Current advances in pain regimens for percutaneous nephrolithotomy A comprehensive review.

INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) causes pain and discomfort after surgery. The primary causes of immediate postoperative pain after PCNL are visceral pain from the ureters and kidneys, and body surface discomfort from incisions. Acute, untreated pain has the potential to develop into chronic pain, which remains a considerable burden for the rehabilitation of patients. The goal of this review was to describe the current options for treating pain post-PCNL. METHODS: We conducted a literature review of all published manuscripts on pain protocols for patients undergoing PCNL and related topics; 50 published manuscripts were identified and reviewed. RESULTS: PCNL morbidity must be reduced by an appropriate management of postoperative pain. Opioids, multimodal therapy, tubeless PCNL, reduced size of nephrostomy tube, and regional anesthesia are currently available for reducing postoperative pain. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing successful treatment strategies for postoperative pain after PCNL is key in reducing the morbidity and mortality of PCNL.

Erector Spinae Plane Block With Liposomal Bupivacaine: Analgesic Adjunct in Adult Pectus Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Pain management may be challenging in patients undergoing pectus excavatum (PE) bar removal surgery. To enhance recovery, opioid sparing strategies with regional anesthesia including ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) have been implemented. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of bilateral ESPB with a liposomal bupivacaine/traditional bupivacaine mixture as part of an enhanced patient recovery pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of adult patients who underwent PE bar removal from January 2019 to December 2020 was performed. Perioperative data were reviewed and recorded. Patients who received ESPB were compared to historical controls (non-ESPB patients). RESULTS: A total of 202 patients were included (non-ESPB: 124 patients; ESPB: 78 patients). No adverse events were attributed to ESPB. Non-ESPB patients received more intraoperative opioids (milligram morphine equivalents; 41.8 ± 17.0 mg versus 36.7 ± 17.1, P = 0.05) and were more likely to present to the emergency department within 7 d postoperatively (4.8% versus 0%, P = 0.05) when compared to ESPB patients. No significant difference in total perioperative milligram morphine equivalents, severe pain in postanesthesia care unit (PACU), time from PACU arrival to analgesic administration, PACU length of stay, or postprocedure admission rates between groups were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing PE bar removal surgery, bilateral ESPB with liposomal bupivacaine was performed without complications. ESPB with liposomal bupivacaine may be considered as an analgesic adjunct to enhance recovery in patients undergoing cardiothoracic procedures but further prospective randomized clinical trials comparing liposomal bupivacaine to traditional local anesthetics with and without indwelling nerve catheters are necessary.

Cardiopulmonary Outcomes After the Nuss Procedure in Pectus Excavatum.

Background Pectus excavatum is the most common chest wall deformity. There is still controversy about cardiopulmonary limitations of this disease and benefits of surgical repair. This study evaluates the impact of pectus excavatum on the cardiopulmonary function of adult patients before and after a modified minimally invasive repair. Methods and Results In this retrospective cohort study, an electronic database was used to identify consecutive adult (aged ≥18 years) patients who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing before and after primary pectus excavatum repair at Mayo Clinic Arizona from 2011 to 2020. In total, 392 patients underwent preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing; abnormal oxygen consumption results were present in 68% of patients. Among them, 130 patients (68% men, mean age, 32.4±10.0 years) had post-repair evaluations. Post-repair tests were performed immediately before bar removal with a mean time between repair and post-repair testing of 3.4±0.7 years (range, 2.5-7.0). A significant improvement in cardiopulmonary outcomes (P<0.001 for all the comparisons) was seen in the post-repair evaluations, including an increase in maximum, and predicted rate of oxygen consumption, oxygen pulse, oxygen consumption at anaerobic threshold, and maximal ventilation. In a subanalysis of 39 patients who also underwent intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography at repair and at bar removal, a significant increase in right ventricle stroke volume was found (P<0.001). Conclusions Consistent improvements in cardiopulmonary function were seen for pectus excavatum adult patients undergoing surgery. These results strongly support the existence of adverse cardiopulmonary consequences from this disease as well as the benefits of surgical repair.

Parallel improvement of systolic function with surgical weight loss in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction: a systematic review and patient-level meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Morbid obesity (MO) is an increasingly common condition in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Although substantial weight loss in morbidly obese patients has proved to slow the progression of heart failure, parallel alteration of ejection fraction (EF) and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class along with post-bariatric surgery weight loss is yet to be determined. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to measure the effect of bariatric weight loss on EF and NYHA functional class in patients with HFrEF. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed in Medline/PubMed to identify studies in patients with MO and pre-existing HFrEF, who underwent bariatric surgery. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies encompassing 136 patients with HFrEF undergoing bariatric surgery for MO were included. Six studies provided patient-level data on 37 cases. Patients lost an average body mass index (BMI) of 12.9 ± 4.2 kg/m2 (5.1 to 23 kg/m2) after an average follow up of 22.43 ± 18.6 months (2-89 mo). There was a direct correlation between BMI loss and EF improvement (r = 0.61, P < .0001), but not between BMI loss and NYHA functional class changes (r = 0.17, P = .4). CONCLUSION: Weight loss induced by bariatric surgery results in parallel EF increase in patients with MO and HFrEF. However, current data does not indicate a parallel improvement of clinical symptoms (NYHA functional class) along with such an increase in EF in this population of patients.

Sex Differences in Objective Measures of Adult Patients Presenting for Pectus Excavatum Repair.

BACKGROUND: Women have a reported incidence of pectus deformities four to five times less than men. Sex differences have not been well studied. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of adult patients (aged 18 years or more) who underwent a pectus excavatum repair at Mayo Clinic in Arizona (January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019). RESULTS: In total, 776 adults underwent pectus repair, with 30% being women. Women presented older (mean age 35 vs 32 years, P = .007) and more symptomatic. Despite this, women performed better on cardiopulmonary exercise testing (higher maximum oxygen consumption and oxygen pulse). Women had more severe deformities (Haller index 5.9 vs 4.3, P < .001). However, in 609 patients undergoing attempted primary minimally invasive pectus repair, intraoperative fractures/osteotomies occurred equally between men and women, with the majority occurring in patients 30 years of age or more (11.5% for age 30 or more, 1.7% for age less than 30; total 7%). Women were also less likely to require three bars for repair (12% vs 42%, P < .001). Hospital length of stay and postoperative complication rates were not significantly different. Postoperatively, women reported a greater daily intensity of pain, but only on the initial postoperative day did they use significantly more opioids than men. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing of 142 patients undergoing baseline and postoperative evaluation at bar removal showed equal and significant benefits in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Women presented for pectus excavatum repair at an older age and with greater symptoms and more severe symptoms. Despite this, women required fewer bars, and there were no significant differences in length of stay or complications. Cardiopulmonary benefits of repair were significant and equal for both women and men.