MRI measurement of the effects of moderate and deep neuromuscular blockade on the abdominal working space during laparoscopic surgery, a clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Conflicting data exist regarding the effects of deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) on abdominal dimensions during laparoscopic procedures. We performed a clinical study to establish the influence of moderate and deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) on the abdominal working space, measured by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy with standard pressure (12 mmHg) pneumoperitoneum under sevoflurane anaesthesia. METHODS: Ten patients were intraoperatively scanned three times in the lateral decubitus position, with pneumoperitoneum maintained by a mobile insufflator. The first scan without NMB (T1) was followed by scans with moderate (T2) and deep NMB (T3). The skin-sacral promontory (S-SP) distance was measured, and 3D pneumoperitoneum volumes were reconstructed. RESULTS: The mean difference in the S-SP distance was -0.32 cm between T2 and T3 (95% CI -1.06 - 0.42 cm; p = 0.344) and + 2.1 cm between T1 and T2 (95% CI 0.81 - 3.39 cm; p = 0.006). The mean differences in pneumoperitoneum volume were 166 mL between T2 and T3 (95% CI, 5 - 327 mL; p = 0.044) and 108 mL between T1 and T2 (95% CI, -273 - 488 mL; p = 0.525). The pneumoperitoneum volume showed high inter-individual variability and no increase in three patients with a high volume at T1. CONCLUSIONS: During laparoscopic surgery in the lateral decubitus position with standard pressure under sevoflurane anaesthesia, deep NMB did not increase the S-SP distance compared to moderate NMB. Moderate NMB increased the S-SP distance by a mean of 2.1 cm (15.2%) compared with no NMB. The mean pneumoperitoneum volume increased slightly from moderate to deep NMB, with high inter-individual variability. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT03287388.

Deep neuromuscular block reduces the incidence of intra-operative complications during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy: a pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess whether different intensities of intra-abdominal pressure and deep neuromuscular blockade influence the risk of intra-operative surgical complications during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. DESIGN: A pooled analysis of ten previously performed prospective randomized controlled trials. SETTING: Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy performed in four academic hospitals in the Netherlands: Radboudumc, Leiden UMC, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, and Amsterdam UMC. PATIENTS: Five hundred fifty-six patients undergoing a transperitoneal, fully laparoscopic donor nephrectomy enrolled in ten prospective, randomized controlled trials conducted in the Netherlands from 2001 to 2017. INTERVENTIONS: Moderate (tetanic count of four > 1) versus deep (post-tetanic count 1-5) neuromuscular blockade and standard (≥10 mmHg) versus low (<10 mmHg) intra-abdominal pressure. MEASUREMENTS: The primary endpoint is the number of intra-operative surgical complications defined as any deviation from the ideal intra-operative course occurring between skin incision and closure with five severity grades, according to ClassIntra. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of intra- and postoperative complications. MAIN RESULTS: In 53/556 (9.5%) patients, an intra-operative complication with ClassIntra grade ≥ 2 occurred. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed standard intra-abdominal pressure (OR 0.318, 95% CI 0.118-0.862; p = 0.024) as a predictor of less intra-operative complications and moderate neuromuscular blockade (OR 3.518, 95% CI 1.244-9.948; p = 0.018) as a predictor of more intra-operative complications. Postoperative complications occurred in 31/556 (6.8%), without significant predictors in multiple logistic regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the use of deep neuromuscular blockade could increase safety during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. Future randomized clinical trials should be performed to confirm this and to pursue whether it also applies to other types of laparoscopic surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov LEOPARD-2 (NCT02146417), LEOPARD-3 trial (NCT02602964), and RELAX-1 study (NCT02838134), Klop et al. ( NTR 3096 ), Dols et al. 2014 ( NTR1433 ).

