Search

Background: Diagnosis of sacroiliac region pain is supported by a positive response to sacroiliac region analgesia (SIRA). Varying techniques have been described for SIRA; with clinician preference often dictating method. Potential complications following SIRA include ataxia and recumbency. No study has specifically evaluated the prevalence of complications., Objectives: To describe the complication prevalence following SIRA in a referral clinic., Study Design: Retrospective cohort study., Methods: Review of records from horses presented to two of the authors at Rossdales, Newmarket, between January 2014 and December 2018, that underwent SIRA. Injection was performed using a blind midline approach with 20 mL mepivacaine (Intra-Epicaine 20mg/ml; Dechra) infiltrated through a straight 18 gauge 8.9cm spinal needle subdivided into four sub-locations per block., Results: 118 horses were included, with 167 individual blocks. One horse showed a mild hindlimb gait abnormality following SIRA, which resolved uneventfully over 3 hours; complication rate 1/118 horses (0.85%; 95% CI: 0,2.5%), 1/167 joints (0.60%; 95% CI: 0,1.8%). SIRA subjectively improved lameness/performance in 132/167 (79%) joints. 49/118 (42%) received bilateral SIRA with 53/118 (45%) evaluated ridden following SIRA., Main Limitations: Small population numbers with low complication prevalence rate., Conclusions: SIRA, using the described technique, has a low (0.85%) prevalence of complications., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Lipedema is a chronic, progressive disease that occurs almost exclusively in women and leads to pathological, painful fat growths at the extremities. Only symptomatic therapy can be offered since the etiology of the disease has not yet been clarified. Liposuction in tumescent anesthesia has established itself as a surgical treatment method of choice. The complication rate associated with the procedure and the pharmacological course and safety of treatment in patients with lipedema has not yet been sufficiently studied. The aim of the study was to broaden the evidence on the safety of ambulatory high-volume liposuction in tumescent anesthesia in lipedema patients. Influencing factors of patients (weight, fat content, comorbidities) or the process technique (drug administration, volume of aspirates) should be investigated on the safety and risks of tumescent anesthesia. This was a retrospective data analysis in which data from 27 patients (40 liposuction procedures) treated at the Sandhofer and Barsch lipedema center between 2016 and 2018 were evaluated. The liposuctions were carried out in tumescent anesthesia and using a Power-Assisted Liposuction system. Clinical examinations and regular blood samples were carried out before the procedure, intra- and postoperatively. The procedures lasted an average of 118 minutes and an average of 6111 ml of aspirate was removed. For tumescent anesthesia, patients were given an average lidocaine dose of 34.23 mg/kg body weight and an epinephrine dose of 0.11 mg/kg body weight. No relevant complications associated with drug side effects, hypovolemia or hypervolemia or blood loss were detected. Liposuction under high volume tumescent anesthesia for the treatment of lipedema patients is, even for major intervention, a safe procedure. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(3):326-334. doi:10.36849/JDD.5828.

Objective: The ambulatory selective variceal ablation under local anesthesia (ASVAL) technique subscribes to the "ascending" theory of varicose vein etiology, which recommends primary ambulatory phlebectomy as a treatment for tributary varicosities and truncal vein incompetence. This systematic review explores the efficacy and safety of the ASVAL technique for the treatment of symptomatic varicose veins., Methods: A comprehensive search of the Medline and Embase databases and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials in May 2019 revealed 11 original articles that were qualitatively reviewed. The primary outcome was the absence from recurrent varicose veins at 1-year follow-up. Secondary outcomes were resolution of great saphenous vein (GSV) reflux on duplex ultrasound, change in GSV diameter, objective and subjective clinical improvement in chronic venous disease, and patient-reported outcome measures., Results: A total of 2106 limbs underwent intervention in 1734 patients reported in two randomized controlled trials, one case control study, three cohort studies, and five case series. Varicosity recurrence at 1 year ranged from 0.5% to 13.5% in patients. Of 1622 limbs with diagnosed GSV incompetence before intervention, 1114 were competent at 1 year (mean, 68.2% [±12.62%]). All studies measuring GSV diameter reported statistically significant reductions in vein size., Conclusions: ASVAL may be considered as a minimally invasive treatment for early stages of chronic venous disease in the presence of truncal reflux. The evidence base should be strengthened by prospective randomized controlled trials that follow standardized procedures and report according to recognized measures of quality of life alongside clinical and hemodynamic data., (Crown Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To report the outcomes on a large series of elderly patients who underwent cochlear implantation (CI) surgery under local anesthesia with conscious sedation (LA-CS)., Methods: Retrospective chart review on 100 consecutive elderly patients (> 65 years) who underwent CI with LA-CS at a tertiary care center between August 2013 and January 2020. An age-matched control group of 50 patients who underwent CI with general anesthesia (GA) are used for comparison. Outcomes measured included time in the operating room, time in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), and rate of adverse events., Results: Cochlear implant surgery under LA-CS was successfully performed in 99 (99%) patients. One patient requiring conversion to GA intraoperatively. No patients in the LA-CS group experienced cardiopulmonary adverse events; however, three patients (6%) in the GA group experienced minor events including atrial fibrillation and/or demand ischemia. Overnight observation in the hospital due to postoperative medical concerns or prolonged wake-up from anesthesia was required in one patient (1%) from the LA-CS cohort and 12 patients (24%) from the GA cohort. Perioperative adverse events exclusive to the LA-CS group included severe intraoperative vertigo (8%), temporary facial nerve paresis (3%), and wound infection (1%). The average amount of time spent in the operating room was 37 minutes less for procedures performed under LA-CS compared to GA (P < .05). The average amount of time in recovery was similar for both groups (P > .05)., Conclusion: Cochlear implant surgery under LA-CS offers many benefits and is a safe, feasible, and cost-effective alternative to GA when performed by experienced CI surgeons., Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 131:E946-E951, 2021., (© 2020 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Background/aim: To compare the subjective level of pain in patients who underwent an ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) after either pericapsular anesthesia (PA) or subcapsular anesthesia (SA), based on the numeric rating scale (NRS)., Materials and Methods: A total of 323 patients, mean age 51, range 21–82 years; 160 (49.5%) male, referred to the Interventional Radiology Clinic of Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine for image-guided PLB, between June 2019 and May 2020 were included and randomized into two groups by anesthetic type; the first (n = 171) consisted of patients undergoing SA while the second (n = 152) included patients undergoing PA. The intensity of pain at 0, 1, and 6 h after PLB was evaluated between the groups using NRS., Results: At hours 0, 1, and 6, the median [range] NRS scores in the subcapsular and pericapsular groups were 2 [1–2] versus 3 [2–4] (P < 0.001), 1 [0–1] versus 1 [1–2] (P < 0.001), and 0 [0–0] versus 1 [0–1] (P < 0.001), respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed that the patients who underwent the subcostal procedure with subcapsular anesthesia reported the lowest pain scores and intercostal procedure with pericapsular anesthesia reported the worst pain scores for each time point: 0 h 1 [1–2] versus 3 [3–4], P < 0.001; 1 h 1 [0–1] versus 1 [1–2], P < 0.001; and 6 h 0 [0–0] versus 0 [0–1], P < 0.001, respectively., Conclusion: Subcapsular anesthesia is a well-tolerated procedure compared to a pericapsular procedure. Furthermore, the application of a subcapsular anesthetic with a subcostal approach was reported to result in the lowest pain and greatest patient comfort., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)

