Comparison of the influence of low dose etomidate and propofol as priming dose on the incidence of etomidate induced myoclonus: a randomised, double-blind clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Though hemodynamically stable, etomidate is known for its myoclonus side effect following induction. The main aim of this study is an effective attempt to decrease the incidence of myoclonus with a priming agent. METHODS: A prospective, double-blind study was carried out on 50 adults posted for elective surgery. After premedication, priming was done with etomidate 0.03 mg.kg-1 (Group E) and propofol 0.2 mg.kg-1 (Group P), i.e., 1/10th of induction dose. After 60 seconds of priming, patients were induced with etomidate by titrating dose over 60 seconds until loss of verbal command and eyelash reflex. The grading of myoclonus, induction dosage, and hemodynamics for 10 minutes post induction were recorded. RESULTS: In the study, only 4 cases had myoclonus. Grade 1 myoclonus was encountered in three cases of etomidate group, while only one case in the propofol group had grade 2 myoclonus which was not statistically significant (p-value: 0.12). There was a significant reduction in the etomidate induction dosage in both groups. CONCLUSION: Priming with etomidate and propofol is equally effective in reducing myoclonus with the added benefit of hemodynamic stability and reduction of an induction dose of etomidate (> 50%).

Comparison of Postoperative Pain and Analgesia Requirement among Diabetic and Nondiabetic Patients undergoing Lower Limb Fracture Surgery - A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Diabetic patients usually experience neuropathic pain and have a decreased response to opioids. Fractures are acute conditions and as such, they are very painful. No data is available related to fracture and postoperative pain in diabetics. Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate postoperative pain and analgesics requirement among diabetic and nondiabetic patients undergoing lower limb fracture surgery and the effect of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) on the postoperative pain. Setting and Design: This was a prospective observational study, conducted on 80 patients comprising of nondiabetic and diabetic, scheduled for elective lower limb fracture surgery under spinal anesthesia. Materials and Methods: HbA1c was done in all the patients who were included in the study. Postoperative Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and analgesic consumption were assessed by an anesthesiologist blinded to the diabetic or nondiabetic status of the patients. VAS was assessed every 2nd hourly, for 24 h and rescue analgesia was given if the VAS was ≥4 and record was maintained. Sedation scores and adverse effects were also recorded postoperatively. Statistical Analysis: The Chi-square test was used for the analysis of categorical variables and Student's t-test was used for continuous variables. Results: Diabetic group of patients had a significantly high VAS score with P ≤ 0.05. Rescue analgesics requirement was significantly different in two groups with diabetic patients requiring more supplementation of analgesia with a P = 0.025. The overall patient satisfaction was lesser in diabetic group (P = 0.004). There was statistically significant correlation between glycosylated hemoglobin and VAS at 2nd, 16th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, and 24th h. Conclusion: Postoperative pain and analgesic requirement was significantly higher in diabetic patients with lower limb fracture. Glycosylated hemoglobin had good correlation with higher VAS.

A Comparative Study of Periarticular Infiltration with Dexmedetomidine versus Ketorolac as an Additive to Ropivacaine after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective, Randomized Double-Blind Study.

BACKGROUND: Periarticular infiltration (PAI) analgesia has been found to be an effective analgesia modality after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Dexmedetomidine has many beneficial effects on postoperative analgesia by different routes, but studies on PAI are lagging. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: In this study, we compared postoperative analgesia after PAI with dexmedetomidine versus ketorolac as an additive to ropivacaine after TKA. SETTING AND DESIGN: This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind study conducted on 75 patients belonging to American Society of Anesthesiologists I to III, undergoing total knee arthroplasty, of either gender, belonging to American Society of Anesthesiologists I to III. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After institutional ethics committee approval and written informed consent, patients were randomly allocated into three groups. Group C (n = 25) received cocktail of 60 mL ropivacaine (0.25%) infiltration with adrenaline 5 mL (0.1 mg.mL-1), Group D (n = 25) received additive dexmedetomidine 1 ug.kg-1 to above cocktail, and Group K (n = 25) received ketorolac 30 mg. Postoperatively pain by Visual Analog Scale, vitals, total duration of analgesia, need for rescue analgesia, sedation, patient satisfaction, mobilization time, and complications were recorded. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 was used for statistical analysis. Analysis of variance has been used to find the significance of study parameters between the three groups of patients. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Postoperative pain score was lesser in the ketorolac group (1.52 ± 0.71, P = 0.001) than the other two groups. Duration of analgesia was more with ketorolac (343.00 ± 144.45, P < 0.001) compared with the other two groups, and epidural activation timings (462 ± 235.84) were significantly delayed in Group K compared to Group C and Group D. There was no significant difference in mobilization time, patient satisfaction, and complications between the three groups. CONCLUSION: Ketorolac was a better additive to ropivacaine than dexmedetomidine for postoperative analgesia after TKA.

