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Background Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presenting for neurosurgery are not rare. Considering the lack of literature informing the outcomes in this subset, present study was conducted to compare perioperative management and postoperative outcomes between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 neurosurgical patients. Methods After ethics committee approval, data of all patients with COVID-19 along with an equal number of age and diagnosis matched non-COVID-19 patients undergoing neurosurgery between April 2020 and January 2021 was analyzed retrospectively. Predictors of poor outcome were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results During the study period, 50 COVID-19 patients (28 laboratory confirmed (group-C) and 22 clinicoradiological diagnosed [group-CR]) underwent neurosurgery and were compared with 50 matched non-COVID-19 patients. Preoperatively, clinicoradiological diagnosed COVID-19 patients had higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade (p = 0.01), lower Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (p Conclusions The concomitant presence of COVID-19 infection did not translate into poor outcome in patients undergoing neurosurgery. Preoperative motor-GCS predicted neurological outcome in both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 neurosurgical patients.

Background There are insufficient data about clinical outcomes in critically ill neurological patients with concomitant coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study describes the clinical characteristics, predictors of mortality, and clinical outcomes in COVID-19-positive neurological patients managed in a dedicated COVID-19 neurointensive care unit (CNICU). Methods This single-center, retrospective cohort study was conducted in critically ill neurological and neurosurgical patients with concomitant COVID-19 infection admitted to the CNICU at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, from July to November 2020. Patients’ demographic, clinical, laboratory, imaging, treatment, and outcome data were retrieved from the manual and electronic medical records. Predictors of mortality and neurological outcome were identified using logistic regression. Results During the study period, 50 COVID-19-positive neurological patients were admitted to the CNICU. Six patients were excluded from the analysis as they were managed in the CNICU for

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of metabolism caused by a deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase which results in accumulation of phenylalanine. Patients of PKU presents with seizures, mental retardation, and organ damage and possess a unique challenge to the anesthesiologists when they need anesthetics for diagnostic or surgical procedures. There is limited literature regarding the safety of various anesthetic drugs in PKU patients. None of them reported the use of dexmedetomidine as safer sedative option for such patients. Therefore, we describe the management of such a case posted for magnetic resonance imaging under dexmedetomidine sedation.

Pediatric blood transfusion practices during neurosurgical procedures differ from those of adults with regard to physiologic and hematologic considerations. Such differences dictate different guidelines for blood transfusion practices. In addition, pediatric patients are more susceptible to certain transfusion-related complications as compared to their adult counterparts. The pediatric patients present with more incidence of allergic, febrile non-hemolytic, and hypotensive transfusion reactions. Oxygen consumption in children is higher as compared to adults. As the myocardium of a newborn operates to the full potential to meet the higher oxygen demand, it may not be able to compensate for diminished oxygen capacity by further increasing cardiac output and, thus, have a higher likelihood of cardiac decompensation and ischemia under stressful circumstances. Optimal hemoglobin concentrations are, thus, higher in newborns as compared to the adults. The term neonate has mean hemoglobin values of 16.5 gm/dL, and the hemoglobin concentrations vary in children and adolescents in an age-related manner. Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in the full-term newborn is highest at birth, decreasing at 5% per week until 6 months. Children undergoing neurosurgery are vulnerable to intraoperative bleeding; some preocedures are prone to massive blood loss. A diverse physiology from adults precludes the pediatric patients from enduring even a small quantity of blood loss over a short duration. The management, in such scenario, requires throrough understanding of body physiology, usage of blood products, and appropriate monitoring methods.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) constrained the regular teaching in educational institutions and hampered the teaching-learning process across the globe. E-learning method is widely used in higher education in the current situation. the objective is to assess the beliefs and expectations of the students on e-learning among adult learners of a tertiary level health-care institution.A single group pre-post design was adopted. Microsoft Go two-in-one devices were used to find the effectiveness of e-learning, including digital exam solution. Depending on the availability of device, 25 participants were selected for the study from three different steams. A 5-point Likert scale was used for assessing the quality, adoptability, and acceptance of digital education developed by the researchers. Chi-square/Fisher's exact or McNemar's test was used to test the association between independent or related categorical variables. Comparison of the average score between different courses was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test.Twenty-two participants who completed the final assessment were retained for the analysis. Majority of the participants believed that e-learning helps to achieve personal learning goals or objectives and bridge skill or knowledge gaps and caters to learning preferences. However, the overall quality score across the study groups was found to be statistically insignificant (Kruskal-Wallis statistic: 1.26;The findings show that the adult learners in higher education, irrespective of their age differences, believe that intense e-learning support with Microsoft Go two-in-one device has a complementary effect on their learning outcome.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a systematic multimodal perioperative care aimed at reducing the immense surgical stress of the patient and thereby facilitating early recovery. This is basically a multidiscipline, multimodal integrated approach in patient care and it integrates the basic knowledge in a more streamlined fashion, which ultimately improves the outcome of surgery. This article reviews the various aspects of ERAS, and its implementation in neurosurgical practice as some concepts of ERAS may not be applicable in the setting of neurosurgery.

Pneumocephalus is an unusual presentation after lumbar spine surgery. We report the case of a young healthy patient, who had delayed emergence from anesthesia after undergoing an uncomplicated lumbar spine surgery. After shifting to the Intensive Care Unit, the patient had an episode of generalized tonic—clonic seizure. Computed tomography scan revealed the presence of pneumocephalus. The patient was managed conservatively, extubated the following day and discharged with no neurological deficits.