Objective: To conduct a meta-analytic review of studies investigating the effect of the anesthesia modality on perioperative mortality in endovascular repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (REVAR)., Methods: The present meta-analysis was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Multiple electronic databases were comprehensively searched from database inception to January 2020. Eligible studies included cohort studies that reported the 30-day/in-hospital mortality rate or the multivariate adjusted odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio of the mortality risk for patients who underwent emergency REVAR under locoregional anesthesia (LA) vs general anesthesia (GA). A random effects model was used to estimate the ORs by pooling the related data from individual studies., Results: A total of eight studies were included in this analysis. The first meta-analysis of seven studies that reported the 30-day/in-hospital mortality with a total of 3116 patients (867 in the LA group and 2249 in the GA group) revealed that LA was associated with a lower 30-day/in-hospital mortality than GA (16.4% vs 25.4%; unadjusted OR, 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32-0.68). The second meta-analysis of three of these seven studies (including 586 patients in the LA group and 1945 in the GA group) that reported the perioperative variables revealed comparable baseline characteristics but a lower 30-day/in-hospital mortality in the LA group (unadjusted OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.42-0.71). The third meta-analysis of the adjusted ORs or hazard ratios that were reported from four studies (including 501 patients in the LA group and 1136 in the GA group) showed a similar trend (adjusted OR,0.37; 95% CI, 0.19-0.75)., Conclusions: REVAR under LA is associated with a lower 30-day/in-hospital mortality than REVAR under GA. However, because the included studies may have had some observation bias, further randomized controlled trials are warranted to validate the present results., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: The axillary artery is an alternative route for patients with comorbidities and unfavorable femoral arteries who need transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Simplified trans-axillary transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAx-TAVR) implies a completely percutaneous approach under local anesthesia and arteriotomy closure with vascular closure techniques. Herein, we report on early experience with simplified TAx-TAVR under local anesthesia., Methods: We enrolled all consecutive patients who underwent simplified TAx-TAVR in our center. Main study parameter was the incidence of axillary access related major vascular complications within 30 days. Secondary parameters included a composite early safety endpoint, axillary access-site related vascular/bleeding complications and short-term mortality. Post TAVR axillary stent patency was evaluated during follow-up by CT-analysis., Results: Between July 2018 and April 2020, Tax-TAVR was attempted in 35 patients with a mean age of 79 years. Local anesthesia and conscious sedation were used in 91.4% (n = 32) and 8.6% (n = 3) respectively. A covered stent was needed for complete axillary hemostasis in 44.1% (n = 15). Device success was achieved in 91.2% (n = 31/34). The 30-day axillary artery major vascular and ≥major bleeding complication rates were 14% (n = 5) and 11% (n = 4). The early safety endpoint was reached in 22.9% (n = 8). Mortality rates at 30 days and six months were 2.9% and 11.6%. Computed tomography (CT) confirmed axillary stent patency during follow-up in 82% (n = 9/11)., Conclusions: In patients with high/prohibitive surgical risk and unsuitable femoral access, simplified TAx-TAVR under local anesthesia offers a valuable alternative for transfemoral TAVR but requires advanced access site management techniques including covered stents. Our data suggest an unmet clinical need for dedicated TAx closure devices., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Professor Van Mieghem has received a research grant support from Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular and PulseCath B.V. which were received for activities outside the submitted work. Dr. Daemen received institutional grant/research support from Astra Zeneca, Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, ACIST Medical, Medtronic, Pie Medical, ReCor Medical and PulseCath, and consultancy and speaker fees from ACIST Medical, Boston Scientific, ReCor Medical, Pie Medical, Medtronic and PulseCath. The other authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Perceived pain during local anesthesia injections can be effected by the injection sequence., Objective: We sought to compare pain levels during local anesthesia injections during upper lid blepharoplasty (ULB) using 2 surgical sequences., Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective, randomized clinical trial. Patients with ULB were randomized to either have local anesthesia injection followed by ULB in the right eyelid and then in the left (Group A) or to have local anesthesia injection to both eyelids followed by ULB on both eyelids (Group B). Pain was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain score of 0 to 10., Results: Forty patients were included and randomized. The mean VAS score in Group A was 2.60 ± 1.84 and 3.30 ± 1.62 (right and left, respectively, p value = .035). The mean VAS score in Group B was 2.55 ± 1.63 and 2.80 ± 1.67 (right and left eyelids, respectively, p value = .258). No intergroup difference in pain was found., Conclusion: Patients having sequential anesthesia during ULB perceived more pain on injection to the second eyelid, whereas patients having local anesthesia followed by ULB perceived the same amount of pain in both eyes. Pain levels in both groups were similar. Local anesthesia injections in both groups were well tolerated., (Copyright © 2020 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the role of blood pressure (BP) as mediator of the effect of conscious sedation (CS) compared to local anesthesia (LA) on functional outcome after endovascular treatment (EVT)., Methods: Patients treated in the Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands (MR CLEAN) Registry centers with CS or LA as preferred anesthetic approach during EVT for ischemic stroke were analyzed. First, we evaluated the effect of CS on area under the threshold (AUT), relative difference between baseline and lowest procedural mean arterial pressure (∆LMAP), and procedural BP trend, compared to LA. Second, we assessed the association between BP and functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS]) with multivariable regression. Lastly, we evaluated whether BP explained the effect of CS on mRS., Results: In 440 patients with available BP data, patients treated under CS (n = 262) had larger AUTs (median 228 vs 23 mm Hg*min), larger ∆LMAP (median 16% vs 6%), and a more negative BP trend (-0.22 vs -0.08 mm Hg/min) compared to LA (n = 178). Larger ∆LMAP and AUTs were associated with worse mRS (adjusted common odds ratio [acOR] per 10% drop 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-0.97, and acOR per 300 mm Hg*min 0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.97). Patients treated under CS had worse mRS compared to LA (acOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.40-0.87) and this association remained when adjusting for ∆LMAP and AUT (acOR 0.62, 95% CI 0.42-0.92)., Conclusions: Large BP drops are associated with worse functional outcome. However, BP drops do not explain the worse outcomes in the CS group., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.)

The effectiveness and safety of drug treatment are the main criteria for its success. Local anesthetics, used in all medical fields, in some cases can cause a wide variety of undesirable side reactions, but in recent years, such manifestations that have arisen in Russian clinical practice tend to qualify as anaphylactic shock. This article presents the types of adverse reactions and global statistics of anaphylaxis to local anesthetics, as well as analyzes the possible reasons for the erroneous diagnosis of fatal outcomes of anaphylaxis. The purpose of the review was to clarify information about reliable markers of clinical and postmortem anaphylaxis, providing unambiguousness and objectivity of forensic medical examination. Attention is focused on the specific postmortem signs of immediate allergic reactions and the sequence of professional interpretation of all the circumstances associated with a fatal adverse reaction against the background of the use of local anesthetics.

Objectives: Simple prolapse operations can be performed using local anesthesia. However, this has not been the case for advanced pelvic organ prolapse operations. The aim of this study was to investigate the patient-reported feasibility and acceptability of local anesthesia and light sedation for sacrospinous fixation (SSF)., Methods: This is a prospective observational study on 105 women who underwent SSF in a public outpatient setting from April 2016 to October 2017. They received infiltration anesthesia with mepivacaine or lidocaine together with a pudendal nerve block with Marcaine. Local anesthesia was supplemented by intravenous light sedation and pain reliever. A Local Anesthetic Intraoperative Experience Questionnaire was used to evaluate patient experience., Results: One patient was converted to general anesthesia. Eighty-eight women answered the questionnaires. Ninety-nine percent defined themselves as satisfied or very satisfied with the anesthesia. Little or no pain during the operation was reported by 92% and 92% would choose the same type of anesthesia again. No adverse effect of the anesthetic procedure was observed. The median (range) admission time was 12 (4.5-48) hours, and 81% of the patients could be discharged on the day of surgery. At follow-up after 8 weeks and 6 months, no patients reported adverse events to the anesthesia., Conclusions: The SSF can be performed using local anesthesia and light sedation with high degree of patient satisfaction. These preliminary data indicate that the concept of ambulatory surgery might be implemented more widely if the use of local anesthesia is also applied to more advanced surgical procedures., Competing Interests: The authors have declared they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and purpose - After introducing a new local infiltration anesthesia (LIA) protocol with addition of 30 mL ropivacaine 2% and 1 mg epinephrine, we noted an increase in early wound leakage. As wound leakage is associated with prosthetic joint infection, our department aims to minimize postoperative wound leakage. This study evaluates the incidence of early wound leakage and postoperative pain after knee arthroplasty (KA) following adjustment of the LIA protocol with addition of 30 cc ropivacaine 2% and 1 mg epinephrine. Patients and methods - In this retrospective medical dossier study all patients (n = 502) undergoing a primary total or unicondylar knee arthroplasty between January 1, 2018 and July 1, 2019 were included. Patients received an LIA protocol containing 120 mL 2 mg/mL ropivacaine (ROPI- group; n = 256). After October 30, patients received an LIA protocol containing 150 mL 2 mg/mL ropivacaine with 1 mg epinephrine in the first 100 mL (ROPI + group; n = 246). The primary outcome measure was early wound leakage (< 72 hours postoperatively), defined as wound fluid leaking past the barrier of the wound dressing. Secondary outcome measure, 10-point numeric rating scale (NRS) pain (< 72 hours postoperatively) was also assessed. Data was evaluated using logistic regression. Results - The incidence of wound leakage was higher in the ROPI + group: 24% versus 17% in the ROPI- group (p = 0.06). After adjusting for the differences between surgeons the relative risk of this increase was 1.4 (1.0-2.0). The ROPI + and ROPI- group were similar regarding postoperative pain assessment. Interpretation - Adjustment of the LIA protocol with 30 mL 2% ropivacaine and 1 mg epinephrine led to an increase in early wound leakage in knee arthroplasty but no difference in pain scores.