Early postoperative pain after laparoscopic donor nephrectomy predicts 30-day postoperative infectious complications: a pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Our research group recently published a positive association between early postoperative pain and 30-day postoperative complications in a broad surgical population. To investigate whether heterogeneity of the population and surgical procedures influenced these results, we explored this association in a homogenous surgical population. A secondary analysis of the LEOPARD-2 (clinicaltrials.gov NCT02146417) and RELAX-1 study (NCT02838134) in laparoscopic donor nephrectomy patients (n = 160) was performed. Pain scores on the postanesthesia care unit and postoperative day (POD) 1 and 2 were compared between patients with infectious, noninfectious, and no complications 30 days after surgery. Patients who developed infectious complications had significantly higher pain scores on POD1 and 2 (6.7 ± 2.1 and 6.4 ± 2.8) than patients without complications (4.9 ± 2.2 and 4.1 ± 1.9), respectively (P = 0.006 and P = 0.000). Unacceptable pain (numeric rating scale [NRS] ≥ 6) on POD1 was reported by 72% of patients who developed infectious complications, compared to 38% with noninfectious complications and 30% without complications (P = 0.018). This difference was still present on POD2 at 67% with infectious complications, 21% with noninfectious, and 40% without complications (P = 0.000). Multiple regression analysis identified unacceptable pain (numeric rating scale ≥6) on POD2 as a significant predictor for 30-day infectious complications (odds ratio 6.09, P = 0.001). Results confirm the association between early postoperative pain and 30-day infectious complications in a separate, homogenous surgical population. Further clinical trials should focus on finetuning of postoperative analgesia to elucidate the effects on the endocrine and immune response, preserve immune homeostasis, and prevent postoperative infectious complications.

An Update on Early Urological Complications in Kidney Transplantation: A National Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to provide an update on the occurrence of early urological complications in living-donor and deceased-donor kidney transplantation (KTX). MATERIAL AND METHODS Data on all kidney transplant recipients in the Netherlands between January 2005 and December 2015 were retrieved from the prospectively collected Dutch National Organ Transplant Registry Database (NOTR). We assessed the incidence of major urological complications (MUCs) within 3 months after KTX, defined as urinary leakage and ureteral obstruction. Outcomes of living donor and deceased donor kidney transplants were compared. We performed regression analysis to identify predictive factors of urological complications and studied the influence of early urological complications on graft and patient survival. We performed an additional sub-study to explore the influence of preservation of the peri-ureteric connective tissue in living-donor KTX on the occurrence of urological complications. RESULTS Among 3329 kidney transplant recipients, urological complications occurred in 208 patients (6.2%) within 3 months after surgery. There were no significant differences in complication rates between recipients from living donors and deceased donors. Multiple regression analysis showed that older donor age and previous cardiac events of the recipient were predictors for the development of urological complications. Graft and patient survival were not affected by early MUCs. The additional sub-study showed that preservation of peri-ureteric tissue within living-donor KTX was not independently associated with urological complications. CONCLUSIONS Many living- and deceased-donor KTX recipients have early urological complications. MUCs did not affect long-term graft or patient survival.

Double J stent is superior to externally draining ureteric stent in enhancing recovery after kidney transplantation - A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Routine intraoperative ureteric stenting lowers the rate of urological complications after kidney transplantation. However, there is no consensus about the optimal stent design and duration. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to compare the influence of double J (JJ) stents and externally draining percutaneous (PC) stents on the early quality of recovery after living donor kidney transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed in two consecutive cohorts of 40 patients who underwent living donor kidney transplantation at the Radboud university medical center between April 2016 and October 2017. The first cohort of 40 patients received a 6-French externally draining PC stent. The second cohort of 40 patients received a 6-French/14 cm JJ stent. We compared the influence of the stent design on the quality of early post-operative recovery (measured by the Quality of Recovery-40 questionnaire) and the length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Patients with a JJ stent scored significantly better on the Quality of Recovery score on the third and fifth postoperative day, when compared to patients with a PC stent. Furthermore, in comparison to patients with a PC stent, patients with a JJ stent were earlier mobilising and independent in daily activities, resulting in a shorter length of hospital stay. The number of postoperative urological complications was comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The use of JJ stents during living donor kidney transplantations improves the postoperative recovery and shortens the length of hospital stay, when compared to PC stents without compromising the number of postoperative urological complications.

