Comparison of the influence of low dose etomidate and propofol as priming dose on the incidence of etomidate induced myoclonus: a randomised, double-blind clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Though hemodynamically stable, etomidate is known for its myoclonus side effect following induction. The main aim of this study is an effective attempt to decrease the incidence of myoclonus with a priming agent. METHODS: A prospective, double-blind study was carried out on 50 adults posted for elective surgery. After premedication, priming was done with etomidate 0.03 mg.kg-1 (Group E) and propofol 0.2 mg.kg-1 (Group P), i.e., 1/10th of induction dose. After 60 seconds of priming, patients were induced with etomidate by titrating dose over 60 seconds until loss of verbal command and eyelash reflex. The grading of myoclonus, induction dosage, and hemodynamics for 10 minutes post induction were recorded. RESULTS: In the study, only 4 cases had myoclonus. Grade 1 myoclonus was encountered in three cases of etomidate group, while only one case in the propofol group had grade 2 myoclonus which was not statistically significant (p-value: 0.12). There was a significant reduction in the etomidate induction dosage in both groups. CONCLUSION: Priming with etomidate and propofol is equally effective in reducing myoclonus with the added benefit of hemodynamic stability and reduction of an induction dose of etomidate (> 50%).

Comparison of volume control and pressure control ventilation in patients undergoing single level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pressure control and volume control ventilation are the most preferred modes of ventilator techniques available in the intraoperative period. The study compared the intraoperative ventilator and blood gas variables of volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) and pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) in patients undergoing single level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). METHODS: After obtaining Institutional Ethical Committee approval and informed consent, sixty patients scheduled for single level ACDF surgery performed in supine position under general anaesthesia were included. Group V (30 patients) received VCV and Group P (30 patients) received PCV. The primary objective was oxygenation variable PaO2/FiO2 at different points of time i.e. T1-20 min after the institution of the ventilation, T2-20 min after placement of the retractors and T3-20 min after removal of the retractors. The secondary objectives include other arterial blood gas parameters, respiratory and haemodynamic parameters. NCSS version 9 statistical software was used for statistics. Two-way repeated measures for analysis of variance with post hoc Tukey Kramer test was used to analyse continuous variables for both intra- and inter-group comparisons, paired sample t-test for overall comparison and Chi-square test for categorical data. RESULTS: The primary variable PaO2/FiO2 was comparable in both groups (P = 0.08). The respiratory variables, PAP and Cdynam were statistically significant in PCV group compared to VCV (P < 0.05), though clinically insignificant. Other secondary variables were comparable. (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Clinically, both PCV and VCV group appear to be-equally suited ventilator techniques for anterior cervical spine surgery patients.

The Effect of Position on PaCO2 and PETCO2 in Patients Undergoing Cervical Spine Surgery in Supine and Prone Position.

BACKGROUND: As per American Society of Anesthesiologists guidelines, continuous monitoring of end tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2) is recommended as standard II basics of anesthetic monitoring especially to ensure adequate ventilation during all anesthetics. Continuous monitoring of PETCO2 can also be used as a guide to maintain the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood (PaCO2) to desired level during the surgery. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of position on PaCO2 and PETCO2 during cervical spine surgery in prone position. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following institutional ethical committee approval and written informed consent, a prospective study was conducted in 40 patients of 18 to 60 years and of American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II scheduled for cervical spine surgery in prone position. In operating room, the patient is connected to standard monitoring and intravenous access was secured. A 20 G arterial cannula was placed. General anesthesia administered and oral endotracheal intubation done. Baseline values of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, temperature, SpO2, Ppeak, Pmean, and Pplateau were measured in supine position. For each patient the capnometer was calibrated before use. The P(a-ET)CO2 was calculated in supine position (S1). The PaCO2 and ETCO2 were measured after prone positioning P1, at each subsequent hour (P2, P3, P4), and on completion of the procedure in supine position (S2). The mean values were used for further analysis. RESULTS: The PETCO2 and PaCO2 decreased significantly in cervical spine surgery patients with change of position from supine to prone with no significant change in arterial to end tidal CO2 gradient (P(a-ET)CO2). CONCLUSIONS: PETCO2 can be used as a reliable guide to estimate PaCO2 during cervical spine procedures in prone position.

Interpretation and display of research results.

It important to properly collect, code, clean and edit the data before interpreting and displaying the research results. Computers play a major role in different phases of research starting from conceptual, design and planning, data collection, data analysis and research publication phases. The main objective of data display is to summarize the characteristics of a data and to make the data more comprehensible and meaningful. Usually data is presented depending upon the type of data in different tables and graphs. This will enable not only to understand the data behaviour, but also useful in choosing the different statistical tests to be applied.

WOUND INSTILLATION OF LOCAL ANESTHETIC BUPIVACAINE FOR POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIA FOLLOWING LUMBAR LAMINECTOMY.

