Scalp infiltration with bupivacaine plus epinephrine or plain ropivacaine reduces postoperative pain after supratentorial craniotomy.

Local anesthetic infiltration has been proposed to decrease postoperative pain. The aim of this study was to determine whether scalp infiltration with bupivacaine or ropivacaine would improve analgesia after supratentorial craniotomy for tumor resection. Eighty patients were recruited into a randomized double-blind study. Infiltration was performed after skin closure with 20 mL of saline 0.9% (placebo group, n = 40), of 0.375% bupivacaine with epinephrine 1:200,000 (bupivacaine group, n = 20), or of 0.75% ropivacaine (ropivacaine group, n = 20). Postoperative analgesia was provided with patient-controlled morphine IV analgesia (PCA). The study was continued until PACU discharge, which occurred early in the morning following surgery. Results are reported on 37 patients in the placebo group, 20 in the bupivacaine group, and 19 in the ropivacaine group because 4 patients experienced postoperative complications and were excluded from the study. Morphine titration at arrival in the postanesthesia care unit was necessary more often in the placebo group (62% of the patients) than in the 2 treated groups (19% in each, P = 0.02). The median quantity of morphine administered during the first 2 postoperative hours, including initial titration administered by a nurse and PCA-administered morphine, was lower in each treated group than in the placebo group (P < 0.01). The median morphine consumption up to the 16th postoperative hour was not significantly different among the 3 groups. There was no difference in the visual analogue scale scores among the 3 groups at any time. Scalp infiltration with either bupivacaine or ropivacaine had a statistically significant effect on morphine consumption during the first 2 postoperative hours.

Recovery from anesthesia after craniotomy for supratentorial tumors: comparison of propofol-remifentanil and sevoflurane-sufentanil (the PROMIFLUNIL trial).

INTRODUCTION: Rapid recovery after supratentorial tumors (STT) removal is important. Short-acting anesthetics, such as propofol and remifentanil might favor this objective. The aim of this study was to compare the recovery of 2 Bispectral index (BIS)-guided anesthesia protocols combining sevoflurane-sufentanil (SS) or propofol-remifentanil (PR) administered during craniotomy for STT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After IRB approval and written consent, patients scheduled for surgical removal of STT were randomized to receive PR or SS. Anesthesia was adjusted to maintain BIS values between 45 and 55. The primary outcome was the time from discontinuation of anesthetics to extubation. Secondary endpoints were: time to respond to a simple order, and to achieve spontaneous ventilation, agitation score at emergence, postoperative Mini Mental State, postoperative Aldrete score, pain Visual Analogical Score, simplified sedation score, Glasgow Coma Scale, and surgical complications. Statistical analyses were performed using analysis of variance. RESULTS: Thirty-five and 31 were included in the SS and PR groups, respectively. Times to extubation was not different between the 2 groups (11.8±6.9 vs. 13.0±8.1 min in PR and SS groups, respectively, P=0.577). Although times to achieve an Aldrete score to 10, a Glasgow Coma Scale to 15, and a MMS to 30 significantly were lower in SS group, no significant difference was found when analyzing time course of these 3 factors over the first postoperative day. All other secondary endpoints were not different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: During craniotomy for STT, we could not demonstrate a reduction in the time to extubation when comparing a BIS-guided anesthesia associating PR to a BIS-guided anesthesia associating SS (Clinicatrials.gov identifier: NCT00389883).

Separate-lung ventilation strategy for reimplantation of esophageal bronchus.

IMPLICATIONS: We describe an original ventilation method designed to optimize lung recruitment and gas exchanges during surgery in a newborn with congenital esophageal atresia and ectopic esophageal implantation of the left mainstem bronchus. This strategy ensured constant adaptation of the mechanical ventilatory regimen to the surgical procedure-linked constraints.