Adrenal incidentaloma: a case of asymptomatic pheochromocytoma / 고신대학교의과대학학술지

An incidentaloma is a tumor found incidentally without clinical symptoms or suspicion; the lesion may be adrenal, pituitary, or thyroidal. We report the case of an asymptomatic individual with preoperatively undiagnosed pheochromocytoma (size: 4.86 cm) that was revealed using elective nonadrenal surgical procedures. The patient demonstrated peri- and post-operative hypertensive crisis and tachycardia. Three days after the dramatic onset of symptoms, the patient expired due to pulmonary edema, multiple organ failure, and terminal sepsis, despite administration of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A left medial kidney mass obtained at autopsy confirmed pheochromocytoma.

Use of sugammadex in lung cancer patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the use of sugammadex in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy. METHODS: Data were obtained from medical record review of patients who underwent VATS lobectomy from January 2013 to November 2014. Fifty patients were divided into two groups: the sugammadex group (group S, n = 19) was administered sugammadex 2 mg/kg, while the pyridostigmine group (group P, n = 31) received pyridostigmine 20 mg with glycopyrrolate 0.2 mg or atropine 0.5 mg. The primary endpoint measure was the overall incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications including prolonged air leak, pneumonia, and atelectasis. The secondary endpoint measures were the length of postoperative hospital stay and duration of chest tube insertion. RESULTS: The overall incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in patients in group S was significantly lower compared with that of group P (5 [26.3%] vs. 17 [54.8%]; P = 0.049). Also, the durations of chest tube insertion (5.0 [4.0–7.0] vs. 7.0 [6.0–8.0] days; P = 0.014) and postoperative hospital stay (8.0 [8.0–10.0] vs. 10.0 [9.0–11.0] days; P = 0.019) were shorter in group S compared with group P. Administration of sugammadex was associated reduced with postoperative pulmonary complications (OR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.05–0.87; P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: The use of sugammadex, compared with pyridostigmine, showed a significantly reduced overall incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications and decreased duration of chest tube use and postoperative hospital stay in patients undergoing VATS lobectomy, suggesting that sugammadex might be helpful in improving clinical outcomes in such patients.

Risk factors of emergence agitation after general anesthesia in adult patients

BACKGROUND: Emergence agitation (EA) is one of the most common complications after general anesthesia. The goal of this retrospective study was to determine the risk factors of EA in adult patients who underwent general anesthesia. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated the medical records of 5,358 adult patients who stayed in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) of our hospital after general anesthesia during the 1-year period from January 2014 to December 2014. Psychological and behavioral status in the PACU was determined by the Aono four-point scale. Grade of 3 or 4 were considered as manifestations of EA. Multiple variables assessed EA risk factors. RESULTS: Two-hundred-forty-five patients (4.6%) developed EA. In multivariate analysis, male gender (OR = 1.626, P = 0.001), older age (OR = 1.010, P = 0.035), abdominal surgery (OR = 1.633, P = 0.002), spine surgery (OR = 1.777, P = 0.015), longer duration of anesthesia (OR = 1.002, P < 0.001), postoperative nausea and vomiting (OR = 20.164, P < 0.001) and postoperative pain (OR = 3.614, P < 0.001) were risk factors of EA. CONCLUSIONS: Male gender and older patients were risk factors of EA after general anesthesia in adult patients. Careful attention is needed for patients who receive abdominal or spine surgery, and who receive prolonged anesthesia. Adequate postoperative analgesia and antiemetic therapy should be provided to reduce the incidence of EA.

Comparison of spinal anesthesia between the non-elderly and elderly patients

BACKGROUND: The clinical features of spinal anesthesia may differ between young and old patients because of the anatomical and physiological changes that occur with an increase in age. This study was performed retrospectively to compare the clinical aspects of spinal anesthesia between the non-elderly and elderly patients. METHODS: We investigated the medical records of 1,180 adult patients who received spinal anesthesia during a one-year period. They were divided into two groups on the basis of 65 years of age; the non-elderly patient group (Y group, n = 813) versus the elderly patient group (E group, n = 367). Pre-, intra-, and postoperative data related to spinal anesthesia were collected. The data about satisfaction and causes of dissatisfaction with the procedure were evaluated. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, height, and weight, except for sex. Significantly more than two attempts at spinal puncture were performed in the E group (37.6%) than in the Y group (21.4%). There were no statistically significant differences in perioperative complications after spinal anesthesia between the two groups. There were no significant differences in the reported causes of dissatisfaction between the two groups. The rate of wanting to undergo spinal anesthesia in the future was 96.4% in the Y group and 97.5% in the E group, which showed no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Although the elderly patients had to undergo more spinal puncture attempts, more than 90% of the elderly patients were satisfied with spinal anesthesia and wanted to undergo spinal anesthesia again for similar surgeries in the future.

Comparison of i-gel(R) and LMA Supreme(R) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: In laparoscopic surgical procedures, many clinicians recommend supraglottic airway devices as good alternatives to intubation. We compared the i-gel(R) (i-gel) and LMA Supreme(R) (Supreme Laryngeal Mask Airway, SLMA) airway devices during laparoscopic cholecystectomy regarding sealing pressure and respiratory parameters before, during, and after pneumoperitoneum. METHODS: Following Institutional Review Board approval and written informed consent, 93 patients were randomly allocated into the i-gel (n = 47) or SLMA group (n = 46). Insertion time, number of insertion attempts, and fiberoptic view of glottis were recorded. Oropharyngeal leak pressure (OLP), the use of airway manipulation, peak inspiratory pressure, lung compliance, and hemodynamic parameters were measured before, during, and after pneumoperitoneum. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding demographic data, insertion time, fiberoptic view of glottis, and the use of airway manipulation. The gastric tube insertion time was longer in the i-gel group (20.4 +/- 3.9 s) than in the SLMA group (16.7 +/- 1.6 s) (P < 0.001). All devices were inserted on the first attempt, excluding one case in each group. Peak inspiratory pressure, lung compliance, and OLP changed following carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum in each group, but there were no significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both the i-gel and SLMA airway devices can be comparably used in patients who undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and they offer similar performance including OLP.

The effects of ketamine-propofol (ketofol) ratio in the mixing proportions of ketofol on hemodynamic response to endotracheal intubation

BACKGROUND: Hemodynamic stability can be achieved using the combination of ketamine and propofol (ketofol). This study was designed to compare the hemodynamic effects of ketofol with different ketamine-propofol ratios versus propofol after induction of general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. METHODS: A total of 120 American Society of Anesthesiologist physical status I and II patients 20-60 years of age were randomly allocated into one of four groups. The K0 group received only 2 mg/kg propofol. The K0.15 group received 0.15 mg/kg ketamine and 1.85 mg/kg propofol. The K0.3 group received 0.3 mg/kg ketamine and 1.7 mg/kg propofol. The K0.6 group received 0.6 mg/kg ketamine and 1.4 mg/kg propofol. Endotracheal intubation was performed after muscle relaxation. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean blood pressure (MBP), heart rate (HR) and the bispectral index value were recorded. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in SBP, DBP, MBP, or HR among the groups after endotracheal intubation. However, the number of patients with a decrease of MBP > 20% from baseline after induction was significantly lower in the K0.6 group compared to that in the K0 group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that ketofol with 0.6 mg/kg ketamine and 1.4 mg/kg propofol can be used as an alternative to 2 mg/kg propofol.