Global prevalence and risk factors of emergence delirium in pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

PROBLEM: Emergence delirium (ED) in children post-general anesthesia has been persistently underestimated, impacting the well-being of children, nurses, and even parents. This study employs integrated analysis to establish a comprehensive understanding of ED, including its occurrence and related risk factors, emphasizing the imperative for enhanced awareness and comprehension among pediatric nursing care providers. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using four electronic databases, namely PubMed, CINAHL via EBSCOhost, Embase via Elsevier, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 16 studies involving 9598 children who underwent general anesthesia. The pooled prevalence of ED was 19.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.12 to 0.29), with younger patients exhibiting a higher prevalence of ED. ED research is scant in Africa and is mostly limited to the Asia Pacific region and Northern Europe. Neck and head surgery (odds ratio [OR] = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.29 to 4.27) were significantly associated with ED risk. CONCLUSIONS: ED should be monitored in children who receive general anesthesia. In this study, ED had a prevalence rate of 19.2%, and head and neck surgery were significantly associated with ED risk. Therefore, healthcare professionals should carefully manage and prevent ED in children undergoing general anesthesia. IMPLICATIONS: A comprehensive understanding of ED's prevalence and risk factors is crucial for enhancing nursing care. Adopting a family-centered care approach can empower parents with information to collaboratively care for their children, promoting a holistic approach to pediatric healthcare.

Dexmedetomidine for enhanced recovery after non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery combines a minimally invasive technique with multimodal locoregional analgesia to enhance recovery. The mainstay sedation protocol involves propofol and fentanyl. Dexmedetomidine, given its opioid-sparing effect with minimal respiratory depression, facilitates sedation in non-intubated patients. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dexmedetomidine during non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. METHODS: A total of 114 patients who underwent non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery between June 2015 and September 2017 were retrospectively evaluated. Of these, 34 were maintained with dexmedetomidine, propofol, and fentanyl, and 80 were maintained with propofol and fentanyl. After a 1:1 propensity score-matched analysis incorporating sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, pulmonary disease and hypertension, the clinical outcomes of 34 pairs of patients were assessed. RESULTS: The dexmedetomidine group showed a significantly lower opioid consumption [10.3 (5.7-15.1) vs. 18.8 (10.0-31.0) mg, median (interquartile range); P = 0.001] on postoperative day 0 and a significantly shorter postoperative length of stay [3 (2-4) vs. 4 (3-5) days, median (interquartile range), P = 0.006] than the control group. During operation, the proportion of vasopressor administration was significantly higher in the dexmedetomidine group [18 (53) vs. 7 (21), patient number (%), P = 0.01]. On the other hand, the difference of the hypotension and bradycardia incidence, short-term morbidity and mortality rates between each group were nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Adding adjuvant dexmedetomidine to propofol and fentanyl is safe and feasible for non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. With its opioid-sparing effect and shorter postoperative length of stay, dexmedetomidine may enhance recovery after surgery.

Comparison of robotic and open central pancreatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Central pancreatectomy (CP) is an ideal parenchyma-sparing procedure. The experience of r robotic central pancreatectomy (RCP) is very limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing CP were included. Comparisons were made between RCP and open central pancreatectomy (OCP) groups. RESULTS: The most common lesion in patients undergoing CP was serous cystadenoma (35.5%). The median operation time was 4.2 h for RCP versus 5.5 h for OCP. The median blood loss was significantly lower in RCP, 20 c.c. versus 170 c.c., p = 0.001. Postoperative pancreatic fistula occurred in 19.4% of all patients, with 22.1% in RCP and 15.4% in OCP. There was no significant difference regarding other surgical complications between the RCP and OCP groups. Only one patient in the OCP group developed de novo diabetes mellitus (DM), and no steatorrhoea/diarrhoea occurred after either RCP or OCP. CONCLUSIONS: RCP is feasible and safe without compromising surgical outcomes and pancreatic functions.

