Efficacy of dexmedetomidine as adjuvant to ropivacaine in paravertebral block for post-operative analgesia in breast cancer surgery

Background: Paravertebral block can be given for pain management after modified radical mastectomy (MRM). Although many additives to ropivacaine in PVB have been tried for post-operative analgesia, none has been found ideal. Aims and Objectives: We have compared the duration of analgesia in PVB using adjuvant like dexmedetomidine with ropivacaine after MRM. Materials and Methods: Sixty female patients posted for MRM and axillary dissection were split into two groups. Group R administered ultrasound-guided PVB with 20 ml ropivacaine 0.5% and Group RD administered 20 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine with dexmedetomidine 1 mcg/kg. After confirming PVB, surgery was done under general anesthesia in all patients. Time for 1st analgesia requirement was the main objective of our trial. Other objectives were to record visual analog scale scores and total analgesic need. Results: Post-operative analgesia duration was increased in the group RD (7.11 ± 1.42 h) in contrary to Group R (3.68 ± 1.85 h). Total paracetamol consumption post-operative 24 h was decreased in Group RD (1.63 ±0.89 g) in contrary to Group R (2.74 ± 0.76 g). Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine in PVB provides prolonged pain relief after MRM.

Low-cost technology for COVID-19 infection detection through smell loss test: An overview

@#Corona virus (COVID-19) infection has been growing as a biggest threat to human society. World Health Organization (WHO) has already declared it as a pandemic for the whole world, with nearly six million positive cases. Highly contagious nature of the virus has challenged the medical facilities of all the developed and developing country health system. Early identification of the infection is very important to provide medical facilities and cease the chain of infection to new persons. The symptoms such as fever, dry cough, breathing issues generally show in patients not before 5-7 days. However, the patients feel the loss of smell or taste (anosmia) as early as second day onwards due to the presence of virus in nose and throat. Low-cost techniques such as SniffIn-sticks ® Smell Test and UPSIT etc. can be used to test anosmia along with medically approved olfactory test leading to identification of COVID-19 infections. With leading researchers findings anosmia test will be effective in breaking the chain infection of COVID-19 virus. In the exit ports, anosmia test kits may be added to thermal testing to identify the infected patients with low symptoms. Additionally, home test kits may be developed at low cost and supplied for large scale testing of the infection.