The Effective Pressure Value of an Inflatable Wedge in Preventing Postoperative Backache following Surgical Operation in the Lithotomy Position

BACKGROUND: Backache is a common complication following anesthesia and surgery. Previous studies indicated that the use of a lumbosacral wedge was effective in reducing the incidence of postoperative backache. We investigated the effective inflation pressure of an inflatable wedge in preventing postoperative backache following spinal anesthesia and surgery in the lithotomy position. METHODS: A pilot study established a mean comfortable pressure for the wedge when used to support the lumbar curvature. In males and females, the mean pressure values were 23.6 +/- 3.1 mmHg and 18.9 +/- 3.7 mmHg, respectively. The design of the main study was a randomized, controlled trial involving the use of a wedge intra-operatively in patients undergoing spinal anesthesia and urological surgery in the lithotomy position. Fifty male and 50 female patients were included in the main study and randomly allocated to the control or study group. In the study group, the wedge was inserted immediately after the induction of anesthesia and maintained during surgery. On the first day after surgery, all patients were asked whether they had backache. If there was backache, the degree of pain was noted using the numeric rating scale (NRS). RESULTS: In the study and control groups of male patients, the incidence of backache was 16% and 24%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups. In the study and control groups of female patients, the incidence of backache was 20% and 52%, respectively (P < 0.05). Where backache occurred, there was no significant difference in its severity between the study and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: The effective pressure value of an inflatable wedge in preventing postoperative backache following spinal anesthesia and surgical operation in lithotomy position was 19 mmHg in female patients.

Intraventricular Hemorrhage during Cesarean Section under General Anesthesia: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

An intracranial hemorrhage is a fatal complication associated with general anesthesia. It can occur in patients with an intracranial aneurysm, hypertension, cerebral vascular malformation, and blood dyscrasia, etc. A sudden hemodynamic change during intubation and extubation in general anesthesia is dangerous, particularly in these patients. We encountered an intraventricular hemorrhage in a 42 year old pregnant woman after a cesarean section. The patient was induced with 300 mg of thiopental and 45 mg of rocuronium. The anesthesia was maintained with N2O/O2 and sevoflurane after endotracheal intubation. Five hours after surgery, the patient had a seizure at the ward. A MRI and CT scan of the brain showed a right intraventricular and basal ganglia hematoma. The CT 3-D brain angiography showed an unruptured small aneurysm on the right posterior communicating artery.