Efficacy of perineural versus intravenous dexamethasone in prolonging the duration of analgesia when administered with peripheral nerve blocks: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Perineural dexamethasone has been regarded as a promising adjunct for prolonging the duration of nerve blocks. However, it is uncertain whether its effects are due to local effects on the nerves or from systemic absorption. This systematic review aimed to compare the duration of postoperative analgesia associated with perineural versus intravenous dexamethasone as an adjunct to peripheral nerve blocks. METHODS: A total of 2,216 relevant academic articles were identified after a comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov from 1967 until 2020. All randomized controlled trials that compared perineural and intravenous dexamethasone as adjuncts to peripheral nerve limb blocks were included. RESULTS: Fifteen randomized controlled trials (1,467 cases; 738 perineural dexamethasone, 729 intravenous dexamethasone) were eligible. The primary outcome (duration of analgesia) was significantly longer in the perineural than in the intravenous dexamethasone group (mean difference [MD]: 2.72 h, 95% CI [1.42, 4.01], P < 0.001). Perineural dexamethasone was also found to prolong the sensory block (MD: 3.45 h, 95% CI [1.36, 5.54], P = 0.001) and lower 24 h postoperative pain scores (MD: -0.74 h, 95% CI [-1.40, -0.07], P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: This review confirms the greater efficacy of perineural compared to intravenous dexamethasone in prolonging the analgesic duration of peripheral nerve blocks. However, the extent of prolongation was small and may not represent a clinically meaningful difference.

Managing COVID-19 in a Novel, Rapidly Deployable Community Isolation Quarantine Facility.

Singapore is one of the most densely populated small island-states in the world. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Singapore implemented large-scale institutional isolation units called Community Care Facilities (CCFs) to combat the outbreak in the community by housing low-risk COVID-19 patients from April to August 2020. The CCFs were created rapidly by converting existing public spaces and used a protocolized system, augmented by telemedicine to enable a low health care worker-patient ratio (98 health care workers for 3200 beds), to operate these unique facilities. In the first month, a total of 3758 patients were admitted to 4 halls, 4929 in-house medical consults occurred, 136 patients were transferred to a hospital, 1 patient died 2 weeks after discharge, and no health care workers became infected. This article shares the authors' experience in operating these massive-scale isolation facilities while prioritizing safety for all and ensuring holistic patient care in the face of a public health crisis and lean health care resources.

Assessment of hyperbaric patients at risk of malnutrition using the Malnutrition Screening Tool - a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional assessment and support is essential for wound management. The hyperbaric oxygen clinic is a unique outpatient service where chronically unwell patients present daily for hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) over several weeks, allowing time for effective nutritional intervention. This is the first study to examine the prevalence of those at risk of malnutrition in a cohort of hyperbaric medical patients. METHODS: A prospective study was undertaken over six months. Following consent, 39 enrolled patients had the Malnutrition Screening Tool and Baseline Characteristic Collection Form completed. Those at risk of malnutrition were given an option to be assessed by a dietitian to complete a Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). At the completion of treatment, the patients completed a questionnaire. RESULTS: Twelve of the 39 patients screened were at risk of malnutrition using our screening process. Of these, all the patients with available SGA results were diagnosed with moderate to severe malnutrition. Patients receiving HBOT for non-healing wounds and osteoradionecrosis were most at risk of malnutrition. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of patients being at risk of malnutrition in our hyperbaric medical service was about one in three. Malnutrition screening should be part of routine patient assessment in order to ensure patients receive timely nutritional intervention. This may improve wound healing.

Direct and indirect low skill fibre-optic intubation: A randomised crossover manikin study of six supraglottic airway devices.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Fibre-optic intubation (FOI) through supraglottic airway devices (SADs) is useful in the management of the difficult airway. We compared two methods of FOI through seven SADs in a randomised crossover manikin study to assess each device's performance and discuss implications on SAD selection. METHODS: Thirty anaesthetsiologists, 15 seniors and 15 juniors, each performed low skill FOI (LSFOI) with seven SADs using both 'direct' and 'indirect' methods. The order of method and device used were randomised. The primary end point was success rate of intubation; secondary end points were time taken for intubation, incidence of difficulties with direct and indirect LSFOI and operator device preference. Statistical analysis was with univariable analysis and comparison of proportions. RESULTS: Data from six devices were analysed due to a protocol breach with one SAD. There was no difference in intubation success rate across all SADs and intubation methods. Intubation time was significantly shorter in AmbuAuragain than other SADs and shorter with the direct method of LSFOI than the indirect method (mean difference of 6.9 s, P = 0.027). Ambu Auragain had the least SAD and bronchoscope-related difficulties. Seniors had significantly shorter mean intubation times than juniors by 11.6 s (P = 0.0392). The most preferred SAD for both methods was AmbuAuragain. CONCLUSION: Low skill FOI consistently achieves a high intubation success rate regardless of experience, choice of method, or SAD used. SAD design features may significantly affect the performance of low skill FOI.

Effects of anesthetic technique on blood loss and complications after simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty.

AIMS: Anesthetic technique affects perioperative outcomes, but less was known in simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (BTKA). A single center, retrospective analysis was carried out to prove the hypothesis that utilization of regional anesthesia would result in favorable perioperative outcomes. METHODS: Medical records of patients admitted for simultaneous BTKA between 2004 and 2013 were analyzed. Two groups, the general anesthesia (GA) and regional anesthesia (RA) group, were identified. Patient preoperative characteristics were compared. Perioperative outcomes measured included blood loss, transfusion requirement, length of hospitalization, operating time, and 30-day perioperative complications. RESULTS: A total of 513 patients were identified, 54.6% were performed under GA, and 45.4% under RA. Patient characteristics were similar between the two groups, except that patients operated under GA were younger than those under RA. RA was associated with significantly less perioperative blood loss (981 vs. 1075 mL, p = 0.017) and 30-day complications (6.4 vs. 13.2%, p = 0.016). Systemic and organ specific infections were particularly lower in the RA group (0.4 vs. 3.9%, p = 0.009). Transfusion requirement, length of hospitalization, and operating time were similar between the two groups. After correcting for covariates, RA offered a 92 mL (p = 0.023) reduction in blood loss and 49% less overall complications (p = 0.047), compared to GA. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent simultaneous BTKA under RA had lesser blood loss and lower complication rate than GA. The impact of RA can be further exploited to improve perioperative outcomes of simultaneous BTKA in addition to various other interventions.