Chronic pain following laparoscopic living-donor nephrectomy: Prevalence and impact on quality of life.

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) following laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) is a disregarded topic. In this cross-sectional study, all consecutive patients who underwent an LDN at the Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc; 2003-2016) were approached for participation. Five hundred twelve living kidney donors were included and asked to complete two questionnaires, including the McGill Pain Questionnaire and the RAND Short Form-36 Health Status Inventory (RAND SF-36) regarding their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The mean prevalence of CPSP following LDN was 5.7%, with a mean follow-up time of 6 years. Possible predictors of CPSP following LDN are severe early postoperative pain, previous abdominal surgery, and preexisting backache. The RAND SF-36 revealed an impaired HRQoL in patients with CPSP when compared to patients without CPSP. In conclusion, this study revealed that the prevalence of CPSP following LDN is substantial. Given the possible association between the presence of CPSP and impaired HRQoL scores, living kidney donors should be well informed in the preoperative phase about the risk of CPSP.

Efficacy of profound versus moderate neuromuscular blockade in enhancing postoperative recovery after laparoscopic donor nephrectomy: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Profound neuromuscular blockade (NMB) during anaesthesia has been shown to reduce postoperative pain scores, when compared with a moderate block. We hypothesised that profound NMB during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) could also improve the early quality of recovery after surgery. OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of profound versus moderate NMB during LDN in enhancing postoperative recovery. DESIGN: A phase IV, double-blinded, randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Multicentre trial, from November 2016 to December 2017. PATIENTS: A total of 101 living kidney donors scheduled for LDN were enrolled, and 96 patients were included in the analyses. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomised to receive profound (posttetanic count 1 to 3) or moderate (train-of-four count 1 to 3) neuromuscular block. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the early quality of recovery at postoperative day 1, measured by the Quality of Recovery-40 Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were adverse events, postoperative pain, analgesic consumption and length-of-stay. RESULTS: The intention-to-treat analysis did not show a difference with regard to the quality of recovery, pain scores, analgesic consumption and length-of-stay. Less intra-operative adverse events occurred in patients allocated to profound NMB (1/48 versus 6/48). Five patients allocated to a profound NMB received a moderate block and in two patients neuromuscular monitoring failed. The as-treated analysis revealed that pain scores were significantly lower at 6, 24 and 48 h after surgery. Moreover, the quality of recovery was significantly better at postoperative day 2 in patients receiving a profound versus moderate block (179.5 ±â€Š13.6 versus 172.3 ±â€Š19.2). CONCLUSION: Secondary analysis indicates that an adequately maintained profound neuromuscular block improves postoperative pain scores and quality of recovery. As the intention-to-treat analysis did not reveal a difference regarding the primary endpoint, future studies should pursue whether a thoroughly maintained profound NMB during laparoscopy improves relevant patient outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02838134.

Effectiveness of deep versus moderate muscle relaxation during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy in enhancing postoperative recovery: study protocol for a randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative recovery after live donor nephrectomy is largely determined by the consequences of postoperative pain and analgesia consumptions. The use of deep neuromuscular blockade has been shown to reduce postoperative pain scores after laparoscopic surgery. In this study, we will investigate whether deep neuromuscular blockade also improves the early quality of recovery after live donor nephrectomy. METHODS: The RELAX-study is a phase IV, multicenter, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial, in which 96 patients, scheduled for living donor nephrectomy, will be randomized into two groups: one with deep and one with moderate neuromuscular blockade. Deep neuromuscular blockade is defined as a post-tetanic count of 1-2. Our primary outcome measurement will be the Quality of Recovery-40 questionnaire (overall score) at 24 h after extubation. DISCUSSION: This study is, to our knowledge, the first randomized study to assess the effectiveness of deep neuromuscular blockade during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy in enhancing postoperative recovery. The study findings may also be applicable for other laparoscopic procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02838134 . Registered on 29 June 2016.