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to examine any potential difference in clinical outcomes between transcarotid artery revascularization performed under local anesthesia compared with general anesthesia by utilizing a large national database., Methods: The primary outcome of the study was a composite endpoint of postoperative in-hospital stroke, myocardial infarction and mortality following transcarotid artery revascularization for the index procedure. Secondary outcomes included a composite outcome of postoperative in-hospital stroke, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction and mortality along with several subsets of its components and each individual component, flow reversal time (min), radiation dose (GY/cm 2 ), contrast volume utilized (mL), total procedure time (min), extended total length of stay (>1 day) and extended postoperative length of stay (>1 day). Statistical analyses employed both descriptive measures to characterize the study population and analytic measures such as multivariable mixed-effect linear and logistic regressions using both unmatched and propensity-score matched cohorts., Results: A total of 2609 patients undergoing transcarotid artery revascularization between the years 2016 and 2018 in the US were identified, with 82.3% performed under general anesthesia and 17.7% under local anesthesia. The primary composite outcome was observed in 2.3% of general anesthesia patients versus 2.6% of local anesthesia patients ( p  = 0.808). The rate of postoperative transient ischemic attack and/or myocardial infarction was 1.6% with general anesthesia versus 1.1% with local anesthesia ( p  = 0.511). For adjusted regression analysis, general anesthesia and local anesthesia were comparable in terms of primary outcome (OR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.27-1.93, p  = 0.515). As for the secondary outcomes, no significant differences were found except for contrast, where the results demonstrated significantly less need for contrast with procedures performed under general anesthesia (coefficient: 4.94; 95% CI: 1.34-8.54, p  = 0.007). A trend towards significance was observed for lower rate of postoperative transient ischemic attack and/or myocardial infarction (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.09-1.18, p  = 0.088) and lower flow reversal time under local anesthesia (coefficient: -0.94: 95% CI: -2.1-0.22, p  = 0.111)., Conclusions: Excellent outcomes from transcarotid artery revascularization for carotid stenosis were observed in the VQI database between the years 2016 and 2018, under both local anesthesia and general anesthesia. The data demonstrate the choice of anesthesia for transcarotid artery revascularization does not appear to have any effect on clinical outcomes. Surgical teams should perform transcarotid artery revascularization under the anesthesia type they are most comfortable with.

Objective: Although prevention of radial artery thrombosis and cardiac complications after interventions using radial access is well investigated, there is yet no clinical study that completely evaluated access-related complications. However, there is still no consensus on what exact treatment should be used in these patients. In clinical practice, analgesic, anticoagulant, and antiplatelet treatments usually improve symptoms in patients with pain; however, in some patients, complaints may persist and may not respond to these treatments. In these patients, low-risk embolectomy with a small skin incision may be beneficial., Methods: A total of 102 patients with radial artery thrombosis after cardiac catheterization were included in the study between 2016 March and 2018 December. After the patients' initial evaluation, anticoagulation with enoxaparin or tinzaparin and antiplatelet therapy with acetylsalicylic acid and oral/local analgesic/anti-inflammatory and local anesthetic therapy were administered for 1 month. Patients whose symptoms resolved after medical treatment were followed up as outpatients. Embolectomy was performed in consenting patients who did not respond to the medical treatment., Results: Of 102 patients included in the study, 33 underwent embolectomy, whereas 69 received only medical treatment. None of the patients experienced any complications, morbidity, or mortality in the peroperative period and during the medical treatment. The pretreatment symptom scores of patients who actively use their hands in daily life and profession were significantly higher than the scores of patients who are relatively less active ( P = .013). Pretreatment symptom scores were negatively correlated with age ( r = -0.584); symptom scores increased significantly with the decrease of patient age. No benefit from medical treatment and need for surgery was significantly greater in patients who are younger and use their hands actively in daily life and profession ( P = .028). The decrease in symptom scores after treatment was significantly greater in the surgical group than in the medical group ( P = .003)., Conclusion: Radial access should be exercised with care in patients who may develop significant thrombosis-related complaints and it is necessary to decide whether radial access is essential. If patients have ongoing symptoms despite medical treatment, embolectomy can be considered as a treatment option.

Aims: Conscious sedation instead of general anesthesia has been increasingly adopted in many centers for transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Improvement of materials and operators' experience and reduction of periprocedural complications allowed procedural simplification and adoption of a minimalist approach. With this study, we sought to assess the feasibility and safety of transfemoral TAVR routinely performed under local anesthesia without on-site anesthesiology support., Methods: The routine transfemoral TAVR protocol adopted at our center includes a minimalist approach, local anesthesia alone with fully awake patient, anesthesiologist available on call but not in the room, and direct transfer to the cardiology ward after the procedure. All consecutive patients undergoing transfemoral TAVR between January 2015 and July 2018 were included. We assessed the rates of actual local anesthesia-only procedures, conversion to conscious sedation or general anesthesia and 30-day clinical outcomes., Results: Among 321 patients, 6 received general anesthesia upfront and 315 (98.1%) local anesthesia only. Mean age of the local anesthesia group was 83.2 ± 6.9 years, Society of Thoracic Surgery score 5.8 ± 4.8%. A balloon-expandable valve was used in 65.7%. Four patients (1.3%) shifted to conscious sedation because of pain or anxiety; 6 patients (1.9%) shifted to general anesthesia because of procedural complications. Hence, local anesthesia alone was possible in 305 patients (96.8% of the intended cohort, 95% of all transfemoral procedures). At 30 days, in the intended local anesthesia group, mortality was 1.6%, stroke 0.6%, major vascular complications 2.6%. Median hospital stay was 4 days (IQR 3-7)., Conclusion: Transfemoral TAVR can be safely performed with local anesthesia alone and without an on-site anesthesiologist in the vast majority of patients.

Purpose: Self-induced soft-tissue injuries (SSI) are reported as local anesthesia complications, particularly in children. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the frequency of SSI following dental anesthesia in children with and without intellectual disability., Methods: 241 children receiving dental treatments with local anesthesia were divided into 2 groups: A, children without intellectual disability (159 individuals, 299 injections); B, children with intellectual disability (82 individuals, 165 injections). Each group was divided into subgroups according to age, injection technique and dental treatment. Two days after the dental procedure, a phone survey was conducted to determine the presence of SSI., Results: The frequency of SSI in group B was 19%, with no differences in relation to gender and age. In group A the frequency of SSI was significantly lower (9%; p = 0.002; Chi-square test); the children in the ≤ 6 years-old subgroup experienced a higher frequency of SSI (p = 0.002). The lower arch was at major risk of SSI in both groups (p = 0.002). According to a multilevel approach group (p = 0.001) and injection technique (p = 0.0001) significantly influenced SSI; no influence of dental treatment is evidenced., Conclusions: SSI are common complications of local anesthesia in young children and individuals with intellectual disability.