Early prediction of delirium upon intensive care unit admission: Model development, validation, and deployment.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To develop, validate, and deploy models for predicting delirium in critically ill adult patients as early as upon intensive care unit (ICU) admission. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Single university teaching hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. PATIENTS: 6238 critically ill patients from August 2020 to August 2021. MEASUREMENTS: Data were extracted, pre-processed, and split into training and testing datasets based on the time period. Eligible variables included demographic characteristics, Glasgow Coma Scale, vital signs parameters, treatments, and laboratory data. The predicted outcome was delirium, defined as any positive result (a score ≥ 4) of the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist that was assessed by primary care nurses in each 8-h shift within 48 h after ICU admission. We trained models to predict delirium upon ICU admission (ADM) and at 24 h (24H) after ICU admission by using logistic regression (LR), gradient boosted trees (GBT), and deep learning (DL) algorithms and compared the models' performance. MAIN RESULTS: Eight features were extracted from the eligible features to train the ADM models, including age, body mass index, medical history of dementia, postoperative intensive monitoring, elective surgery, pre-ICU hospital stays, and GCS score and initial respiratory rate upon ICU admission. In the ADM testing dataset, the incidence of ICU delirium occurred within 24 h and 48 h was 32.9% and 36.2%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) (0.858, 95% CI 0.835-0.879) and area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) (0.814, 95% CI 0.780-0.844) for the ADM GBT model were the highest. The Brier scores of the ADM LR, GBT, and DL models were 0.149, 0.140, and 0.145, respectively. The AUROC (0.931, 95% CI 0.911-0.949) was the highest for the 24H DL model and the AUPRC (0.842, 95% CI 0.792-0.886) was the highest for the 24H LR model. CONCLUSION: Our early prediction models based on data obtained upon ICU admission could achieve good performance in predicting delirium occurred within 48 h after ICU admission. Our 24-h models can improve delirium prediction for patients discharged >1 day after ICU admission.

Motor-Sparing Effect of Adductor Canal Block for Knee Analgesia: An Updated Review and a Subgroup Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Based on a Corrected Classification System.

OBJECTIVE: Discrepancies in the definition of adductor canal block (ACB) lead to inconsistent results. To investigate the actual analgesic and motor-sparing effects of ACB by anatomically defining femoral triangle block (FTB), proximal ACB (p-ACB), and distal ACB (d-ACB), we re-classified the previously claimed ACB approaches according to the ultrasound findings or descriptions in the corresponding published articles. A meta-analysis with subsequent subgroup analyses based on these corrected results was performed to examine the true impact of ACB on its analgesic effect and motor function (quadriceps muscle strength or mobilization ability). An optimal ACB technique was also suggested based on an updated review of evidence and ultrasound anatomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We systematically searched studies describing the use of ACB for knee surgery. Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched with the exclusion of non-English articles from inception to 28 February 2022. The motor-sparing and analgesic aspects in true ACB were evaluated using meta-analyses with subsequent subgroup analyses according to the corrected classification system. RESULTS: The meta-analysis includes 19 randomized controlled trials. Compared with the femoral nerve block group, the quadriceps muscle strength (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.33, 95%-CI [0.01; 0.65]) and mobilization ability (SMD = -22.44, 95%-CI [-35.37; -9.51]) are more preserved in the mixed ACB group at 24 h after knee surgery. Compared with the true ACB group, the FTB group (SMD = 5.59, 95%-CI [3.44; 8.46]) has a significantly decreased mobilization ability at 24 h after knee surgery. CONCLUSION: By using the corrected classification system, we proved the motor-sparing effect of true ACB compared to FTB. According to the updated ultrasound anatomy, we suggested proximal ACB to be the analgesic technique of choice for knee surgery. Although a single-shot ACB is limited in duration, it remains the candidate of the analgesic standard for knee surgery on postoperative day 1 or 2 because it induces analgesia with less motor involvement in the era of multimodal analgesia. Furthermore, data from the corrected classification system may provide the basis for future research.

Human serum albumin-based nanoparticles alter raloxifene administration and improve bioavailability.

