I-gel™ May be the Device of Choice for Controlled Ventilation in Patients with Hemophilia Undergoing Abdominal Laparoscopic Surgery.

Haemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder with variable deficiency of Factor VIII in the plasma and is characterised by bleeding into joints, muscles and tissues either spontaneously or in response to trivial trauma. Perioperative care requires multidisciplinary involvement. Perioperative management involves the risk of excessive bleeding from surgical site as well as spontaneous bleeding into the brain in response to surgical stress in patients with previous history of intracerebral haemorrhage. Airway management of such patients during anaesthetic intervention is a challenge and entails the risk of life threatening haemorrhage into the airway. The I gel Supraglottic airway device may be best suited for the purpose considering its soft elastomeric non-inflatable cuff, ease of insertion, availability of gastric suction port and minimal leak fraction on controlled ventilation. The I Gel may be solution to avoiding airway instrumentation in patients with bleeding disorders. It may be an alternative to endotracheal intubation in patients with Haemophilia undergoing surgery.

Epidural anesthesia: A safe option for cesarean section in parturient with severe pulmonary hypertension.

Rheumatic heart disease is the most common cardiac disease complicating pregnancy in developing countries. Heart disease accounts for 15% pregnancy-related mortality. In the presence of maternal heart disease, the circulatory changes of pregnancy may result in exacerbation of the hemodynamic perturbations due to complex cardiac valvular lesions leading to decompensation or death of mother or fetus. Determining the ideal anesthetic technique for cesarean section in the presence of complex cardiac conditions remains a much debated topic. General anesthesia is associated with a further increase in pulmonary pressure in response to laryngoscopy and intubation along with myocardial depression by anesthetic agents. Neuraxial blockade may lead to decrease in systemic vascular resistance and cardiac output. We report the successful anesthetic management of a parturient suffering from rheumatic heart disease with multivalvular lesions resulting in severe pulmonary hypertension under epidural anesthesia with good maternal and neonatal outcome. Successful management requires vigilant perioperative monitoring and thorough knowledge of the hemodynamics of complex cardiac valvular disease.

Caudal-epidural bupivacaine versus ropivacaine with fentanyl for paediatric postoperative analgesia.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Caudal-epidural, the most commonly used regional analgesia technique, is virtually free of measurable hemodynamic effects, thus adding a new dimension to the evolving necessity of pediatric postoperative pain management. Though, bupivacaine is the most commonly used drug for this purpose, ropivacaine has emerged as a safer alternative, with the addition of opioids, like fentanyl, increasing the effective duration of analgesia. With this overview, our present study was designed to compare the postoperative analgesic efficacy of bupivacaine-fentanyl and ropivacaine-fentanyl combinations by caudal-epidural technique in pediatric infraumbilical surgeries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Totally, 60 pediatric patients, of either sex, aged between 2 and 8 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I and II, undergoing elective infraumbilical surgeries were assigned into two groups, Group BF receiving bupivacaine 0.25%, 0.7 ml/kg and Group RF receiving ropivacaine 0.25%, 0.7 ml/kg with fentanyl 1 µg/kg added to each group. Assessment of pain was done using "Hannallah pain scale." Consumption of the total amount of rescue analgesic and time to requirement of the first dose, as also duration of motor blockade were noted. Perioperative hemodynamics and any adverse effects were monitored at regular intervals. RESULTS: The RF Group experienced significantly longer duration of effective postoperative analgesia, with significantly shorter duration of motor blockade and lesser total analgesic requirement in comparison to the BF Group. Hemodynamically, patients in both the groups, were equally stable. CONCLUSION: Ropivacaine, with an equipotent analgesic efficacy and a lesser duration of motor block, can be used as an alternative to bupivacaine for pediatric postoperative pain care through the caudal route.

Anaesthetic management in a case of huge plunging ranula.

Plunging ranula is a rare form of mucous retention cyst arising from submandibular and sublingual salivary glands, which may occasionally become huge occupying the whole of the floor of the mouth and extending into the neck, thus, restricting the neck movement as well as disfiguring the normal airway anatomy. Without fiberoptic assistance, blind or retrograde nasal intubation remains valuable choices in this type of situation. Here, we present a case of successful management of airway by blind nasal intubation in a patient posted for excision of a huge plunging ranula.

Preoperative anxiolysis in pediatric population: A comparative study between oral midazolam and oral ketamine.

CONTEXT: Preoperative anxiety is synonymous with pediatric surgery. Anxiolysis is of crucial importance and poses a significant challenge to the pediatric anesthesiologist. Orally administered midazolam and ketamine can be used as anxiolytic premedication in children. AIM: To compare the efficacy of orally administered midazolam and ketamine for preoperative sedation and anxiolysis in children and determine the minimum interval required between premedication and parental separation. SETTING AND DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blind study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 70 children aged 2-8 years, belonging to ASA grade 1 and 2, scheduled to undergo elective infraumbilical and peripheral surgeries were randomized into two groups of 35 each to receive either midazolam (0.5 mg/kg) or ketamine (5 mg/kg) orally. They were assessed at an interval of 5 minutes up to 40 minutes, at the time of parental separation, intravenous cannulation, and application of face mask for ventilation. Sedation was noted according to Ramsay Sedation Scale and anxiolysis was noted according to Anxiolysis Scores used in previous published studies. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Skewed data between groups were analyzed by Mann Whitney U Test. Data within a group were analyzed using Friedman's Analysis of variance and a post hoc test. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference in sedation and anxiolysis scores were obtained between the groups at any point of time. Maximum sedation score was achieved at 20 minutes in both the groups, with no statistically significant difference with scores obtained thereafter. Statistically significant difference occurred in anxiolysis score at study points in group receiving midazolam. CONCLUSION: The study documents the rapid achievement of preoperative sedation and anxiolysis in children with orally administered midazolam or ketamine, with the latter producing a superior quality of anxiolysis. An interval of 20 minutes is sufficient between premedication and parental separation.