Background: Brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistulas (BCFs) are commonly placed in outpatient settings. The impact of general anesthesia (GA), regional anesthesia (RA), or local anesthesia (LA) on perioperative recovery and fistula maturation/patency after outpatient BCF creations is unknown. We evaluated whether outcomes of outpatient BCF creations vary based on anesthesia modality., Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative (2011-2018) national database was queried for outpatient BCF creations. Anesthesia modalities included GA, RA, and LA. Perioperative, 3-month, and 1-year outcomes were compared between GA versus RA/LA anesthesia types., Results: Among 3,527 outpatient BCF creations, anesthesia types were GA in 1,043 (29.6%), RA in 1,150 (32.6%), and LA in 1,334 (37.8%). Patients receiving GA were more often younger, obese, Medicaid recipients, without coronary artery disease, and treated in non-office-based settings (P < 0.05 for all). GA compared with RA/LA cohorts were more often admitted postoperatively (5.3% vs. 2.4%, P < 0.001) but had similar rates of thirty-day mortality (0.9 vs. 0.6%, P = 0.39). 3-month access utilization for hemodialysis was lower in GA than in RA/LA cohorts (12.6% vs. 23.6%, P < 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that GA and RA/LA cohorts had similar 1-year primary access occlusion-free survival (43.6% vs. 47.1%, P = 0.24) and endovascular/open reintervention-free survival (57.2% vs. 57.6%, P = 0.98). On multivariable analysis, GA compared with RA/LA use was independently associated with increased postoperative admission (odds ratio [OR]: 1.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-2.67, P = 0.02) and decreased 3-month access utilization (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.25-0.61, P < 0.001) but had similar 1-year access occlusion (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.09, 95% CI: 0.9-1.32, P = 0.36) and reintervention (HR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.82-1.26, P = 0.88). On subgroup analysis of the RA/LA cohort, RA compared with LA was associated with increased 3-month access utilization (OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.01-2.5; P = 0.04) and 1-year access reintervention (HR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.12-1.89), but had similar 1-year access occlusion (HR: 1.2, 95% CI: 0.95-1.51, P = 0.13)., Conclusions: Compared with RA/LA use, GA use in patients undergoing outpatient BCF creations was associated with increased hospital admissions, decreased access utilization at 3 months, and similar 1-year access occlusion and reintervention. RA/LA is preferable to expedite recovery and access utilization., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Facial nerve palsy is a rare but known complication of dental local anaesthesia and may be underreported. We describe a case of a transient facial nerve palsy following the administration of an inferior alveolar nerve block and discuss the immediate practical management. Knowing the likely transient nature of this complication means the patient can be reassured and unnecessary referral avoided. While the blink reflex is inhibited, steps are needed in order to protect the cornea and prevent secondary infection and scarring., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Purpose: To verify the correlation between sub-Tenon's anesthesia and intraoperative visual loss in ophthalmic surgery., Methods: Sixty-four patients underwent phacoemulsification combined pars plana vitrectomy under sub-Tenon's anesthesia. Participants were investigated about their light perception at several time points: before anesthesia, immediately after anesthesia, 10 min after anesthesia without any surgical intervention or microscope illumination, and after the whole surgery. Intraoperative amaurosis was determined as that a patient could not see any light from their operative eye. The incidence rate of amaurosis at different time points and among different anesthetists was analyzed., Results: The rate of intraoperative amaurosis was 0%, 1.56%, 48.44%, and 95.31% at several time points, respectively: before anesthesia, immediately after anesthesia, 10 min after anesthesia without any surgical intervention or microscope light exposure during the interval, and immediately after the whole surgery, presenting a significantly time-dependent increase (P < 0.01). There was no correlation between the amaurosis and different diseases and anesthesiologists. The amaurosis was transient, and all operative eyes could perceive light on the first postoperative day., Conclusions: Sub-Tenon's anesthesia contributes to the intraoperative amaurosis during operation. Temporary interruption of optic nerve conduction by the anesthetic could be a credible explanation. The amaurosis is transient and reversible, requires no additional treatment, and should not be considered as a surgical complication.

Local anesthetics (LAs) are commonly infiltrated into surgical wounds for postsurgical analgesia. While many adjuncts to LA agents have been studied, it is unclear which adjuncts are most effective for co-infiltration to improve and prolong analgesia. We performed a systematic review on adjuncts (excluding epinephrine) to local infiltrative anesthesia to determine their analgesic efficacy and opioid-sparing properties. Multiple databases were searched up to December 2019 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and two reviewers independently performed title/abstract screening and full-text review. Inclusion criteria were (1) adult surgical patients and (2) adjunct and LA agents infiltration into the surgical wound or subcutaneous tissue for postoperative analgesia. To focus on wound infiltration, studies on intra-articular, peri-tonsillar, or fascial plane infiltration were excluded. The primary outcome was reduction in postoperative opioid requirement. Secondary outcomes were time-to-first analgesic use, postoperative pain score, and any reported adverse effects. We screened 6670 citations, reviewed 126 full-text articles, and included 89 RCTs. Adjuncts included opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, alpha-2 agonists, ketamine, magnesium, neosaxitoxin, and methylene blue. Alpha-2 agonists have the most evidence to support their use as adjuncts to LA infiltration. Fentanyl, ketorolac, dexamethasone, magnesium and several other agents show potential as adjuncts but require more evidence. Most studies support the safety of these agents. Our findings suggest benefits of several adjuncts to local infiltrative anesthesia for postoperative analgesia. Further well-powered RCTs are needed to compare various infiltration regimens and agents. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42018103851) (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display&#95;record.php?RecordID=103851)., Competing Interests: Competing interests: JWB and DA have no conflicts of interest to declare. AP has a research grant from Fisher and Paykel, ongoing, but unrelated to the topic of this article. VC previously received honorarium from Philips Healthcare which was not relevant to this systematic review, and he has no ongoing association., (© American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

BACKGROUND Vertical diplopia that follows local anesthesia is usually due to inferior rectus muscle fibrosis. Here, we report a rare case of acquired Brown syndrome following local anesthesia. CASE REPORT A 36-year-old woman underwent right inferior orbital fat decompression under local anesthesia. On the first postoperative day, she developed vertical diplopia. She had left hypertropia, which increased on left gaze, with limitation of elevation of the right eye on attempted adduction. Forced duction test of the right eye revealed resistance on elevation in adduction. Magnetic resonance imaging showed signal alteration, thickening, and irregularity involving the right superior oblique tendon and trochlea region. The diagnosis of iatrogenic Brown syndrome was made. Then, a single dose of 10 mg triamcinolone injection was given near the intratrochlear region. On follow-up, complete resolution of diplopia on primary gaze occurred 12 weeks after the incident. CONCLUSIONS The reported case highlights that local anesthesia carries a risk of Brown syndrome. We believe bupivacaine-induced superior oblique hypertrophy is the underlying mechanism. The patient showed excellent outcome after medical management, with no surgical intervention required after 3 months of follow-up.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) as pre-treatment on pain level during injection in the anterior maxillary region. 56 Patients were randomly divided into 3 groups, Group 1:980 nm diode laser (n = 22) (experimental), Group 2:980 nm diode laser probe placed in vestibule without radiation (placebo) (n = 22), Group3: no pre-treatment before injection (n = 12) (control). Pain level during injection was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS). The severity of pain in Group 1(experimental) and Group 2 (placebo) was significantly lower than Group 3 (control). Group 1 had a lesser pain level than Group 2, but the difference in pain level between them was not significant. PBMT with 980 nm wavelength decreased pain level during local anesthesia injection without superiority over placebo.

