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Hanging is suspension of a person by noose or ligature around the neck. Hanging has been used as a judicial execution method since medieval times and is still a common method of suicide in developing countries. The term “near hanging” is used for those who survive long enough to reach the hospital, and these patients still hold mortality as high as 45%. These patients can present with a wide array of complaints involving cardiovascular, neurologic, and pulmonary systems and local injuries to the airway and vascular structures. High serum lactate and cardiac arrest at arrival are some of the prognostic factors which portend a poor prognosis. Early admission and aggressive treatment are essential to provide best neurologic outcome. Due to paucity of definitive guidelines, therapy has to be based on clinical reports and expertise of the treating physician. Hence, near-hanging patients pose a great challenge in primary emergency care and intensive care management. This review aims to outline the pathophysiology, prognostic indicators, and recent evidence in the management of near-hanging patients.

Introduction: Arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is associated with moderate-to-severe postoperative pain which may delay hospital discharge as well as physiotherapy resulting in poor outcome. The aim of our study was to compare the effect of clonidine or fentanyl as adjuvant to bupivacaine in femoro-sciatic nerve block (FSNB) on the duration of pain-free period and requirement of rescue analgesic postoperatively. Materials and Methods: Sixty adult patients undergoing ACLR of the knee joint received subarachnoid block as anesthesia for surgery and FSNB for postoperative analgesia. Patients in Group C (control group) received 40 ml of 0.25% isobaric bupivacaine (20 ml in femoral and sciatic block each), whereas Group F (fentanyl group) received fentanyl (1 μg/kg) and Group CL (clonidine group) received clonidine (1 μg/kg) with 40 ml of 0.25% isobaric bupivacaine. The duration of pain-free period, rescue analgesic consumption, postoperative pain score, sedation levels and adverse effects were monitored along with hemodynamic parameters for 24 h postoperatively. Results: The patients in the clonidine group had longer pain-free period (10.06 ± 3.62 h) as compared to the fentanyl group (7.94 ± 3.62 h) and control group (4.59 ± 1.20 h) (P < 0.001). Postoperative pain scores were higher in the control group at the 4th, 8th, and 12th h and comparable between the fentanyl and clonidine groups. The total amount of rescue analgesic requirement was less in the clonidine group (71.25 ± 16.77 mg) than the fentanyl group (86.25 ± 36.71 mg) and control group (161.20 ± 50.34 mg) (P < 0.001). No clinically significant adverse effects were observed in any group. Conclusion: Clonidine as an adjuvant to bupivacaine in FSNB provides better postoperative analgesia compared to fentanyl by significantly prolonging the pain-free period and decreasing rescue analgesic requirement in postoperative period without any untoward side effect.

Background and Aims: The aim of the study was to enumerate the sedative drugs used, assess the efficacy of sedative drugs, and determine the incidence of adverse events. Material and Methods: A prospective audit of children sedated for computerized tomography (CT) by anesthesiology team was conducted for a period of 4 months. The data included patient demographic variables, fasting period, medications administered, adequacy of sedation, imaging characteristics, adverse events, and requirement for escalated care. Results: A total of 331 children were enrolled for sedation by the anesthesia team. The drugs used for sedation were propofol, ketamine, and midazolam. Twenty-two percent children received one sedative drug, 60% children were administered two drugs, and 5% children required a combination of all three drugs for successful sedation. Sedation was effective for successful conduct of CT scan in 95.8% patients without the requirement of a repeat scan. Twelve (5%) children experienced adverse events during the study period. However, none of the adverse events necessitated prolonged postprocedural hospitalization or resulted in permanent neurologic injury or death. Conclusions: The current practice of sedation with propofol, ketamine, and midazolam, either single or in combination was efficacious in a high percentage of patients. The incidence of adverse events during the study period was low.

