opioids like tramadol in patients undergoing mastectomy surgery for breast cancer. After institutional ethics committee approval, we randomized 60 patients with breast cancer into 2 groups. In buprenorphine group, patients received 200 µg of SL buprenorphine thrice daily and in tramadol group patients received 100 mg of IV tramadol thrice daily. The analgesic efficacy of SL buprenorphine was comparable to that of IV tramadol. Visual Analogue Scale scores had no significant difference between the two groups at various time frames (0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours) at rest and movement except at 0 and 3 hours during movement when the score was lower in the tramadol group than the buprenorphine group. Four patients in the buprenorphine group received rescue analgesic (IV morphine 3 mg). Analgesic efficacy of SL buprenorphine appears comparable to IV tramadol for managing postoperative pain after mastectomy. SL buprenorphine can be administered sublingually, which is an advantage.

Regional anesthesia prevents cancer recurrence after oncosurgery! What is wrong with the hypothesis?

Several studies have investigated the hypothesis of the efficacy of regional anesthesia (RA) techniques in preventing cancer recurrence when used perioperatively during oncological surgeries. Although theoretically, the association appears beneficial, the patient outcomes after cancer surgeries with or without RA were comparable, that is, the use of RA did not improve patient survival or prevent cancer recurrence after surgery. Another problem with this data is its retrospective nature which makes its interpretation difficult. Moreover, there are a lot of other confounding factors like comorbidities, tumor biology, nosocomial infections, duration of hospital stay, and baseline immunity, which is not comparable, and hence make standardization for a well-designed prospective study difficult. Return to intended oncologic therapy (RIOT) involves treatment in the form of radiation or chemotherapy which, if received on time after the planned oncosurgery, could provide a better chance of preventing cancer recurrence and improved survival. However, none of the retrospective studies have correlated cancer recurrence with delay in RIOT or not receiving RIOT as a cause of cancer recurrence. This paper discusses why even a well-designed, prospective trial could possibly never establish the efficacy of RA in preventing cancer recurrence and improving survival due to the complexities involved in a patient undergoing oncosurgery.

Efficacy of xenon anesthesia in preventing postoperative cognitive dysfunction after cardiac and major non-cardiac surgeries in elderly patients: a topical review.

Elderly patients undergoing major cardiac and non-cardiac surgeries have a high propensity (up to 40-60%) of developing postoperative cognitive dysfunction, which are caused by patient's factors, type of surgery, intraoperative and postoperative factors. All these pose a challenge to the clinicians. The noble gas xenon does not undergo metabolism or any kind of biotransformation in the body owing to its inert nature. Xenon confers excellent hemodynamic stability and provides excellent recovery at the end of surgery. This topical review discusses advantages of xenon anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing major cardiac and non-cardiac surgeries and whether it is worth using a costly anesthetic in elderly patients for preventing postoperative cognitive dysfunction.

Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy the Standard of Care: Experience from a Tertiary Care Cancer Center from India.

For localized esophageal cancer, esophageal resection remains the prime form of treatment but is a highly invasive procedure associated with prohibitive morbidity. Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) by laparoscopic or thoracoscopic approach was therefore introduced to reduce surgical trauma and its associated morbidity. We thereby review our minimally invasive esophagectomy results with short- and long-term outcomes. From January 2010 through December 2016, 459 patients with carcinoma esophagus and gastro-esophageal junction undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy were retrospectively reviewed. The morbidity, mortality data with short- and long-term results of the procedure were studied. Patients were stratified into two arms based on the approach into minimally invasive transhiatal esophagectomy (MI-THE) and minimal invasive transthoracic esophagectomy TTE (MI-THE). Thirty days mortality in the whole cohort was 3.5% (2.5% in MI-THE vs. 5% in MI-TTE arm). Anastomotic leak rates (5 vs. 4.9%), median intensive care unit (ICU) stay (4 days), hospital stay (9 days), were similar between both the approaches. Major pulmonary complications were significantly higher in MI-TTE arm (18.9% vs 12.5%) (p 0.047). Cardiac, renal, conduit-related complication rates, vocal cord palsy, chyle leak, re-exploration, and late stricture rates were similar between the groups. The median number of nodes resected was higher in the MI-TTE arm (14 vs. 12) (p 0.002). R0 resection rate in the entire cohort was 89% (87.4% in MI-THE, 92% in MI-TTE arm p 0.12). The median overall survival and disease-free survival were also not different between MI-THE and MI-TTE arms (34 vs. 38 months, p 0.64) (24 vs. 36 months, p 0.67). Minimally invasive esophagectomy either by transhiatal or transthoracic approach is feasible and can be safely accomplished with a low morbidity and mortality and with satisfactory R0 resection rates, good nodal harvest, and acceptable long-term oncological outcomes.

Laparoscopic Repair of Acute Post-Esophagectomy Diaphragmatic Herniation Following Minimal Access Esophagectomy.