Repeated remote ischemic preconditioning and isoflurane anesthesia in an experimental model of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: In animal studies, remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) and anesthetic preconditioning are successful in reducing renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI), however the protective effect of RIPC may be improved by repeating the RIPC stimulus. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats underwent unilateral nephrectomy followed by 30 min of renal pedicle clamping. Animals were allocated into six groups: sham, control (IRI), RepISO (daily isoflurane anesthesia), RIPC (single dose isoflurane anesthesia and single dose RIPC), RepISO + RIPC (7-day isoflurane anesthesia and single dose RIPC) and RepISO + RepRIPC (7-day isoflurane anesthesia with 7-day RIPC). RIPC was applied by 3×5 min of cuff inflation on both thighs. Serum creatinine and urea levels were measured and histology was obtained at day two. RESULTS: RepISO diminished renal IRI, as reflected by a significant reduction in serum creatinine levels as compared to the control group, 170 ± 74 resp. 107 ± 29 µmol/L. The other preconditioning protocols showed similar reduction in serum creatinine levels as compared to the control group. No significant differences were observed between the different preconditioning protocols. For urea levels, only RepISO + RIPC resulted in significantly lower levels as compared to the control group, 14 ± 4 resp. 22 ± 7 mmol/L (p = 0.010). In the preconditioning groups only RepISO showed less histological damage as compared to controls 1.73 ± 1.19 resp. 2.91 ± 1.22 (p = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: In this study no additional protective effect of repeated ischemic preconditioning was observed as compared to single dose RIPC. Repeated administration of isoflurane provided stronger protection against renal IRI as compared to single dose isoflurane.

Renal Perfusion and Function during Pneumoperitoneum: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Animal Studies.

Both preclinical and clinical studies indicate that raised intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) associated with pneumoperitoneum during laparoscopic surgical procedures can cause renal damage, the severity of which may be influenced by variables such as pressure level and duration. Several of these variables have been investigated in animal studies, but synthesis of all preclinical data has not been performed. This systematic review summarizes all available pre-clinical evidence on this topic, including an assessment of its quality and risk of bias. We performed meta-analysis to assess which aspects of the pneumoperitoneum determine the severity of its adverse effects. A systematic search in two databases identified 55 studies on the effect of pneumoperitoneum on renal function which met our inclusion criteria. There was high heterogeneity between the studies regarding study design, species, sex, pressure and duration of pneumoperitoneum, and type of gas used. Measures to reduce bias were poorly reported, leading to an unclear risk of bias in the majority of studies. Details on randomisation, blinding and a sample size calculation were not reported in ≥80% of the studies. Meta-analysis showed an overall increase in serum creatinine during pneumoperitoneum, and a decrease in urine output and renal blood flow. Subgroup analysis indicated that for serum creatinine, this effect differed between species. Subgroup analysis of pressure level indicated that urine output decreased as IAP level increased. No differences between types of gas were observed. Data were insufficient to reliably assess whether sex or IAP duration modulate the effect of pneumoperitoneum. Four studies assessing long-term effects indicated that serum creatinine normalized ≥24 hours after desufflation of pneumoperitoneum at 15mmHg. We conclude that harmful effects on renal function and perfusion during pneumoperitoneum appear to be robust, but evidence on long-term effects is very limited. The reliability and clinical relevance of these findings for healthy patients and patients at high risk of renal impairment remain uncertain. We emphasize the need for rigorous reporting of preclinical research methodology, which is of vital importance for clinical translation of preclinical data.

Where the PIP is the implant?

A 51-year-old woman, who had previous breast augmentation and a video-assisted thoracoscopic wedge resection of the lung, underwent breast implant replacement of Poly Implant Protheses (PIP) due to a loss of volume on the right side of the chest. During this procedure, no implant was found in the right subpectoral space; however, a large defect was observed in the fifth intercostal space. A computed tomography scan of the chest indicated a circular entity in the right pleural cavity, which was confirmed to be the lost implant during a subsequent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).