PURPOSE: Lumbar laminectomy is a commonly performed procedure in neurosurgical and orthopedic practice. Postoperative pain reliefhelps in early mobilization, initiation of physiotherapy, provides satisfaction to the patients and plays an important role in reducing the morbidity and mortality. This prospective study investigated the simple technique of instillation of wound with bupivacaine and leaving a contact time of 60 seconds on postoperative pain following lumbar laminectomy. METHODS: 32 ASA I and II patients scheduled for laminectomy were randomly allocated to receive either 20 ml of normal saline (group I) or 0.25% of bupivacaine (group II) into the wound after securing hemostasis. After a dwell time of 60sec the wound was closed in layers without mopping or suctioning. After extubation, the pain scores were evaluated by visual analog scale at every 4 hrs. for 24hrs and also the time for first demand of analgesia, number of analgesic demands and the total amount of analgesia consumed were noted by an independent observer.. RESULTS: The median duration of analgesia in group I was 8.8 [5-11] and in group II 13 [8.5-16] hrs. with a p = 0.04. The number of demands and the amount of analgesia consumed was also statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Wound instillation technique is simple, safe and effective in management of acute pain management after lumbar laminectomy and can be used as one among the multimodal armamentarium in pain management.

Cardiac Arrest after Connecting Negative Pressure to the Subgaleal Drain during Craniotomy Closure.

A one-year-old child operated on for arachnoid cyst in right frontoparietotemporal region had sudden bradycardia followed by cardiac arrest leading to death after connecting negative pressure to the subgaleal drain during craniotomy closure. The surgical procedure was uneventful. It is a common practice to place epidural or subgaleal drains connected to a vacuum system towards the end of craniotomy to prevent accumulation of intracranial and extracranial blood. The phenomenon of bradycardia with hypotension is known to occur following negative pressure application to the epidural, epicranial, or subgaleal space after craniotomy closure. However cardiac arrest as a complication of negative pressure suction drain in neurosurgical patients is not described in the literature.

Pregabalin versus tramadol for postoperative pain management in patients undergoing lumbar laminectomy: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.

Prevention and treatment of postoperative pain continues to be a major challenge in postoperative care. Opioid analgesics, with their well-known side effects, continue to represent a cornerstone in postoperative pain control. Anticonvulsant medications are established treatments for neuropathic pain. Pregabalin (S-[+]-3-isobutylgaba), a structural analog of gamma-Aminobutyric acid, has been used for the treatment of various neuropathic pain and also as an adjunctive therapy for adults with partial onset seizures. This study was thus taken up to primarily assess and compare the analgesic and anxiolytic effects of administering pregabalin and tramadol preoperatively for patients undergoing elective decompressive lumbar laminectomy. The study group included 75 patients between the ages of 20-60 years belonging to American Society of Anesthesiology-1 (ASA) and ASA-2 patients. The patients were randomly allocated into three groups of 25 patients each. The placebo group received a placebo capsule, the tramadol group received a 100 mg capsule, while the pregabalin group received a 150 mg capsule orally 1 hour before anesthetic induction. Pregabalin showed statistically significant analgesic effects compared to placebo, but the effect was found to be less prevalent compared to tramadol. The need for rescue analgesia was the least prevalent in tramadol patients followed by pregabalin patients, and reached a maximum in the control group. Pregabalin showed statistically significant anxiolytic effects compared to placebo, and this was associated with less sedation in comparison to tramadol. Pregabalin had fewer numbers of postoperative complications of nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness in comparison to tramadol. The results of this study support the clinical use of pregabalin in the postsurgical setting for pain relief, as it is well tolerated, and usually presents with transient adverse effects.

Outcome of epilepsy surgery in children after evaluation with non-invasive protocol.

OBJECTIVE: To assess outcome of epilepsy surgery in children with medically refractory partial epilepsy evaluated with non-invasive protocol and to determine the predictors of outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of presurgical, surgical, and postsurgical data was performed in 87 children who had at least 1 year post surgery follow-up. Outcome was assessed according to Engel's outcome classification. Stepwise regression followed by logistic regression analysis was employed in data analysis. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 32 (12-58) months and 44 (50.6%) were males. The age of onset of epilepsy was below the age of 2 years in 24 (30.8%). Resective surgery was done in 78 children. The commonest surgery performed was a temporal resection (88.9%) in adolescents and an extra-temporal resection ( 60.6%) in children. The commonest pathology was hippocampal sclerosis (HS) in adolescents and developmental, tumoral lesions, and gliosis in children. At last follow-up, 50 (64.1%) were seizure free and Engel's favourable outcome was noted in 59 (75.6%). After stepwise regression analysis, variables found to be significant (P < 0.05) and predicting a favourable outcome were lesion on MRI, normal IQ, and partial seizures without secondary generalization. Bilateral spikes on interictal EEG and acute postoperative seizures were predictors of poor outcome. A regression model was developed; the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under ROC curve were 82%, 91%, 88.5%, and 0.97%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Favourable outcome after epilepsy surgery can be obtained in children with temporal lobe epilepsy with HS and lesion-related epilepsies in developing countries with limited resources, after evaluation with a non-invasive protocol.