This study's objective was to assess the presentation, incidence, operative approach, and outcomes of acute symptomatic post-esophagectomy diaphragmatic hernia (PEDH), following minimal access esophagectomy (MAE) for esophageal and gastro-esophageal junctional cancer. Between January 2010 and December 2020, all consecutive patients undergoing esophagectomy were retrospectively analyzed. Acute symptomatic PEDH occurred in 4 patients out of 680 consecutive patients undergoing esophagectomy (0.58%) and 636 MAE (0.63%). All patients were men, with a median age of 56.5 years, and underwent minimal access transhiatal resection. The presentation was varied; 2 had restlessness, agitation, and tachycardia; one acute respiratory distress; and the last was asymptomatic but had reduced air entry over left hemithorax with unexplained hypoxia. All had transverse colon herniation into the left hemithorax. Herniated viscera were reduced with closure of hiatal defect, 3 underwent laparoscopic repair, and one needed laparotomy. Meshplasty or bowel resection was not required. The median hospital stay was 9 days with no perioperative mortality. The major complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ IIIa) occurred in 2 patients. One patient was lost to follow-up, 2 died of disease after a year and 15 months post-procedure, and one is doing well at 10 months without any relapse of hernia. Acute symptomatic PEDH is a rare complication after transhiatal esophagectomy and mainly occurs in the left hemithorax. The incidence appears to be less than 1% after MAE. Laparoscopic repair is feasible in most cases. We recommend routine assessment of hiatus and tightening of hiatus to snuggly accommodate the gastric conduit.

Multimodal opioid sparing onco-anesthesia: A consensus practice guideline from Society of Onco-Anesthesia and Perioperative Care (SOAPC).

Opioids are an indispensable part of perioperative pain management of cancer surgeries. Opioids do have some side effects and abuse potential, and some laboratory data suggest a possible association of cancer recurrence with perioperative opioid use. Opioid-free anesthesia and opioid-sparing anesthesia are emerging new concepts worldwide to safeguard patients from adverse effects of opioids and potential abuse. Opioid-free anesthesia could lead to ineffective pain management, leaving the perioperative physician with limited options, while opioid-sparing anesthesia may be a rational approach. This consensus guideline includes general considerations of the safe use of perioperative opioids along with concomitant use of central neuraxial or regional blockade and systematic nonopioid analgesics. Region-specific onco-surgeries with their specific recommendations and consensus statements for judicious use of opioids are suggested. Use of epidural analgesia or regional catheter during thoracic, abdominal, pelvic, and lower limb surgeries and use of regional nerve blocks/catheter in head neck, neuro, and upper limb onco-surgeries, wherever possible along with nonopioids analgesics, are suggested. Short-acting opioids in small aliquots may be allowed to control breakthrough pain for expedient control of pain. The purpose of this consensus practice guideline is to provide the practicing anesthesiologists with best practice evidence and consensus recommendations by the expert committee of the Society of Onco-Anesthesia and Perioperative Care for safe opioid use in onco-surgeries.

Dexmedetomidine in cancer surgeries: Present status and consequences with its use.

Dexmedetomidine is a centrally acting α2 adrenoreceptor agonist used in perioperative medicine due to its sedative, analgesic and sympatholytic properties. Recently animal data has pointed towards potential role of dexmedetomidine in promoting cancer recurrence and metastasis when used perioperatively especially after breast surgeries. This is because of presence of α2 adrenoreceptors in breast cancer tissue. We reviewed existing literature in which dexmedetomidine was used in cancer surgeries and investigated its role in recurrence and metastasis.

Efficacy of single-shot ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block for postoperative analgesia after mastectomy: A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to understand the effect of ultrasound (US) guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) in improving the intraoperative and postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing mastectomies, decreasing the use of opioids and in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting. METHODS: After local ethics committee approval, 100 patients were divided randomly into two groups. Group A with 50 patients received US guided ESPB with 30 ml of 0.25% of bupivacaine under US guidance. Group B with 50 patients received no block. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess pain postoperatively. All patients received 1 g intravenous intravenous paracetamol 8th hourly and morphine was used as rescue analgesia if VAS score is more than 4. Patients were monitored for VAS scores, postoperative nausea/ vomiting and total morphine consumption for a 24-hour period in a high dependency unit. RESULTS: Postoperative morphine consumption was found to be significantly less in patients who received US-guided ESPB compared to control group (0.12 mg ± 0.59 mg in ESPB group compared to 1.70 ± 2.29 mg which was statistically significant, p=0.000). Only 3 patients in ESP group received rescue analgesia in the form of morphine whereas 22 patients in the control group received morphine. There was no difference in PONV score in either groups. There were no complications like vascular puncture, pneumothorax, or respiratory depression in both groups. CONCLUSION: US guided ESPB is quite effective in reducing perioperative pain in patients undergoing mastectomy. The trial was registered prospectively with CTRI with registration number: CTRI/2018/09/015668.