Purpose: To evaluate the types of anesthesia-related closed claims and their contributing factors, using data from the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company (OMIC)., Design: Retrospective analysis of preexisting data., Participants: Plaintiffs who filed a professional liability claim or suit (written demand for money) against OMIC-insured ophthalmologists, ophthalmic practices, or surgicenters in which the surgical case occurred., Methods: Plaintiff claims were collected from the OMIC database from 2008 to 2018 using search queries for terms associated with known complications of ophthalmic anesthesia., Main Outcome Measures: Number and types of anesthesia-related injuries and claims, who administered the anesthesia, the outcomes of the claim or suit, cost to defend, and payments made to plaintiffs., Results: Sixty-three anesthesia-related claims or suits were filed by 50 plaintiffs. Anesthesia-related injuries included globe perforation (n = 17), death (n = 13), retrobulbar hemorrhage (n = 7), optic nerve damage (n = 4), vascular occlusions (n = 2), pain (n = 2), eye or head movement resulting in injury (n = 2), and 1 case each for numbness, diplopia, and tooth loss during intubation. All but 1 patient who died had preexisting, significant comorbidities. Two deaths were related to brainstem anesthesia. Regarding the type of anesthesia in the closed claims, retrobulbar and peribulbar anesthesia were the most common types (n = 16 each), followed by local infiltration around the lids and facial nerve (n = 6), topical anesthesia (n = 5), and general anesthesia (n = 5). In 2 cases, the exact type of anesthesia was unknown but not general. The 5 topical with sedation anesthesia-related claims were due to inadequate pain control (n = 2), ocular movement resulting in capsular rupture (n = 2), or death (n = 1) allegedly related to excessive or inadequate monitoring of sedation. There were 5 claims related to general anesthesia including 4 deaths and 1 tooth loss during intubation. Sedation was alleged to be a factor in 5 cases resulting in death. Anticoagulants were a factor in 3 retrobulbar hemorrhage cases., Conclusions: Although claims and suits were infrequent given the large number of insured ophthalmologists and the large number of surgical cases requiring various types of anesthesia performed over the 10.5-year study period, severe injuries can occur., (Copyright © 2020 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Intraoperative stimulation (IS) mapping has become the preferred standard treatment for eloquent tumors as it permits a more accurate identification of functional areas, allowing surgeons to achieve higher extents of resection (EOR) and decrease postoperative morbidity. For lesions adjacent to the perirolandic area and descending motor tracts, mapping can be done with both awake craniotomy (AC) and under general anesthesia (GA)., Objective: We aimed to determine which anesthetic protocol-AC vs. GA-provides better patient outcomes by comparing EOR and postoperative morbidity for surgeries using IS mapping in gliomas located near or in motor areas of the brain., Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out to identify relevant studies from 1983 to 2019. Seven databases were screened. A total of 2351 glioma patients from 17 studies were analyzed., Results: A random-effects meta-analysis revealed a trend towards a higher mean EOR in AC [90.1% (95% C.I. 85.8-93.8)] than with GA [81.7% (95% C.I. 72.4-89.7)] (p = 0.06). Neurological deficits were divided by timing and severity for analysis. There was no significant difference in early neurological deficits [20.9% (95% C.I. 4.1-45.0) vs. 25.4% (95% C.I. 13.6-39.2)] (p = 0.74), late neurological deficits [17.1% (95% C.I. 0.0-50.0) vs. 3.8% (95% C.I. 1.1-7.6)] (p = 0.06), or in non-severe [28.4% (95% C.I. 0.0-88.5) vs. 20.1% (95% C.I. 7.1-32.2)] (p = 0.72), and severe morbidity [2.6% (95% C.I. 0.0-15.5) vs. 4.5% (95% C.I. 1.1-9.6)] (p = 0.89) between patients who underwent AC versus GA, respectively., Conclusion: Mapping during resection of gliomas located in or near the perirolandic area and descending motor tracts can be safely carried out with both AC and GA.

Background: The wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) technique in hand surgery is gaining popularity. The authors aimed to prospectively analyze the frequency and type of arrhythmias in patients undergoing hand surgery under local anesthesia and to examine whether the addition of adrenaline affects their incidence., Methods: Adult patients undergoing hand surgery under local anesthesia were randomized into two groups: group 1, local anesthesia with lidocaine and tourniquet; and group 2, local anesthesia with lidocaine and adrenaline (WALANT). Patients with a history of arrhythmias were excluded. Patients were connected to Holter electrocardiographic monitoring before surgery and up until discharge. The records were blindly compared between the groups regarding types of arrhythmias, and frequency and timing relative to injection and tourniquet inflation., Results: One hundred two patients were included between August of 2018 and August of 2019 (age, 59.7 ± 13.6 years; 71 percent women; 51 in each group). No major arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, atrial fibrillation) or arrhythmia-related symptoms were recorded for either group. Minor arrhythmias (including atrial premature beats, ventricular premature beats, and atrial tachycardia) were recorded in 68 patients (66.6 percent), with no statistical difference between the groups. There were three patients with minor arrhythmias during inflation of the tourniquet. Patients in the adrenaline group had 2 percent sinus tachycardia during injection and 4 percent asymptomatic bradyarrhythmias. These findings do not require any further treatment., Conclusions: The authors' results show that hand operations using WALANT technique in patients with no history of arrhythmia are safe and are not arrhythmogenic; therefore, there is no need for routine perioperative continuous electrocardiographic monitoring., Clinical Question/level of Evidence: Therapeutic, II.

Background: Neutralizing (buffering) lidocaine 1%/epinephrine 1:100,000 solution (Lido/Epi) with sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO 3 ) (also called sodium bicarbonate) is widely used to reduce burning sensations during infiltration of Lido/Epi. Optimal mixing ratios have not been systematically investigated., Objectives: To determine whether a Lido/Epi:NaHCO 3 mixing ratio of 3:1 (investigational medicinal product 1) causes less pain during infiltration than a mixing ratio of 9:1 (IMP2) or unbuffered Lido/Epi (IMP3)., Methods: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial (n = 2 × 24) with 4 investigational medicinal products (IMP1-4)., Results: The 3:1 mixing ratio was significantly less painful than the 9:1 ratio (P = .044). Unbuffered Lido/Epi was more painful than the buffered Lido/Epi (P = .001 vs IMP1; P = .033 vs IMP2). IMP4 (NaCl 0.9% [placebo]) was more painful than any of the anesthetic solutions (P = .001 vs IMP1; P = .001 vs IMP2; P = .016 vs IMP3). In all cases, the anesthesia was effective for at least 3 hours., Limitations: Results of this trial cannot be generalized to other local anesthetics such as prilocaine, bupivacaine, or ropivacaine, which precipitate with NaHCO 3 admixtures., Conclusions: Lido/Epi-NaHCO 3 mixtures effectively reduce burning pain during infiltration. The 3:1 mixing ratio is significantly less painful than the 9:1 ratio. Reported findings are of high practical relevance, given the extensive use of local anesthesia today., (Copyright © 2020 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although the choice of anesthesia during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) does not seem to increase the risk of perioperative stroke, it might affect the outcomes of shunting during CEA. This study aims to evaluate whether the choice of anesthesia modifies the association between shunting and in-hospital stroke/death after CEA., Methods: We retrospective reviewed all CEA cases performed between 2003 and 2017 in the Vascular Quality Initiative. Patients were divided into three groups: (1) no shunting during CEA (n = 29,227 [48.4%]), (2) routine shunting (n = 28,673 [47.5%]), and (3) selective shunting based on an intraoperative indication (n = 2499 [4.1%]). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to study the interaction between anesthesia (local anesthesia [LA]/regional anesthesia [RA] vs general anesthesia [GA]) and intraoperative shunting (no shunting vs routine and selective shunting) during CEA in predicting the risk of in-hospital stroke/death after CEA., Results: The final cohort included 60,399 patients. The majority of CEA cases (90.2%) were performed under GA. Of the study cohort, 29,227 (48.4%) underwent CEA without shunting, 28,673 patients (47.5%) had routine shunting, and the remaining (n = 2499 [4.1%]) were selectively shunted. The interaction between intraoperative shunting and anesthesia in predicting in-hospital stroke/death was statistically significant (P < .05). When CEA is performed under LA/GA, routine shunting was associated with 3.5 times the adjusted odds of in-hospital stroke/death after CEA (odds ratio [OR], 3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-6.8; P < .001) compared with no shunting, whereas selective shunting was associated with 7.1 the odds (OR, 7.1; 95% CI, 3.5-14.7; P < .001). In contrast, under GA, there was no significant association between routine shunting and in-hospital stroke/death (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.0-1.5; P = .12), whereas selective shunting was associated with 1.7 times the odds (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.4; P < .01) compared with not performing shunting during CEA., Conclusions: The use of LA/RA is associated with increased odds of stroke/death compared with GA when intraoperative shunting is performed. The effect of anesthesia is more pronounced in patients who develop clamp-related ischemia and undergo selective shunting. More controlled studies are needed to explain these findings and validate them., (Copyright © 2019 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Review: The objective of this review is to identify the potential of peripheral nerve blocks established over the last years for perioperative pain management in breast surgery. These new blocks will be discussed with respect to their clinical effect and necessity., Recent Findings: After case reports and cadaver studies for the Pecs block and its variations sufficient clinical data from randomized controlled trial (RCT) and meta-analyses exist now. The modified Pecs block or Pecs II leads to a reduction of postoperative 24-h opioid consumption. The recently invented Erector spine block addresses the intercostal nerves. The benefits in analgesia of this approach were tested in few RCTs and showed superiority to the control group in terms of requested postoperative morphine. Most studies showed low intraoperative opioid doses and no study more than low to moderate postoperative pain scores., Summary: Taking the pain levels after breast surgery into account, the request of additional nerve blocks has to be pondered against the potential risks and resource requirement. To reduce or avoid intraoperative or postoperative opioids, an ultrasound-guided Pecs II block proves to be the best option for perioperative pain relief.