Osteoporosis is a disease that reduces bone mass and microarchitecture, which makes bones fragile. Postmenopausal osteoporosis occurs due to estrogen deficiency. Raloxifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis. However, it has a low bioavailability, which requires long-term, high-dose raloxifene administration to be effective and causes several side effects. Herein, raloxifene was encapsulated in human serum albumin (HSA)-based nanoparticles (Ral/HSA/PSS NPs) as an intravenous-injection pharmaceutical formulation to increase its bioavailability and reduce the treatment dosage and time. In vitro results indicated that raloxifene molecules were well distributed in HSA-based nanoparticles as an amorphous state, and the resulting raloxifene formulation was stabile during long-term storage duration. The Ral/HSA/PSS NPs were both biocompatible and hemocompatible with a decreased cytotoxicity of high-dose raloxifene. Moreover, the intravenous administration of the prepared Ral/HSA/PSS NPs to rats improved raloxifene bioavailability and improved its half-life in plasma. These raloxifene-loaded nanoparticles may be a potential nanomedicine candidate for treating postmenopausal osteoporosis with lower raloxifene dosages.

Non-intubated Thoracoscopic Surgery to Minimize Contamination From Airway Secretions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: General anesthesia and tracheal intubation potentially pose a high risk to health care workers (HCWs) managing surgical patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Non-intubated anesthesia is a rational way of managing patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery that avoids tracheal intubation and minimizes the aerosols generated during airway instrumentation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether non-intubated anesthesia in combination with a face mask is safe and feasible in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery. METHODS: A total of 18 patients who underwent non-intubated thoracoscopic surgery with a face mask during the perioperative period between March 9, 2020 and April 6, 2020 were included. The main outcomes were anesthetic management and postoperative results. RESULTS: The 18 patients had a mean age of 64 years and a body mass index of 22.9 kg/m2. All patients wore a mask during induction of anesthesia and throughout surgery. Three patients underwent lobectomy, four segmentectomy, ten wedge resection, and one underwent anterior mediastinal tumor resection. No patient developed cough or vomiting during the perioperative period. All patients were transferred to the postoperative recovery unit within 15 min of the end of surgery (average 7.2 min). No patient required conversion to tracheal intubation or conversion to thoracotomy. CONCLUSION: Non-intubated anesthesia with a mask was safe and feasible in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery. Avoidance of intubated general anesthesia and use of a lung separation device may reduce the risk to HCWs of contamination by airway secretions, thereby conserving personal protective equipment, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long-term outcomes after nonintubated versus intubated thoracoscopic lobectomy for clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer: A propensity-matched analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy has been described as a feasible surgical treatment for early-stage lung cancer since 2011. Despite promising perioperative results, studies on tumor recurrence and long-term survival are very limited. This study was aimed to compare outcomes after thoracoscopic lobectomy with versus without intubation for stage I non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: A retrospective data set including 115 and 155 patients who underwent nonintubated and intubated thoracoscopic lobectomy, respectively, between January 2011 and December 2013 was used to identify matched nonintubated and intubated cohorts (n = 97 per group) using a propensity score matching algorithm that accounted for confounding effects of preoperative patient variables. Primary outcome variables included freedom from recurrence and overall survival. Factors affecting survival were assessed using Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival estimates. RESULTS: No perioperative mortality occurred in both groups. At an average follow-up of 74 months, comparing nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy with intubated procedure, no differences were observed in recurrence rates (14.4% vs. 25.8%, respectively; p = .057). Furthermore, no significant differences were noted in overall survival (97.9% vs. 93.8%, respectively; p = .144). Nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy was not found to be an independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio, .53; 95% confidence interval [CI], .28-1.02) or overall survival (hazard ratio, .33; 95% CI, .07-1.61). CONCLUSION: In this propensity-matched comparison, nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy was not associated with an increased risk for recurrence and overall survival during the 5-year follow-up. However, more randomized trials should be conducted for further validation of these results.