Background Placement of flow diverter (FD) is an endovascular technique where the flow to the aneurysm is directed away from the aneurysmal sac using a stent in the parent vessel. In this clinical report, the authors share their institutional experience pertaining to clinical course of patients with intracranial aneurysm requiring placement of FD. Materials and Methods After approval from institute ethics committee (IEC), the authors retrospectively studied all patients who underwent placement of FD for intracranial aneurysms from January 2014 to December 2017. Data regarding patient demographics, presenting complaints, aneurysm details, anesthesia technique, and intra- and postprocedural complications were noted. Duration of hospital stay, neurological outcome as measured by Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) at discharge and at 6 months was noted. Data are presented as median (range) or number (%). Results Over a period of 3 years, 22 patients underwent FD placement. Two patients had subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) at the time of presentation, and the rest had unruptured aneurysms. All patients received general anesthesia (GA) for the procedure, and intravenous propofol was used for induction of anesthesia. Majority of the patients received sevoflurane and nitrous oxide combination for maintenance of anesthesia (20/22 [91%]). Five patients were not extubated at the end of the procedure. The most common indication for mechanical ventilation was delayed reversal because of hypothermia. At 6 months of follow-up, GOS was 5 in 18 patients. None of the patients developed any delayed complications related to FD and were neurologically intact. Conclusions The use of FD for the treatment of aneurysms is a safe option. GA was used for carrying out procedure in all patients. The neurological outcome was good in all patients who were followed at 6 months.

Severe brain swelling during routine neurosurgery can herald serious consequences. Failure to control brain swelling despite adequate measures warns of a surgical cause and should be dealt efficiently. We report a case of an adult female who developed intraoperative acute subdural haematoma (SDH) and consequent intractable brain swelling during surgery of supratentorial arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Such a manifestation of contralateral acute SDH during supratentorial AVM surgery has not been reported earlier.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TGN) is a chronic debilitating condition characterized by recurrent attacks of lancinating pain in the distribution of the trigeminal nerve. Carbamazepine is the initial drug of choice for treating TGN [1]; however, several other drugs, including antidepressants may provide pain relief in some cases. Neurosurgical treatment may be helpful in treating drug-refractory cases. Apart from pharmacotherapy and surgical interventions, several complementary therapies provide additional benefit.

Background: Lignocaine and Magnesium have an analgesic action and reduce perioperative opioid requirements. We carried out this study to evaluate the effect of magnesium and lignocaine on postoperative pain as assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and fentanyl consumption. We also measured S-100 B levels and noted the side effect of drugs if any. Materials and Methods: In this prospective preliminary study, 45 patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy for tumor surgery were randomized to receive either lignocaine (group I-1.5 mg/kg bolus followed by 2 mg/kg/h infusion), saline (Group II) or magnesium (group III: bolus of 50 mg/kg followed by 25 mg/kg/hr) intraoperatively. The amount of fentanyl required, VAS over first 24 hours and any side effects were noted. S100 B levels were also measured to assess brain protective effect of these drugs, if any. Appropriate statistical tests were applied for analysis of data and a P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: None of the patient experienced any adverse hemodynamic effect intraoperatively secondary to the study drugs. The amount of intraoperative fentanyl consumption was comparable among the three groups. The mean VAS score was significantly less in group I and III [Group I (15.3 ± 6.0), Group II (24.8 ± 6.7), Group III (17.9 ± 7.6); (P < 0.01)]. The fentanyl consumed in first 24 hours was significantly less in those patients who received lignocaine and magnesium [Group I (204.4 ± 136.4), Group II (383 ± 168.2), Group III (194 ± 148.9); (P = 0.01)]. S100 value did not differ in the lignocaine and the saline group during the perioperative period. However, a significant decline was noted in the levels of S100 B in the magnesium group. Conclusion: Intraoperative infusion of lignocaine and magnesium results in lower VAS score and decreases the postoperative opioid requirement in patients undergoing craniotomy for excision of supratentorial tumors.

Despite the advent of short and ultra-short acting drugs, an in-depth knowledge of the reversal agents used is a necessity for any anaesthesiologist. Reversal agents are defined as any drug used to reverse the effects of anaesthetics, narcotics or potentially toxic agents. The controversy on the routine reversal of neuromuscular blockade still exists. The advent of newer reversal agents like sugammadex have made the use of steroidal neuromuscular blockers like rocuronium feasible in rapid sequence induction situations. We made a review of the older reversal agents and those still under investigation for drugs that are regularly used in our anaesthesia practice.

• Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) monitors continuous non-invasive regional oxygen balance within the frontal cerebral cortex.

Background and Aims: Bispectral index (BIS) values may be anaesthetic agent-specific, depending on their ability to suppress the electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. We carried out a prospective, randomised clinical trial to study the effect of nitrous oxide (N2O) on the BIS values at an equi-minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane and desflurane. Methods: Sixty adult patients undergoing spine surgery were randomised into two groups; Group S (sevoflurane; n = 30) and Group D (desflurane; n = 30) for the maintenance of anaesthesia in oxygen and air or oxygen and N2O mixture (FiO2-0.4) (Stage 1). BIS and fraction of inspired and end-tidal concentration of agents were noted at 1.0 MAC. In Stage 2, air or N2O was discontinued and the other carrier gas was introduced. At steady state of this carrier gas, values were again noted as in Stage 1. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni correction, and Student's t-test for paired data. P