Introduction: Open surgical ligation and stripping of the great saphenous vein is a highly cost-effective treatment when compared with conservative management and foam sclerotherapy but has limitations including post-operative morbidity and pain. This study aims to identify if the addition of tumescent anaesthesia could improve patient outcomes following treatment., Methods: Patients with primary superficial venous incompetence undergoing open surgical ligation and stripping of the great saphenous vein were randomised to either General Anaesthesia (GA) alone (GA) procedure or the addition of tumescent (G + T). The primary outcome was bodily pain (within SF-36) at one week. Additional outcomes included post-procedural pain score (100 mm visual analogue scale), complications and quality of life., Results: A total of 90 patients were randomised for inclusion. There was no significant difference in primary outcome; bodily pain at one week. Secondary outcome of 4-h post-procedural scores were significantly lower in the G + T group (32 (20-54) mm vs. (GA alone) 56 (24-70) mm (P = 0.016)). Complications were minor and equivalent. Both groups saw a significant increase (worsening) in Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire scores at week 1 with the G + T group faring worse at six weeks (10.0 (Interquartile Range [IQR] 5.6-17.9) vs. 4.3 (IQR 2.7-7.9) P = 0.004)., Conclusion: The G + T group did not demonstrate a significant difference in the one-week bodily pain domain. The addition of tumescent anaesthesia does improve immediate post-operative pain but appears to negatively impact on six-week quality of life. EudraCT Number: 2011-005574-39.

Objective: Some patients have been found to develop intraoperative amaurosis under sub-Tenon's anesthesia. We explored whether these patients have poor surgical outcomes during mid- to long-term postoperative follow-up., Methods: In this case series, 74 of 85 patients with macular diseases who underwent phacoemulsification combined with vitrectomy under sub-Tenon's anesthesia developed intraoperative amaurosis. The surgical outcomes at the 2- and 4-month follow-ups in these patients were investigated and compared with the outcomes in patients without amaurosis using best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and pattern visual evoked potential (PVEP)., Results: Both BCVA and the OCT-based macular structure in patients with intraoperative amaurosis showed significant postoperative improvement comparable with that of patients without amaurosis. The presence of intraoperative amaurosis was not associated with either macular hole closure or macular edema regression. PVEP revealed no significant changes in the wave latency or amplitude before and after surgery., Conclusion: Intraoperative amaurosis following sub-Tenon's block is commonly seen but does not predict a poor surgical prognosis. When a patient develops amaurosis during surgery, the surgeon should increase patient comfort through verbal communication rather than perform an additional intervention to help relieve the patient's anxiety.

Background: Superficialization, the second stage of a two-stage brachiobasilic arteriovenous fistula (BB-AVF), can be performed under local (LA), regional (RA), or general anesthesia (GA). Given the numerous comorbidities in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), our preference is to use RA or LA when feasible. Our goal was to review the success rate of RA and LA, need for conversion to GA, and cardiac morbidity and mortality for BB-AVF superficialization., Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of patients who underwent BB-AVF creation with second-stage superficialization over a 4-year period. The primary outcome measures included need for conversion to GA, myocardial infarction (MI), and 30-day mortality. A secondary outcome was total operative time (time from preoperative briefing to the time the patient left the operating room). We analyzed the data using Fisher Exact test for categorical data and nonparametric analysis for continuous data., Results: There were 42 patients who underwent BB-AVF superficialization. The median age was 56 years, with a mean body mass index of 29. Most patients were male (55%) and predominantly Hispanic/Latino (60%). RA was utilized in 35 patients (83%), LA in 5 (12%), and GA in 2 (5%). The conversion rate from RA to GA was 0% and was 20% (n = 1) from LA to GA. There were no postoperative MI or deaths. There was no significant difference in total operative time (219.6 min for RA, 234.5 min for LA, and 278 min for GA, (P = 0.37))., Conclusions: Local and/or regional anesthesia can be successfully used in the majority of patients undergoing BB-AVF superficialization. LA and RA are associated with negligible cardiac morbidity and mortality. Conversion from RA to GA is rare. Use of RA does not result in a longer total operative time., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke can be performed under local anesthesia, with or without conscious sedation (CS), or under general anesthesia (GA). The hemodynamic consequence of anesthetic drugs may explain why GA may be associated with worse outcomes. We evaluated the association between hypotension duration during MT and the 90 day functional outcome under both anesthetic regimens., Methods: Patients were included in this retrospective study if they had an ischemic stroke treated by MT under GA or CS. The main exposure variable was the time below 90% of the reference value of arterial pressure measured before MT. The primary outcome was poor functional outcome defined as a 90 day modified Rankin Score ≥3., Results: 371 patients were included in the study. GA was performed in 42%. A linear association between the duration of arterial hypotension and outcome was observed. The odds ratio for poor functional outcome of 10 min under 90% of the baseline mean arterial pressure was 1.13 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.21) without adjustment and 1.11 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.21) after adjustment for confounding factors. The functional outcome was poorer for patients treated under GA compared with CS, but the association with the depth of hypotension remained similar under both conditions., Conclusion: In this study, we observed a linear association between the duration of hypotension during MT and the functional outcome at 90 days. An aggressive and personalized strategy for the treatment of hypotension should be considered. Further trials should be conducted to address this question., Competing Interests: Competing interests: EG received consultancy fees from Magnisense and Adrenomed and research grant from Retia Medical., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: To test the feasibility of a randomized controlled study design comparing epidural analgesia (EDA) with continuous wound infiltration (CWI) in respect to postoperative complications and mobility to design a future multicentre randomized controlled trial., Design, Setting, Participants: CWI has been developed to address drawbacks of EDA. Previous studies have established the equivalent analgesic potential of CWI compared to EDA. This is a single centre, non-blinded pilot randomized controlled trial at a tertiary surgical centre. Patients undergoing elective non-colorectal surgery via a midline laparotomy were randomized to EDA or CWI. Endpoints included recruitment, feasibility of assessing postoperative mobility with a pedometer and morbidity. No primary endpoint was defined and all analyses were explorative., Interventions: CWI with local anaesthetics (experimental group) vs. thoracic EDA (control)., Results: Of 846 patients screened within 14 months, 71 were randomized and 62 (31 per group) included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Mobility was assessed in 44 of 62 patients and revealed no differences within the first 3 postoperative days. Overall morbidity did not differ between the two groups (measured via the comprehensive complication index). Median pain scores at rest were comparable between the two groups, while EDA was superior in pain treatment during movement on the first, but not on the second and third postoperative day. Duration of preoperative induction of anaesthesia was shorter with CWI than with EDA. Of 17 serious adverse events, 3 were potentially related to EDA, while none was related to CWI., Conclusion: This trial confirmed the feasibility of a randomized trial design to compare CWI and EDA regarding morbidity. Improvements in the education and training of team members are necessary to improve recruitment., Trial Registration: DRKS00008023., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many questions have come up regarding safe anesthesia management of patients with the disease. Regional anesthesia, whether peripheral nerve or neuraxial, is a safe alternative for managing patients with COVID-19, by choosing modalities that mitigate pulmonary function involvement. Adopting regional anesthesia mitigates adverse effects in the postoperative period and provides safety to pati ents and teams, as long as there is compliance with individual protection and interpersonal transmission care measures. Respecting contra-indications and judicial use of safety techniques and norms are essential. The present manuscript aims to review the evidence available on regional anesthesia for patients with COVID-19 and offer practical recommendations for safe and efficient performance., (Copyright © 2020. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda.)