Midazolam Premedication Immediately Before Surgery Is Not Associated With Early Postoperative Delirium.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative delirium is common among older surgical patients and may be associated with anesthetic management during the perioperative period. The aim of this study is to assess whether intravenous midazolam, a short-acting benzodiazepine used frequently as premedication, increased the incidence of postoperative delirium. METHODS: Analyses of existing data were conducted using a database created from 3 prospective studies in patients aged 65 years or older who underwent elective major noncardiac surgery. Postoperative delirium occurring on the first postoperative day was measured using the confusion assessment method. We assessed the association between the use or nonuse of premedication with midazolam and postoperative delirium using a χ2 test, using propensity scores to match up with 3 midazolam patients for each control patient who did not receive midazolam. RESULTS: A total of 1266 patients were included in this study. Intravenous midazolam was administered as premedication in 909 patients (72%), and 357 patients did not receive midazolam. Those who did and did not receive midazolam significantly differed in age, Charlson comorbidity scores, preoperative cognitive status, preoperative use of benzodiazepines, type of surgery, and year of surgery. Propensity score matching for these variables and American Society of Anesthesiology physical status scores resulted in propensity score-matched samples with 1-3 patients who used midazolam (N = 749) for each patient who did not receive midazolam (N = 357). After propensity score matching, all standardized differences in preoperative patient characteristics ranged from -0.07 to 0.06, indicating good balance on baseline variables between the 2 exposure groups. No association was found between premedication with midazolam and incident delirium on the morning of the first postoperative day in the matched dataset, with odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 0.91 (0.65-1.29), P = .67. CONCLUSIONS: Premedication using midazolam was not associated with higher incidence of delirium on the first postoperative day in older patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery.

Nonintubated Versus Intubated Uniportal Thoracoscopic Segmentectomy for Lung Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Although the use of the uniportal thoracoscopic technique has spread exponentially recently, a comparison of nonintubated and intubated uniportal thoracoscopic segmentectomies for lung tumors has not been reported. We aimed to compare the feasibility, safety, and short-term postoperative outcomes between the 2 methods. METHODS: From January 2014 to June 2019 we retrospectively reviewed 185 consecutive patients with lung tumors who underwent uniportal thoracoscopic segmentectomy at our institute. A body mass index of ≥25 kg/m2 was considered a contraindication for the nonintubated anesthetic approach. For the remaining cases the anesthetic approach was made at the discretion of each individual anesthesiologist. A propensity-matched analysis incorporating sex and body mass index was used to compare the clinical outcomes of the nonintubated and intubated groups. RESULTS: Fifty patients (27.0%) underwent the procedure with the nonintubated anesthetic approach. The nonintubated group was more likely to be female (P < .001) and with a lower body mass index (P < .001). Other clinical features showed no significant difference. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the type of segmentectomy according to the difficulty classification system. After propensity matching 43 matched patients in each group were included. Anesthetic induction duration (12.0 vs 15.3 minutes, P = .014) was shorter in the nonintubated group. No other significant differences in perioperative, postoperative, and anesthetic results were noted between the 2 matched groups. CONCLUSIONS: The nonintubated anesthetic approach can be a safe and feasible alternative to intubated uniportal thoracoscopic segmentectomy.

Nonintubated uniportal thoracoscopic segmentectomy for lung cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Uniportal thoracoscopic segmentectomy under intubated general anesthesia with one-lung ventilation has recently been introduced for the management of lung cancer patients with small tumors or compromised cardiopulmonary function. However, uniportal thoracoscopic segmentectomy without endotracheal intubation had rarely been performed. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of this novel technique. METHODS: From January 2014 to November 2018, 32 lung cancer patients were treated using nonintubated uniportal thoracoscopic segmentectomy under a combination of target-controlled infusion of propofol, nasal high-flow oxygen therapy, intrathoracic intercostal nerve blockade, and vagal nerve blockade. Sixty-two other lung cancer patients who underwent initial planning nonintubated multiportal thoracoscopic segmentectomy during the same period were included as the control group. RESULTS: Preoperative dye localization was required in 18 (56.3%) patients of uniportal group. No patients required conversion to tracheal intubation or thoracotomy. Two patients were converted from the one-port to the two-port approach due to severe adhesions in the pleural cavity. The mean durations of anesthetic induction and surgery were 12.7 min and 101.1 min, respectively. Postoperative complications were noted in two patients (2/32, 6.3%) of uniportal group: one had subcutaneous emphysema and the other had prolonged air leaks over 3 days. The median durations of postoperative chest drainage and hospital stay were 1 and 3 days in uniportal group, respectively. CONCLUSION: Nonintubated uniportal thoracoscopic segmentectomy is technically feasible and safe for selected patients. It can be an attractive alternative to intubated thoracoscopic segmentectomy for patients with early lung cancer.