Regional anesthesia is safe and effective for lower limb orthopedic surgery in patient with renal tubular acidosis and hypokalemia.

Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) with hypokalemia may precipitate acute respiratory failure and potentially fatal arrhythmias like ventricular fibrillation. Though there are random reports of respiratory failure needing mechanical ventilation and sudden death in patients with RTA and hypokalemia, the anesthetic management of these patients has not been clearly elucidated. Acidosis and hypokalemia have significant interactions with both general and local anesthetics and alter their effect substantially. Proper preoperative planning and optimization are required for the safe conduct of anesthesia in this subset of patients. We describe a case of distal RTA, hypokalemia, and metabolic bone disease in whom central neuraxial anesthesia was effectively used for lower limb orthopedic surgery with no complications.

Airway Management of Patients Undergoing Oral Cancer Surgery: A Retrospective Analysis of 156 Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Oral cancer patients have a potentially difficult airway, but if managed properly during the perioperative period, morbidity and mortality can be reduced or avoided. METHODS: The medical records of 156 patients who were operated for oral cancers were reviewed for airway management during the perioperative period. RESULTS: The surgical procedures ranged from excisions, wide local excisions with split skin graftings, hemiglossectomies and radical neck nodes dissections to pectoralis major myocutaneous or free fibular flaps. Intubation was assessed as difficult in 14.7% of patients because of tumour- or radiation fibrosis-related trismus, restricted neck mobility and prior similar surgeries. Twenty patients had undergone surgery for oral cancer previously and were scheduled for flap reconstruction. Nasotracheal intubation was a preferred route, and 62.8% of patients could be intubated nasotracheally after neuromuscular blockade. Tracheostomy (elective or existing) was utilised for airway control in 19.2% cases. Patients who had undergone prior radiotherapy were more likely to be tracheostomised. McCoy laryngoscopes (13.4%), gum elastic bougies (23.6%), Airtraq devices (0.006%) and fibreoptic bronchoscopes (FOBs) (0.03%) were the additional airway techniques employed. In total, 64 patients (50.7%) could be extubated immediately after surgery. CONCLUSION: Proper preoperative evaluation and planning help manage difficult airways effectively with minimal need of advanced airway gadgets. Gum elastic bougies and Magill forceps are very useful in airway management and decrease the need of elective tracheostomy in oral cancer patients.

Severe stridor and marked respiratory difficulty after right-sided supraclavicular brachial plexus block.

Brachial plexus block is commonly used for upper limb surgery. Although the procedure is safe, it may be associated with some life-threatening complications. We performed right-sided supraclavicular brachial plexus block for below-elbow amputation in a 45-year-old female. At completion of the block the patient developed marked respiratory difficulty with audible inspiratory stridor. Although SpO(2) decreased to 82% initially, it was increased to 100% by continuous positive airway pressure with a face mask. On conventional direct laryngoscopy, the left vocal cord was found to be in the midline position and the right vocal cord was in the paramedian position. The trachea was intubated and surgery proceeded without any other complication. Postoperative indirect laryngoscopy revealed that the left vocal cord was fixed, whereas the right vocal cord was mobile, and diagnosis of pre-existing incomplete left vocal cord paralysis was made. This clinical report is to emphasize the importance of thorough pre-operative evaluation of the vocal cord in patients who have undergone any surgical procedure or radiation treatment of the neck before planning for brachial plexus block. If such an evaluation cannot be obtained, an alternative technique, for example axillary approach, should be preferred.