Background: To determine the efficacy and safety of a periprostatic nerve block combined with perineum subcutaneous anaesthesia and intrarectal lidocaine gel for transrectal ultrasound-guided transperineal prostate biopsy (TPBx) through a prospective randomised controlled trial., Methods: In total, 216 patients from May 2018 to November 2018 were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group at a ratio of 1:1. The experimental group received a periprostatic nerve block combined with subcutaneous perineal anaesthesia and intrarectal lidocaine gel. The control group received total intravenous anaesthesia. A visual analogue scale (VAS) score (0-10) was used to evaluate pain at different stages. The operative time, duration of hospitalisation, intraoperative vital signs, perioperative complications and clinicopathological features were recorded., Results: The overall detection rate of prostate cancer was 40.74%, and the median Gleason score was 8 for all patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. No significant differences in terms of detection rates, Gleason scores and ISUP/WHO Grade Groups were found between the two groups (P > 0.05). The experimental group had no pain or just met the criteria for mild pain during the biopsy, which was significantly alleviated after the biopsy, and had a shorter operation time compared with that of the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the experimental group had more stable haemodynamics and respiratory status and fewer surgical complications (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: In multiple aspects, a periprostatic nerve block combined with subcutaneous perineal anaesthesia and intrarectal lidocaine gel is a safer and more efficient approach to local anaesthesia for TPBx that can almost replace total intravenous anaesthesia and is worthwhile applying in the clinical setting.

It has been reported that drugs intended for epidural administration through the lumbosacral junction are accidentally administered into the subarachnoid space frequently in rabbits. Therefore, we evaluated the epidural single-bolus injection technique for the administration of bupivacaine into the coccygeal spinal canal of rabbits. After epidural distribution was confirmed by the injection of iohexol into the coccygeal spinal canal, 0.3 ml/kg 0.5% bupivacaine or 0.3 ml/kg normal saline was injected via the same needle. After the first attempt of iohexol injection, although the contrast was found in the epidural space in all rabbits, the additional contrast was also found in blood vessel in 3 rabbits and in muscular layer in 1 rabbit. Subarachnoid distribution was not observed in any of the rabbits. The time taken to regain normal anal reflex, movement of the hind limbs during walking, conscious proprioception of the hind limbs, and pain sensation of the tail and left hind limb, following coccygeal spinal canal injection, were significantly longer in the bupivacaine group than in the normal saline group. These findings indicated that coccygeal epidural injection of bupivacaine in rabbits may provide anesthesia for the hind limbs, perineum, and tail, but inadvertent vascular entry of the epidural drug may occur.

Purpose: To investigate the utilization of local anesthesia or peripheral nerve block with monitored anesthesia care (LPMAC) and its impact on the perioperative outcomes of hybrid lower extremity revascularization (LER) compared with general anesthesia (GA). Materials and Methods: A search of the ACS-NSQIP database between 2005 and 2017 identified 9430 patients who underwent hybrid LER for peripheral artery disease. Excluding 449 ineligible cases left 8981 hybrid LER patients for analysis. The patients were dichotomized based on the anesthetic technique: 8631 (96.1%) GA and 350 (3.9%) LPMAC. The GA patients were matched 3:1 based on propensity scores to patients in the LPMAC group based on gender, age, race, functional status, transfer status, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), dialysis status, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, emergent surgery, preoperative sepsis, indication, and type of open and endovascular procedure. Outcomes including complications, mortality, procedure time, and hospital length of stay were compared between the matched groups (801 GA vs 267 LPMAC). Results: Comparing the unmatched groups, those treated under LPMAC were older (72.7±9 vs 68±8.4 years, p<0.001) and had higher rates of COPD (24.3% vs 17%, p=0.001), dialysis dependence (8.1% vs 4.2%, p=0.002), preoperative sepsis (6.6% vs 4.2%, p=0.029), and ASA class ≥IV (29.1% vs 24.1%, p=0.036) than in the unmatched GA cohort. In the matched comparison, LPMAC was associated with lower overall morbidity (25.5% vs 32.3%, p=0.042) and shorter operating time (202.7±98 vs 217.7±102 minutes, p=0.034) compared with GA. The rate of myocardial infarction was lower (1.1% vs 2.4%) and ventilator use for >48 hours was less frequent (0.4% vs 2.6%) for LPMAC patients, though statistical significance was not reached. There was no difference in mortality or hospital length of stay. Conclusion: LPMAC is an infrequent anesthetic technique for hybrid LER and is primarily used for patients with a high burden of comorbidities. LPMAC is associated with reduced overall morbidity and operating time. Further studies are needed to identify which patients undergoing hybrid LER benefit most from LPMAC.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background and Objectives: Epidural analgesia is an effective, established perioperative intervention in all age-groups. In children, however, epidural-related data are limited compared to the adult population. The aim of this study was to examine the use of pediatric epidural analgesia in our institution and, thereby, add to the existing data pool., Methodology: Patients who received epidural analgesia as part of their perioperative management between 1996 and 2016 at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK, were studied to determine how epidural practice has changed over time, associated incidence of serious adverse events, complications, and patient/parent satisfaction. Epidural use and monitoring were in accordance with standard hospital protocols. Data were prospectively collected and entered into a secure database by trained personnel. These data were subsequently extracted for retrospective analysis., Results: A total of 3876 patients were included. The median age was 4.4 years (range 1 day to 20 years), and the median weight was 20.3 kg. Across all age-groups, the lumbar region was the most common site of epidural insertion while urology (42.2%) and general surgery (37.3%) were the specialities for which it was most utilized. Over the study period, the number of epidurals performed declined while the number of surgical procedures performed simultaneously increased. The infusate most commonly used was local anesthetic with preservative-free morphine (71.9%). In 923 (23.2%) patients, systemic opioids were additionally used for analgesic management by means of patient-controlled analgesia or nurse-controlled analgesia. There was one serious adverse event in the form of permanent nerve injury, giving an overall incidence of approximately 1:3800. Other complications included postoperative nausea and vomiting (35.9%), urinary retention (4.4%), and pruritus (31%). Overall global satisfaction with the service was generally high, with 95% providing a rating of "very good" or "good.", Conclusion: This study evaluated two decades of epidural practice in our institution. Epidural analgesia remains a safe, effective option for postoperative analgesia, but its use has declined over time, and this trend is likely to continue. Rates of serious adverse events and complications were low and comparable to those published in other similar studies. Global satisfaction among patients/parents remains high., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Urinary retention and mortality after open repair of inguinal hernia may depend on the type of anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to investigate possible differences in urinary retention and mortality in adults after Lichtenstein repair under different types of anaesthesia., Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in the Cochrane, PubMed and Embase databases, with the last search on 1 August 2018. Eligible studies included adult patients having elective unilateral inguinal hernia repair by the Lichtenstein technique under local, regional or general anaesthesia. Outcomes were urinary retention and mortality, which were compared between the three types of anaesthesia using meta-analyses and a network meta-analysis., Results: In total, 53 studies covering 11 683 patients were included. Crude rates of urinary retention were 0·1 (95 per cent c.i. 0 to 0·2) per cent for local anaesthesia, 8·6 (6·6 to 10·5) per cent for regional anaesthesia and 1·4 (0·6 to 2·2) per cent for general anaesthesia. No death related to the type of anaesthesia was reported. The network meta-analysis showed a higher risk of urinary retention after both regional (odds ratio (OR) 15·73, 95 per cent c.i. 5·85 to 42·32; P < 0·001) and general (OR 4·07, 1·07 to 15·48; P = 0·040) anaesthesia compared with local anaesthesia, and a higher risk after regional compared with general anaesthesia (OR 3·87, 1·10 to 13·60; P = 0·035). Meta-analyses showed a higher risk of urinary retention after regional compared with local anaesthesia (P < 0·001), but no difference between general and local anaesthesia (P = 0·08)., Conclusion: Local or general anaesthesia had significantly lower risks of urinary retention than regional anaesthesia. Differences in mortality could not be assessed as there were no deaths after elective Lichtenstein repair. Registration number: CRD42018087115 ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero)., (© 2019 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The association between periprocedural hypotension and conscious sedation (CS) during defibrillator implantation remains to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to compare the occurrence of periprocedural hypotension after CS or local anesthesia (LA) during defibrillator implantation in a retrospective cohort study using a national inpatient database. Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, we retrospectively collected data for adult inpatients who underwent implantation of a cardioverter defibrillator or cardiac resynchronization therapy device from July 2010 to March 2016. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to compare the occurrence of periprocedural hypotension between the CS and LA groups with adjustment for patient background characteristics and hospital factors. Additional analysis was performed after dividing the CS group into each specific anesthetic use. We identified 4842 patients, comprising 1533 patients with CS and 3309 with LA. The CS group had a significantly higher proportion of periprocedural hypotension than the LA group (13.4% versus 9.7%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-2.04; p = 0.001). Body mass index < 18.5 kg/m 2 , New York Heart Association Class IV, and use of cardiac resynchronization therapy device were independently associated with occurrence of periprocedural hypotension. Additionally, ketamine and dexmedetomidine were significantly associated with higher incidence of hypotension than the LA group (adjusted odds ratio, 2.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.32-5.26; p = 0.006; adjusted odds ratio, 1.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-3.12; p = 0.019, respectively). Periprocedural hypotension was significantly more likely to occur in the CS group than the LA group, and was associated with CS.