The net clinical benefits of febuxostat versus allopurinol in patients with gout or asymptomatic hyperuricemia - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Systemic reviews and meta-analyses suggest hyperuricemia is a cardiovascular risk factor. The effects of xanthine oxidase inhibitors on cardiac outcomes remain unclear. We assessed the effects of febuxostat and allopurinol on mortality and adverse reactions in adult patients with hyperuricemia. METHODS AND RESULTS: PubMed and EMBASE were searched to retrieve randomized controlled trials of febuxostat and allopurinol from January 2005 to July 2018. The meta-analysis consisted of 13 randomized controlled trials with a combined sample size of 13,539 patients. Febuxostat vs. allopurinol was not associated with an increased risk of cardiac-related mortality in the overall population (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.24-2.13, P = 0.55). Regarding adverse skin reactions, the patients receiving febuxostat had significantly fewer adverse skin reactions than those receiving allopurinol treatment (OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.30-085, P = 0.01). Compared with allopurinol, febuxostat was associated with an improved safety outcome of cardiac-related mortality and adverse skin reactions (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.55-0.96, P = 0.02). The net clinical outcome, composite of incident gout and the safety outcome, was not different significantly in the patients receiving febuxostat or allopurinol (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.76-0.1.42, P = 0.79). In sensitivity analyses, a borderline significance was found in the patients randomized to febuxostat vs. allopurinol regarding cardiac-related mortality (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.00-1.67, P = 0.05) after the CARES study was included. CONCLUSION: Febuxostat vs. allopurinol was associated with the improved safety outcome and have comparable mortality and net clinical outcome in patients with hyperuricemia. REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO(CRD42018091657).

Transesophageal Echocardiography Examination in Ailuropoda melanoleuca.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiac function analysis for Ailuropoda melanoleuca, also called giant panda, with transthoracic echocardiography has several limitations, such as limited probe position area and poor echo window. We want to determine the feasibility of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for cardiac examination in Ailuropoda melanoleuca. METHODS: Eight-year-old male Ailuropoda melanoleuca was anesthetized by intramuscular ketamine and followed by inhalation isofl urane with spontaneous respiration. TEE probe was inserted through mouth. Comprehensive examinations were done by two-dimensional (2D), Doppler method, 3D zoom and 3D full volume mode for their cardiac evaluation. RESULTS: The structure of heart was similar to human. We found mild mitral regurgitation. Right ventricle and pulmonary artery were free of any organic lesions. We did comprehensive multiplane examination by American Society of Echocardiography/Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesia guideline, but transgastric (TG) and deep TG view were not approachable. 3D reconstruction offered high quality image and quantitative calculations. Complete examinations took less than 30 minutes. There was no significant hemodynamic change during probe insertion, and no oropharyngeal trauma certifi ed by dentist. CONCLUSIONS: TEE is a reasonable semi-invasive tool for cardiac function evaluation. Though some anatomical limitations prohibited comprehensive 2D views, improvements such as 3D images help to give detailed cardiac examination.

Non-intubated thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer in patients with impaired pulmonary function.

BACKGROUND: Patients with impaired lung function or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are considered high-risk for intubated general anesthesia, which may preclude them from surgical treatment of their lung cancers. We evaluated the feasibility of non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for the surgical management of lung cancer in patients with impaired pulmonary function. METHODS: From August 2009 to June 2015, 28 patients with impaired lung function (preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second <70% of the predicted value) underwent non-intubated VATS using a combination of thoracic epidural anesthesia or intercostal nerve block, and intra-thoracic vagal block with target-controlled sedation. RESULTS: Eighteen patients had primary lung cancers, 4 had metastatic lung cancers, and 6 had non-malignant lung tumors. In the patients with primary lung cancer, lobectomy was performed in 4, segmentectomy in 3 and wedge resection in 11, with lymph node sampling adequate for staging. One patient required conversion to intubated one-lung ventilation because of persistent wheezing and labored breathing. Five patients developed air leaks more than 5 days postoperatively while subcutaneous emphysema occurred in 6 patients. Two patients developed acute exacerbations of pre-existing COPD, and new-onset atrial fibrillation after surgery occurred in 1 patient. The median duration of postoperative chest tube drainage was 3 days while the median hospital stay was 6 days. CONCLUSIONS: Non-intubated VATS resection for pulmonary tumors is technically feasible. It may be applied as an alternative to intubated general anesthesia in managing lung cancer in selected patients with impaired pulmonary function.

