Incorporation of the Transverse Thoracic Plane Block Into a Multimodal Early Extubation Protocol for Cardiac Surgical Patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim for early extubation remains an important goal in cardiac surgical patients. Therefore, employment of a multimodal approach to pain management that includes a transverse thoracic plane block was retrospectively examined at a single-center tertiary care hospital on the effects of time to extubation, opioid consumption, and length of stay in patients undergoing cardiac surgery via median sternotomy. METHODS: Blocks were performed on all cardiac surgical patients except for those undergoing left ventricular assist device placement, thoracic transplant, emergent surgery, or redo sternotomy. Following additional exclusions for intra- and postoperative complications unrelated to anesthesia, final analysis was conducted on 75 patients per group. Multimodal pain management included intravenous analgesics and transverse thoracic plane block where patients received 15 mL 0.5% bupivacaine + epinephrine bilaterally under ultrasound guidance prior to incision. RESULTS: Following transverse thoracic plane block and multimodal analgesics, 50.6% of patients were extubated in the operation room versus 8.6% in the control group. Intraoperative opioids were decreased, and intensive care unit and total length of stay were reduced by 5 hours and 1 day, respectively, in block patients as compared with controls. Postoperative opioids were not significantly different. There were no reported complications directly attributed to the block. CONCLUSIONS: The transverse thoracic plane block and multimodal regimen for patients undergoing median sternotomy resulted in a significant number of patients extubated in the operation room without an increase in postoperative re-intubations. Moreover, the block appears to be a quick and safe procedure to utilize on cardiac surgery patients.

Effective use of bronchial blockers in lung isolation surgery: an analysis of 130 cases.

BACKGROUND: One-lung ventilation (OLV) is necessary for selected surgical settings and medical conditions. Different methods have been described and used to isolate 1 lung, including the double-lumen endotracheal tube (DLT) and a variety of bronchial blockers (BBs). This selection is often based on the preferences and experiences of the anesthesiologist and surgeon. Complications associated with OLV isolation tubes have been previously described, but complications specifically associated with the Cohen BB (CBB) (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN) have not been investigated. The purpose of this retrospective review was to determine the incidence of vocal cord injury, tracheobronchial injury, and hoarseness in adult patients who underwent OLV with the CBB. METHODS: We reviewed electronic anesthesia records, operative dictation, and inpatient progress notes to collect information about vocal cord injury, bronchial injury, hoarseness, and sore throat for adults who underwent surgical and diagnostic procedures requiring OLV. Secondary endpoints were types of surgical procedures, degree of difficulty with orotracheal intubation, ability of the patient to tolerate extubation in the operating room, and whether the thoracic surgeon deemed the lung separation adequate. P<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Of 130 patients, 113 underwent OLV with a CBB, and 17 patients underwent OLV with a DLT. The thoracic surgeon deemed the lung isolation adequate in all cases. Airway injury occurred in 2 patients with a CBB and none with a DLT (P=0.86). Both airway injuries were attributed to surgical technique. Two cases of postoperative hoarseness occurred in the CBB group (P=0.86). One injury was attributed to vagus nerve transection, and the other injury was diagnosed as vocal cord paralysis of unknown etiology. In 1 case, orotracheal intubation with a DLT was unsuccessful because of intubation difficulty and required conversion to a regular endotracheal tube and CBB for successful lung isolation. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the use of CBB can be successful in a wide variety of thoracic operations, has minimal complications, eliminates the need for tracheal tube exchange when postoperative mechanical ventilation is required, and effectively isolates the lungs of critically ill patients.

Increase in venous complications associated with etomidate use during a propofol shortage: an example of clinically important adverse effects related to drug substitution.

Etomidate is a widely used intravenous induction agent that is especially useful for patients at risk for hypotension during anesthesia induction. Side effects limiting its use include adrenocortical suppression, acidosis, myoclonus, venous irritation, and phlebitis. The osmolality of etomidate prepared in propylene glycol appears to play a crucial role in causing phlebitis. The increased use of etomidate during the recent propofol shortage correlated with an increase in reported incidences of postoperative phlebitis and thrombophlebitis at Ochsner Clinic Foundation from October 2009 through April 2010. Several methods aim to prevent such occurrences, including pretreatment with lidocaine (and possibly esmolol), lower doses of etomidate, and injection into larger veins. The most compelling evidence suggests that using a lipid formulation of etomidate instead of the traditional propylene glycol preparation may dramatically decrease venous sequelae.