Background: Spinal anaesthesia has been implicated as one of the possible causes of neurological complications following surgical procedures. This painful condition, occurring during the immediate postoperative period, is termed transient neurological symptoms (TNS) and is typically observed after the use of spinal lidocaine. Alternatives to lidocaine that can provide high-quality anaesthesia without TNS development are needed. This review was originally published in 2005, and last updated in 2009., Objectives: To determine the frequency of TNS after spinal anaesthesia with lidocaine and compare it with other types of local anaesthetics by performing a meta-analysis for all pair-wise comparisons, and conducting network meta-analysis (NMA) to rank interventions., Search Methods: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Elsevier Embase, and LILACS on 25 November 2018. We searched clinical trial registries and handsearched the reference lists of trials and review articles., Selection Criteria: We included randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing the frequency of TNS after spinal anaesthesia with lidocaine to other local anaesthetics. Studies had to have two or more arms that used distinct local anaesthetics (irrespective of the concentration and baricity of the solution) for spinal anaesthesia in preparation for surgery. We included adults who received spinal anaesthesia and considered all pregnant participants as a subgroup. The follow-up period for TNS was at least 24 hours., Data Collection and Analysis: Four review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion. Three review authors independently evaluated the quality of the relevant studies and extracted the data from the included studies. We performed meta-analysis for all pair-wise comparisons of local anaesthetics, as well as NMA. We used an inverse variance weighting for summary statistics and a random-effects model as we expected methodological and clinical heterogeneity across the included studies resulting in varying effect sizes between studies of pair-wise comparisons. The NMA used all included studies based on a graph theoretical approach within a frequentist framework. Finally, we ranked the competing treatments by P scores., Main Results: The analysis included 24 trials reporting on 2226 participants of whom 239 developed TNS. Two studies are awaiting classification and one is ongoing. Included studies mostly had unclear to high risk of bias. The NMA included 24 studies and eight different local anaesthetics; the number of pair-wise comparisons was 32 and the number of different pair-wise comparisons was 11. This analysis showed that, compared to lidocaine, the risk ratio (RR) of TNS was lower for bupivacaine, levobupivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, and ropivacaine with RRs in the range of 0.10 to 0.23 while 2-chloroprocaine and mepivacaine did not differ in terms of RR of TNS development compared to lidocaine. Pair-wise meta-analysis showed that compared with lidocaine, most local anaesthetics were associated with a reduced risk of TNS development (except 2-chloroprocaine and mepivacaine) (bupivacaine: RR 0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09 to 0.28; 12 studies; moderate-quality evidence; 2-chloroprocaine: RR 0.09, 95% CI 0.01 to 1.51; 2 studies; low-quality evidence; levobupivacaine: RR 0.13, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.69; 2 studies; low-quality evidence; mepivacaine: RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.18 to 5.82; 4 studies; very low-quality evidence; prilocaine: RR 0.18, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.49; 4 studies; moderate-quality evidence; procaine: RR 0.14, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.52; 2 studies; moderate-quality evidence; ropivacaine: RR 0.10, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.78; 2 studies; low-quality evidence). We were unable to perform any of our planned subgroup analyses due to the low number of TNS events., Authors' Conclusions: Results from both NMA and pair-wise meta-analysis indicate that the risk of developing TNS after spinal anaesthesia is lower when bupivacaine, levobupivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, and ropivacaine are used compared to lidocaine. The use of 2-chloroprocaine and mepivacaine had a similar risk to lidocaine in terms of TNS development after spinal anaesthesia. Patients should be informed of TNS as a possible adverse effect of local anaesthesia with lidocaine and the choice of anaesthetic agent should be based on the specific clinical context and parameters such as the expected duration of the procedure and the quality of anaesthesia. Due to the very low- to moderate-quality evidence (GRADE), future research efforts in this field are required to assess alternatives to lidocaine that would be able to provide high-quality anaesthesia without TNS development. The two studies awaiting classification and one ongoing study may alter the conclusions of the review once assessed., (Copyright © 2019 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: The administration of local anesthetics is considered the most unpleasant part of office-based surgery. Many procedural and pharmacological strategies have been developed to minimize pain. In children and adolescents, distraction has been demonstrated to be an effective way of minimizing pain during local anesthesia. We present a randomized controlled trial of the effect of distraction on pain during local anesthesia in adults., Material and Methods: We have included 115 patients undergoing small office-based surgery to either the face, wrist, or hand. We randomized these patients between two groups: a control group and an intervention group. The intervention group watched a distractive video during the administration of the local anesthetic; for the rest the surgical procedures were performed in an equal fashion in both groups. Preoperative anxiety was scored from 0 to 10 and pain experienced during the injection of local anesthetic was measured on the visual analogue scale of pain (VAS), ranging from 0 to 10. Patient satisfaction was measured on the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18), ranging from 18 to 90., Results: Patients had an equal anticipated pain score in control and intervention group. In the intervention group, a reduction of pain scores of 1 point was observed (p = 0.01). There was no difference in patient satisfaction scores between both groups., Discussion: In this study, we demonstrate the pain minimizing effect of distraction during the administration of local anesthesia. Less experienced pain did not result in improved patient satisfaction in our study. We encourage physicians to seek ways to actively distract patients during unpleasant procedures., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the frequency of pneumothorax following orthognathic surgery and describe its clinical presentation. A retrospective analysis of a hospital database was carried out on consecutive patients with normal presurgical clinical assessment, laboratory findings, and chest X-ray who underwent orthognathic surgery from January 2007 to September 2018 in the Department of Oral and Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Two patients (0.038%), 1 male (age 20 years) and 1 female (age 32 years), complained of respiratory difficulty and chest pain and were clearly diagnosed with postoperative pneumothorax by radiographic chest X-rays from a sample of 5229 consecutive patients during the study period. Intercostal drainage under local anesthesia was performed immediately and the treatment effects for both patients were satisfactory. The present study findings indicate that although orthognathic surgeries can be safely performed in patients with craniofacial anomalies, some unexpected complications such as pneumothorax may occur. Therefore, accurate postoperative follow-up must be done in every patient to monitor possible clinical complications. Patients who experience respiratory difficulty and postoperative chest pain may have pneumothorax, and once it is diagnosed, treatment should be promptly carried out to eliminate further severe sequelae.