Nonintubated Thoracoscopic Surgery for Lung Tumor: Seven Years' Experience With 1,025 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Nonintubated thoracoscopic surgery for lung tumor is not widely performed. This study assessed the safety, outcome, and risk factors for conversion to tracheal intubation of nonintubated thoracoscopic surgery for lung tumor resection. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 1,025 patients who underwent lung tumor resection by nonintubated thoracoscopic surgery from August 2009 to December 2016 at our institution. Using univariable and multivariable analyses, we focused on the operative procedures, complications, conversion rate, surgical outcome, and risk factors for conversion to tracheal intubation. RESULTS: Most patients (73% [n = 748]) were women, and 14.3% (n = 147) of all patients were smokers. The average body mass index was 22.6 kg/m2. We performed 315 lobectomies, 111 segmentectomies, and 598 wedge resections. Postoperative complications included prolonged air leak for more than 5 days (20 patients [2%]), arrhythmia (2 [0.2%]), hemothorax (3 [0.3%]), pneumonia (4 [0.4%]), and chylothorax (2 [0.2%]). No surgical deaths occurred. During the operation 20 patients (2%) were converted to tracheal intubation. The main reason for conversion was considerable mediastinal movement. Multivariable analysis revealed that a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or higher (p < 0.001) and pulmonary anatomical resection (p < 0.001) were risk factors for conversion to intubation. CONCLUSIONS: Nonintubated thoracoscopic surgery was a safe and effective technique for lung tumor resection. Clinicians should be aware that patients with a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or higher or who require pulmonary anatomical resection have a higher risk of conversion to tracheal intubation.

Effects of Dexmedetomidine Infusion on Inflammatory Responses and Injury of Lung Tidal Volume Changes during One-Lung Ventilation in Thoracoscopic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

One-lung ventilation in thoracic surgery provokes profound systemic inflammatory responses and injury related to lung tidal volume changes. We hypothesized that the highly selective a2-adrenergic agonist dexmedetomidine attenuates these injurious responses. Sixty patients were randomly assigned to receive dexmedetomidine or saline during thoracoscopic surgery. There is a trend of less postoperative medical complication including that no patients in the dexmedetomidine group developed postoperative medical complications, whereas four patients in the saline group did (0% versus 13.3%, p = 0.1124). Plasma inflammatory and injurious biomarkers between the baseline and after resumption of two-lung ventilation were particularly notable. The plasma high-mobility group box 1 level decreased significantly from 51.7 (58.1) to 33.9 (45.0) ng.ml-1 (p < 0.05) in the dexmedetomidine group, which was not observed in the saline group. Plasma monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 [151.8 (115.1) to 235.2 (186.9) pg.ml-1, p < 0.05] and neutrophil elastase [350.8 (154.5) to 421.9 (106.1) ng.ml-1, p < 0.05] increased significantly only in the saline group. In addition, plasma interleukin-6 was higher in the saline group than in the dexmedetomidine group at postoperative day 1 [118.8 (68.8) versus 78.5 (58.8) pg.ml-1, p = 0.0271]. We conclude that dexmedetomidine attenuates one-lung ventilation-associated inflammatory and injurious responses by inhibiting alveolar neutrophil recruitment in thoracoscopic surgery.