Abstract Background and objectives: Inadequate pain relief after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction affects mobility leading to development of adhesions, weakened ligament insertion and muscle atrophy. Adductor canal block for postoperative analgesia preserves quadriceps strength. The present study was conducted to compare pain free period in patients undergoing arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, receiving ultrasound-guided adductor canal block with ropivacaine alone and ropivacaine with clonidine. Methods: A prospective randomized double blinded study was conducted including sixty-three adult, ASA class I, II patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. They were randomized into three groups: Group S - control group received adductor canal block with 30 mL saline, Group R - ropivacaine group received adductor canal block with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine and Group RC - clonidine group received adductor canal block with 30 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine with clonidine 1 µg.kg-1. The primary aim was to compare the pain free period in patients receiving adductor canal block with ropivacaine alone or ropivacine with clonidine. The secondary outcomes were pain score at rest and movement, total analgesic requirement, sedation score and postoperative nausea and vomiting. Results: The mean pain free periods were 20 min, 384.76 min and 558.09 min for Group S, Group R and Group RC, respectively and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between Group R and Group RC in terms of pain scores at rest and movement and total analgesic requirement. Conclusion: Addition of clonidine to ropivacaine in USG guided adductor canal block led to significant prolongation of pain free period though pain score at rest and movement, and rescue analgesic requirement, did not differ.

Objective: To detect retinal involvement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in acute and convalescent phase by their fundus screening.Methods: In a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study (July–November 2020), 235 patients (142 acute and 93 convalescent phase) underwent fundus screening in a tertiary care center in North India. For convalescent phase, “hospitalized” patients (73) were screened at least 2 weeks after hospital discharge, and “home-isolated” patients (20) were screened 17 days after symptom onset/COVID-19 testing.Results: None in acute phase showed any retinal lesion that could be attributed exclusively to COVID-19. Five patients (5.38%) in convalescent phase had cotton wool spots (CWSs) with/without retinal hemorrhage, with no other retinal finding, and no visual symptoms, seen at a median of 30 days from COVID-19 diagnosis.Conclusions: CWSs (and retinal hemorrhages) were an incidental finding in COVID-19, detected only in the convalescent phase. These patients were much older (median age = 69 years) than the average age of our sample and had systemic comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, etc.). We propose the term “COVID-19 retinopathy” to denote the presence of CWSs at the posterior pole, occasionally associated with intraretinal hemorrhages, in the absence of ocular inflammation in patients with a history of COVID-19 disease.

Background: The emergence from anaesthesia is a very crucial aspect in neurosurgical patients due to the need for evaluation of neurological status in the immediate post-operative period. The present study evaluates the emergence characteristics following administration of morphine as compared to shorter-acting opioid, fentanyl in patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy. Methods: A total of 84 patients were included in the study. The patients either received morphine 0.1 mg/kg before induction or fentanyl 2 mcg/kg body weight at induction, 1 mcg/kg before skin incision and at the beginning of dural closure. Doses of both opioids were repeated as judged clinically during surgery. Following surgery, the trachea was extubated after reversal of residual neuromuscular blockade, and the emergence characteristics of patients in the two groups were compared. Results: The mean time to emergence was 8.5 ± 3.7 min in morphine group whereas it was 7.8 ± 5.1 min in fentanyl group (P = 0.11). Conclusions: Morphine appears similar to fentanyl for facilitating early emergence in patients undergoing an elective supratentorial craniotomy.

Inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing is considered to be the leading cause of high burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in resource-constrained lower- and middle-income countries. Under its global action plan, the World Health Organization has envisaged tackling the AMR threat through promotion of rational antibiotic use among prescribers. Given the lack of consensus definitions and other associated challenges, we sought to devise and validate an Antimicrobial Rationality Assessment Tool—AmRAT—for standardizing the assessment of appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing. A consensus algorithm was developed by a multidisciplinary team consisting of intensivists, internal medicine practitioners, clinical pharmacologists, and infectious disease experts. The tool was piloted by 10 raters belonging to three groups of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) personnel: Master of Pharmacology (M.Sc.) (n = 3, group A), Doctor of Medicine (MD) residents (n = 3, group B), and DM residents in clinical pharmacology (n = 4, group C) using retrospective patient data from 30 audit and feedback forms collected as part of an existing AMS program. Percentage agreement and the kappa (κ) coefficients were used to measure inter-rater agreements amongst themselves and with expert opinion. Sensitivity and specificity estimates were analyzed comparing their assessments against the gold standard. For the overall assessment of rationality, the mean percent agreement with experts was 76.7% for group A, 68.9% for group B, and 77.5% for group C. The kappa values indicated moderate agreement for all raters in group A (κ 0.47–0.57), and fair to moderate in group B (κ 0.22–0.46) as well as group C (κ 0.37–0.60). Sensitivity and specificity for the same were 80% and 68.6%, respectively. Though evaluated by raters with diverse educational background and variable AMS experience in this pilot study, our tool demonstrated high percent agreement and good sensitivity and specificity, assuring confidence in its utility for assessing appropriateness of antimicrobial prescriptions in resource-constrained healthcare environments.

Background and Aims: A high percentage of patients undergoing arthroscopic repairs on day care basis complain of inadequate postoperative pain relief. Clonidine was evaluated for the best route as an adjuvant in regional anesthesia in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair to prolong analgesia. Material and Methods: A prospective randomized double-blinded study was planned in a tertiary care hospital in North India in which 85 American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II patients undergoing ACL repair were enrolled. All groups received 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine intrathecally as in control group C. Group IT received intrathecal 1 μg/kg of clonidine along with hyperbaric bupivacaine, group IA received 0.25% bupivacaine and 1 μg/kg clonidine intra-articularly, and group NB received 0.25% bupivacaine and 1 μg/kg clonidine in femoro-sciatic nerve block (FSNB). Postoperative pain free interval and block characteristics were the primary outcomes studied. Results: Pain-free duration was 546.90 (±93.66) min in group NB (P < 0.001) in comparison to 234.90 (±20.99), 367.80 (±47.40) and 172.20 (±54.82) min in groups IA, IT and C, respectively. Sensory block and motor blockade in NB were 474.90 (±43.80) and 267.40 (±34.59) min, respectively, and were significantly prolonged (P > 0.001) in comparison to other groups. The mean rescue analgesic requirement and cumulative frequency of rescue analgesia were least in group NB, followed by groups IT, IA and C. Conclusion: Clonidine is safe and effective adjuvant with bupivacaine in prolonging analgesia through various routes employed for post knee surgery pain. The maximum prolongation of analgesia is achieved through FSNB with a risk of prolonging postanesthesia care unit stay.

Background : Intraoperative depth of anesthesia may affect postoperative pain relief. This prospective, randomized, and observer-blinded study assessed the effect of intraoperative depth of anesthesia on the postoperative pain and analgesic requirements in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Materials and Methods : A total of 80 patients were randomly divided into two groups of 40 each. A standard technique for anesthesia was followed in all patients. Depth of anesthesia was monitored by bispectral index (BIS) and adjusted with 0.5 to 1.5% isoflurane in group S by addition of propofol in group B, if required, to maintain a BIS value of 45 to 40. Postoperative analgesia was provided by tramadol 1 mg/kg every 6 hours and rescue analgesia by morphine boluses. Postoperative pain was assessed by Visual analogue scale score at 0, 8, 16, and 24 hours. Results : The demographic characteristics were comparable in both groups. The mean BIS value in Group S was 63.32 ± 11.43 and 45.06 ± 15.31 in Group B, well in the range of 40 to 60, reflecting adequate hypnotic effect for general anesthesia. The mean arterial pressure was low in group B throughout the surgery (P

The present case emphasizes on the increasing difficulty in management of patients with Goldenhar syndrome as they age. Fiberoptic intubation using high dose dexmedetomidine along with local anesthetics is a safe technique for securing the airway in a difficult situation, even if the patient dose not cooperates for awake procedure. A16-year-old Goldenhar patient with multiple facial deformities was scheduled for correction of hollowness of right cheek and was successfully managed with high dose dexmedetomidine infusion along with local anesthetics to facilitate fiberoptic intubation with no untoward side-effects.