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Background: Emergence agitation for pediatric patients after general anesthesia is one of the postoperative complications. The relationship between consciousness at tracheal extubation and emergence agitation is not clear.Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine whether tracheal extubation of anesthetized pediatric patients with heart disease by propofol decreases the incidence of emergence agitation.Settings and Design: This was a retrospective case-control study conducted at a children's hospital. Materials and Methods: Pediatric patients with heart disease aged 0-14 years who underwent cardiac catheterization under general anesthesia by propofol between October 2014 and September 2018 were enrolled. The incidence of emergence agitation by anesthetized extubation was compared with that by awake extubation.Statistical Analysis Used: Logistic regression analysis was performed.Results: Anesthetized extubation was performed in 202 patients and awake extubation was performed in 56 patients. The incidence of emergence agitation was significantly lower in patients who underwent anesthetized extubation than in patients who underwent awake extubation (25.2% vs. 69.6%, P = 0.000). In logistic regression analysis, anesthetized extubation [odds ratio (OR): 0.075, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.034-0.165, P = 0.000] and older age (OR: 0.808, 95% CI: 0.728-0.897, P = 0.000) were associated with a decreased incidence of emergence agitation, and preoperative anxiety (OR: 2.220, 95% CI: 1.060-4.660, P = 0.03) was associated with an increased incidence of emergence agitation.Conclusions: Tracheal extubation under anesthesia by propofol decreases the incidence of emergence agitation in pediatric patients with heart disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serratus plane block is a thoracic truncal block that has been proposed as alternatives for analgesia such as epidural anesthesia and paravertebral block for the anterolateral chest wall. Previously, we performed the clinical study about optimal volume of the local anesthetic in serratus plane block. The primary aim of this study was to assess the pattern of distribution of dye into the serratus plane of cadavers after ultrasound-guided serratus plane injection. Findings: Ultrasound-guided serratus plane injection was performed at the level of the fourth rib on the mid-axillary line in nine adult Thiel-embalmed cadavers. In each cadaver, one side was injected with 20 ml of methylene blue dye and the contralateral side with 40 ml. Dissections of the thoracic walls were performed 20 min after the injection. The spread of the dye to intercostal nerves, lateral and medial pectoral nerves, long thoracic nerve, and thoracodorsal nerves was assessed. All T2-T5 intercostal nerves in the 40-ml group and all T3-T4 nerves in the 20-ml group were stained with the dye. A larger number of intercostal nerves was stained in the 40-ml group than that in the 20-ml group. Medial and lateral pectoral nerves were not frequently stained in either group. Conclusions: The range of craniocaudal spread of the injectate was wider in the 40-ml group than that in the 20-ml group after ultrasound-guided serratus plane injection in Thiel-embalmed cadavers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Serratus plane block is performed for analgesia of the anterior chest wall. However, there has been no study concerning the appropriate volume for this block. This prospective randomized controlled study assesses the dermatomal spread and analgesic effects of serratus plane block.Methods: Ultrasound-guided serratus plane block was performed for breast cancer surgery. The patients were randomly assigned to receive 20 or 40 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine. The primary end point was the number of affected dermatomes as assessed by cold test and pinprick test 20 minutes after the block procedure. Secondary end points were the time until the first postoperative analgesic rescue, adverse effects, and complications.Results: The number of affected dermatomes assessed by the cold test for patients receiving 40 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine was significantly larger than that for patients receiving 20 mL (P = 0.002; 6 [5-7] vs 4 [3-4] dermatomes). Similarly, with the pinprick test, the affected area was larger for the 40 mL group than for the 20 mL group (P = 0.009; 4 [2-6] vs 2 [1-3] dermatomes). There were no differences between the 2 groups in secondary end points.Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided serratus plane block spread in the craniocaudal direction is more widespread with 40 mL than with 20 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine. The time until the first postoperative analgesic rescue dose was not extended by a larger volume of injection.Clinical Trials Registration: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (identifier UMIN000016549). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A pulmonary artery catheter is often used in cardiac surgery despite its uncertain effectiveness. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the associations between the use of a pulmonary artery catheter and clinical outcomes in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting., Methods: Patients over 20 years of age who had undergone off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting between December 2018 and November 2021 were enrolled in this single-center retrospective pilot study. The propensity score of pulmonary artery catheterization was calculated. Multivariate analysis including the propensity score as a covariate was performed to assess clinical outcomes. The primary outcome was the composite outcome of in-hospital death, unplanned intraoperative conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass, resuscitated cardiac arrest, mechanical circulatory support, myocardial infarction, stroke, new initiation of renal replacement therapy, inhaled nitric oxide, re-intubation and tracheostomy., Results: Among the 315 patients who were enrolled, 298 were included in the final analysis. A pulmonary artery catheter was inserted in 131 patients. There were 50 patients with the composite outcome including two in-hospital deaths. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pulmonary artery catheterization was not significantly related to the composite outcome. Clinical outcomes worsened significantly as the number of anastomoses increased (odds ratio: 1.450, 95% confidence interval: 1.040-2.040, P=0.029)., Conclusions: Pulmonary artery catheterization did not improve the clinical outcomes in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in this pilot study.