PROTOCOL FOR HUMAN EXPOSURE TO OPIOIDS AND CONCENTRATED MEDETOMIDINE USED IN FIELD APPLICATIONS.

Wildlife professionals routinely use potent sedatives and anesthetics when chemically immobilizing wildlife and zoo species in remote environments. Accidental exposure to these prescription veterinary drugs is rare but could be rapidly fatal. Commonly used agents include opioids and α2 adrenoreceptor agonists. These drugs can be reversed with specific antagonists; however, they are often not approved for human use. The protocol created here can be used by wildlife health professionals in a field setting with basic human emergency medical response training in coordination with local Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Key components include, building local relationships between EMS and wildlife professionals, focused EMS training, administering opioid and α2 adrenergic antagonists off label, and local evacuation procedures. This framework could allow wildlife management agencies or zoos to mitigate the risk of human exposures to these commonly used drugs, significantly improving occupational safety in an otherwise high-risk environment.

Total Hip Replacement in a Patient With a Fontan Circulation: A Case Report.

Anesthetic management of the adult patient with a Fontan circulation is complex and requires understanding of the specific physiology of the individual patient. Long-term survival in this cohort has increased to the point where patients are presenting for noncardiac surgery related to degenerative diseases of aging. We describe the perioperative management of a patient with a Fontan circulation undergoing total hip arthroplasty using combined spinal-epidural anesthesia and discuss the issues requiring special consideration for this surgical procedure in this group of patients.

The analgesic efficacy of the transversalis fascia plane block in iliac crest bone graft harvesting: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Iliac crest bone graft (ICBG) harvesting is associated with significant perioperative pain and opioid consumption. This randomized controlled trial sought to determine if the transversalis fascia plane (TFP) block provides effective analgesia for anterior ICBG harvesting. METHODS: Fifty patients undergoing wrist fusion surgery with anterior ICBG harvesting were randomized to receive a TFP block with either 20 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine or 5% dextrose. Patients additionally received a brachial plexus block for primary surgical-site anesthesia and either a general or spinal anesthetic depending on patient preference. Primary outcomes of interest were perioperative opioid consumption (measured as intravenous morphine equivalents [IME]), pain intensity at the ICBG harvest site for up to 48 h postoperatively, and the incidence of persistent postoperative pain at 6 and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: The TFP group used less opioid in the post-anesthetic care unit (PACU) (median 0 vs. 2.5 mg IME, P = 0.01) and in the first 8 h following PACU discharge (median 2.5 vs. 13.0 mg IME, P = 0.02). The patients who received a TFP block also had lower pain scores in PACU (median 0 vs. 4.0 out of 10, P < 0.001). Although opioid consumption and pain scores were lower in the TFP group at later timepoints, this difference was not statistically significant. Persistent pain at the ICBG site was reported in only 4.3% and 6.5% of all patients at 6 and 12 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The TFP block provides effective early analgesia for anterior ICBG harvesting. The incidence of persistent postoperative pain was low.

Spread of dye injectate in the distal femoral triangle versus the distal adductor canal: a cadaveric study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The nerve to vastus medialis (NVM) supplies sensation to important structures relevant to total knee arthroplasty via a medial parapatellar approach. There are opposing findings in the literature about the presence of the NVM within the adductor canal (AC). The objective of this cadaveric study is to compare the effect of injection site (distal femoral triangle (FT) vs distal AC) on injectate spread to the saphenous nerve (SN) and the NVM. METHODS: Four unembalmed fresh-frozen cadavers acted as their own control with one thigh receiving 20 mL of dye injected via an ultrasound-guided injection in the distal FT while the other thigh received an ultrasound-guided injection in the distal AC. A standardized dissection took place 1 hour later to observe the extent of staining to the NVM and SN in all cadaver thigh specimens. RESULTS: In all specimens where the injectate was introduced into the distal FT, both the SN and NVM were stained. In contrast, when the dye was administered in the distal AC only the SN was stained. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that an injection in the distal AC may be suboptimal for knee analgesia as it may spare the NVM, while an injection in the distal FT could provide greater analgesia to the knee but may result in undesirable motor blockade from spread to the nerve to vastus intermedius.

Outcomes and predictors of mortality following periprosthethic proximal femoral fractures.

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic fractures are a well-documented, serious complication of joint arthroplasty, occurring in up to 11% of hip replacements. We examined periprosthetic femoral fractures over an 8 year period to determine the demographics, fracture pattern and management options and associated outcomes. Furthermore, we sought to determine which comorbidities resulted in increased risk of 12 month mortality after periprosthetic fractures about hip replacements Methods: A retrospective review of a prospective fracture database was conducted for the years 2007-2015. The Fracture Outcomes Research Database (FORD) was interrogated for patients aged >60 years, admitted with periprosthetic hip fracture. Radiographic and Electronic Clinical Record review was performed to classify fractures, record treatments, comorbidies and 12 month mortality. A multivariate analysis was performed to determine comorbidities that significantly increased the risk of 12 month mortality. RESULTS: A total of 189 patients were identified. The majority were Vancouver B1 fractures (61.9%); the operations were primarily cable plating (75.1%), with a smaller number of revision arthroplasties (21.2%) and only three proximal femoral replacement (1.6%). Four patients (2.1%) died before surgery. Only 27.3% returned to their usual residence post-discharge. Overall 30-day mortality was 2.1%, and one-year mortality was 11.6%. Patients who died tended to be older. In the multivariate analysis, ASA grade III/IV and active neoplasia were significant contributors to 12 month mortality. CONCLUSION(S): Our 12 month mortality (11.6%) is at the lower end of existing reported literature, and serves as a benchmark for UK practice. In the multivariate analysis, only ASA grade III/IV and an active neoplastic process were significantly associated with increased risk of mortality. Whilst large, multicenter trials, utilizing standardized treatment techniques are required to fully assess risk factors for 12-month mortality, it appears that those at significant risk are elderly, frail individuals with an active malignancy.