Anesthetic Experience in a Patient with Goldenhar Syndrome: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Goldenhar syndrome is a rare congenital disorder of hemicraniofacial and vertebral defects related to the abnormal development of the first and second branchial arches. In some infants, congenital heart disease, and pulmonary and renal defects are also present. Goldenhar syndrome commonly involves an airway which is difficult to manage. Tracheal intubation may be difficult due to a combination of retrognathia, micrognathia, mandibular hypoplasia, palatal defects and vertebral abnormities. We experienced the anesthetic management of an 8-month-old boy with Goldenhar syndrome who received excision and biopsy for conjunctival dermoid and ureteral reimplantation for vesicoureteral reflux under general anesthesia. Airway management, with thiopental, rocuronium and sevoflurane, and tracheal intubation were accomplished successfully in the patient. Surgery was performed uneventfully and the patient was discharged without complication.

Preventive Effect of Intravenous Ondansetron on Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting related to Epidural Morphine after Abdominal Surgery / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: A prospective study was performed to evaluate the preventive effect of intravenous (IV) ondansetron on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) due to epidural morphine for postoperative pain control after major abdominal surgery. METHODS: One hundred patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery were randomly devided into two groups, group O (n = 50) receiving IV ondansetron and group C (n = 50) receiving IV saline. After bolus epidural morphine were injected to all patients thirty minutes before the end of surgery, group O received ondansetron 8 mg and group C received normal saline intravenously. Incidence and severity of nausea, episodes of vomiting, patient's satisfaction, side effects such as pruritus, headache, dizziness related to epidural morphine were checked at 6, 24 hours after operation. RESULTS: The incidence and severity of nausea were significantly decreased in group O than group C during the first 24 hours after surgery. There were no significant differences in postoperative pain scores and patient's satisfaction between groups. The patients who didn't experienced PONV were significantly more satisfied than those who experienced PONV after surgery. CONCLUSION: Ondansetron decrease the incidence and severity of nausea in patients receiving epidural morphine for postoperative pain control after major abdominal surgery.

The Effects of Neostigmine added to Ropivacaine for Intravenous Regional Anesthesia / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Neostigmine has been added to local anesthetic regimen for epidural or intrathecal block, and this resulted in prolonged and improved analgesia, but evidence of its benefit in intravenous regional anesthesia (IVRA) is controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of neostigmine added to ropivacaine for IVRA. METHODS: Forty patients undergoing hand or forearm surgery were randomly assigned to two groups to receive IVRA: Group I received 40 ml of 0.2% ropivacaine plus 1 ml of normal saline, and group II received 40 ml of 0.2% ropivacaine plus 500microgram (1 ml) of neostigmine. Sensory block onset time, postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, recovery time from motor block after deflation, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and pulse oximeter saturation (SpO2) values were measured. The incidence of side effects was recorded. RESULTS: Group II had a shorter sensory block onset time, a prolonged motor block recovery time, and lower postoperative VAS scores. No significant difference was found between the two the groups in terms of MAP, HR, SpO2 and side effects. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of neostigmine to ropivacaine in IVRA is believed to be a useful effective method for outpatient arm surgery due to a shortened sensory onset time and improved postoperative analgesia.