Is fibre-optic bronchoscopy necessary to confirm the position of rigid-angled endobronchial blockers before thoracic surgery? A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the success rate of blind insertion and the usefulness of fibre-optic bronchoscopy for directing rigid-angled endobronchial blockers (EBs) to the correct side and achieving satisfactory surgical fields. METHODS: A randomized trial was designed to determine the extent to which the Coopdech Endobronchial Blocker Tube (Daiken Medical Co., Ltd) could successfully be placed through either auscultation (n = 57) or fibre-optic bronchoscopy (n = 55) in patients scheduled for thoracic surgery. The placement time was recorded and quality of the thoracoscopic operation field was determined by the thoracic surgeon. Anaesthesiologists with varying thoracic experience levels were enrolled. RESULTS: The success rates of insertion through auscultation were 100% (32 of 32) for the right side and 88% (22 of 25) for the left side. Placement through auscultation was faster than that through bronchoscopy (mean 89.6 vs 141.1 s, P = 0.008) in the right-sided procedure but non-significant in the left-sided procedure (mean 138.5 vs 130 s, P = 0.795). Surgical grading of the operation field was not significantly different between both techniques (P = 0.502). Experienced anaesthesiologists took less time to position EBs (mean 91.0 vs 138.0 s, P = 0.015). Surgical grading was comparable between specialists and residents (P = 0.058). CONCLUSIONS: Once an EB was correctly inserted and confirmed through auscultation, the corresponding surgical satisfaction was comparable to that through bronchoscopy. In the majority of cases, bronchoscopy is unnecessary for correct and efficient EB positioning. However, bronchoscopy is still mandatory in left-sided EB insertion and in patients with deviated tracheobronchial anatomy. CLINICAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02133235, registered at ClinicalTrials.gov [https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02133235 (8 July 2017, date last accessed)].

Decreased Parasympathetic Activity of Heart Rate Variability During Anticipation of Night Duty in Anesthesiology Residents.

BACKGROUND: In residency programs, it is well known that autonomic regulation is influenced by night duty due to workload stress and sleep deprivation. A less investigated question is the impact on the autonomic nervous system of residents before or when anticipating a night duty shift. In this study, heart rate variability (HRV) was evaluated as a measure of autonomic nervous system regulation. METHODS: Eight residents in the Department of Anesthesiology were recruited, and 5 minutes of electrocardiography were recorded under 3 different conditions: (1) the morning of a regular work day (baseline); (2) the morning before a night duty shift (anticipating the night duty); and (3) the morning after a night duty shift. HRV parameters in the time and frequency domains were calculated. Repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to compare the HRV parameters among the 3 conditions. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease of parasympathetic-related HRV measurements (high-frequency power and root mean square of the standard deviation of R-R intervals) in the morning before night duty compared with the regular work day. The mean difference of high-frequency power between the 2 groups was 80.2 ms (95% confidence interval, 14.5-146) and that of root mean square of the standard deviation of R-R intervals was 26 milliseconds (95% confidence interval, 7.2-44.8), with P = .016 and .007, respectively. These results suggest that the decrease of parasympathetic activity is associated with stress related to the condition of anticipating the night duty work. On the other hand, the HRV parameters in the morning after duty were not different from the regular workday. CONCLUSIONS: The stress of anticipating the night duty work may affect regulation of the autonomic nervous system, mainly manifested as a decrease in parasympathetic activity. The effect of this change on the health of medical personnel deserves our concern.

Nasal high-flow oxygen therapy improves arterial oxygenation during one-lung ventilation in non-intubated thoracoscopic surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Intraoperative hypoxaemia during one-lung ventilation (OLV) remains a major concern in thoracic surgery. Non-intubated video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) involves a greater risk of consequent emergent conversion to endotracheal intubation. Transnasal humidified rapid-insufflation ventilatory exchange (THRIVE) has recently been reported to be beneficial for higher oxygen reserves during difficult intubations and for enhancing postoperative recovery after thoracic surgery. However, the effects of THRIVE on oxygenation and carbon dioxide elimination before and during OLV in non-intubated VATS have not been investigated. METHODS: Between September 2016 and October 2016, 30 patients underwent non-intubated VATS for lung tumour and were maintained with THRIVE at a flow of 20 l/min. These patients were compared with a historical control group comprising 30 patients who were maintained with oxygen masks at an oxygen flow of 10 l/min using a propensity score matching algorithm between September 2015 and July 2016. RESULTS: The preoperative arterial oxygen tension was significantly higher in patients maintained with THRIVE than it was in patients maintained with oxygen masks (mean 416.0 vs 265.9 mmHg, P < 0.01). During OLV, arterial oxygen tension remained significantly higher in the THRIVE group than in the oxygen mask group (mean 207.0 vs 127.8 mmHg, P = 0.01). The arterial carbon dioxide tension was comparable before and during OLV. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that THRIVE effectively increases the oxygen reserve both during OLV and after anaesthesia. Furthermore, non-intubated VATS is safer if THRIVE with flow adjustment is incorporated into a minimally invasive surgical approach, although carbon dioxide elimination is not facilitated.