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Objectives: Nasotracheal intubation is a standard blind procedure associated with various complications. The selection of the appropriate nostril is crucial to preventing most of these complications. The present study aimed to evaluate the predictive ability of cone-beam CT (CBCT) images to select the correct nostril for nasotracheal intubation., Methods: The study encompassed 60 patients who underwent maxillofacial surgery with nasotracheal intubation under general anaesthesia. While the anaesthetist made the appropriate nostril selection clinically according to a simple occlusion test and spatula test, the radiologist made the selection after analysing various CBCT findings such as the angle and direction of nasal septum deviation (NSD), minimum bone distance along the intubation path, and the presence of inferior turbinate hypertrophy. The appropriateness of these choices made blindly at different times was evaluated using descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, and independent samples t-test., Results: The study found that 83.3% of the suggested nostril intubations were successful. We also observed that intubation duration was longer when inferior turbinate hypertrophy was present (P = .031). However, there was no statistical relationship between the presence of epistaxis and septal deviation (P = .395). Nonetheless, in 64.3% of cases with epistaxis, the intubated nostril and the septum deviation direction were the same., Conclusions: Pre-operative evaluations using CBCT can aid anaesthetists for septum deviation and turbinate hypertrophy, as both can impact intubation success rates and duration., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Institute of Radiology and the International Association of Dentomaxillofacial Radiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The existing body of research concerning the impact of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on early postoperative recovery is marked by a lack of consensus. This meta-analysis, encompassing a systematic review of randomised controlled trials, seeks to critically assess the efficacy of TEAS in relation to awakening from general anaesthesia in the postoperative period., Methods: The inclusion criteria for this study were peer-reviewed randomised controlled trials that evaluated the influence of TEAS on the process of regaining consciousness following general anaesthesia. A comprehensive search was conducted across several reputable databases, including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the VIP Database, the SinoMed Database, and the WANFANG Medical Database. The search was not limited by date, extending from the inception of each database up to December 2023. The methodological quality and risk of bias within the included studies were appraised in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, version 5.1, and its associated tool for assessing risk of bias., Results: The analysis encompassed 29 studies involving a total of 2,125 patients. Participants in the TEAS group demonstrated a significantly shorter duration to achieve eye-opening [mean difference (MD), -3.16 min; 95% confidence interval (CI), -3.93 to -2.39], endotracheal extubation (MD, -4.28 min; 95% CI, -4.79 to -3.76), and discharge from the post-anaesthesia care unit (MD, -8.04 min; 95% CI, -9.48 to -6.61) when compared to the control group receiving no or sham stimulation. Additionally, the TEAS group exhibited markedly reduced mean arterial blood pressure (MD, -9.00 mmHg; 95% CI, -10.69 to -7.32), heart rate (MD, -7.62 beats/min; 95% CI, -9.02 to -6.22), and plasma concentrations of epinephrine (standardised MD, -0.81; 95% CI, -1.04 to -0.58), norepinephrine (MD, -47.67 pg/ml; 95% CI, -62.88 to -32.46), and cortisol (MD, -110.92 nmol/L; 95% CI, -131.28 to -90.56) at the time of extubation. Furthermore, the incidence of adverse effects, including agitation and coughing, was considerably lower in the TEAS group relative to the control group (odds ratio, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.22-0.40)., Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that TEAS may hold promise in facilitating the return of consciousness, reducing the interval to awakening post-general anaesthesia, and enhancing the awakening process to be more tranquil and secure with a diminished likelihood of adverse events. However, caution must be exercised in interpreting these results due to the notable publication and geographical biases present among the studies under review. There is an imperative for further high-quality, low-bias research to substantiate these observations., Systematic Review Registration: The review protocol was registered with the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42022382017)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Si, Zhao, Mu, Xu, Wang, Zhang and Su.)

Study Objective: Male sex has inconsistently been associated with the development of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). These studies were different in size, design, population and preoperative risk. We reanalysed the database of 'Local ASsessment of Ventilatory management during General Anaesthesia for Surgery study' (LAS VEGAS) to evaluate differences between females and males with respect to PPCs., Design, Setting and Patients: Post hoc unmatched and matched analysis of LAS VEGAS, an international observational study in patients undergoing intraoperative ventilation under general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals across 29 countries. The primary endpoint was a composite of PPCs in the first 5 postoperative days. Individual PPCs, hospital length of stay and mortality were secondary endpoints. Propensity score matching was used to create a similar cohort regarding type of surgery and epidemiological factors with a known association with development of PPCs., Main Results: The unmatched cohort consisted of 9697 patients; 5342 (55.1%) females and 4355 (44.9%) males. The matched cohort consisted of 6154 patients; 3077 (50.0%) females and 3077 (50.0%) males. The incidence in PPCs was neither significant between females and males in the unmatched cohort (10.0 vs 10.7%; odds ratio (OR) 0.93 [0.81-1.06]; P = 0.255), nor in the matched cohort (10.5 vs 10.0%; OR 1.05 [0.89-1.25]; P = 0.556). New invasive ventilation occurred less often in females in the unmatched cohort. Hospital length of stay and mortality were similar between females and males in both cohorts., Conclusions: In this conveniently-sized worldwide cohort of patients receiving intraoperative ventilation under general anaesthesia for surgery, the PPC incidence was not significantly different between sexes., Registration: LAS VEGAS was registered at clinicaltrial.gov (study identifier NCT01601223)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Prolonged mechanical ventilation can create heterogeneous ventilation patterns, which increase the risk of lung injury in infants. However, little is understood about the risk of brief exposure to mechanical ventilation during anaesthesia. The aim of this prospective observational study was to describe the regional pattern of lung ventilation during general anaesthesia in healthy neonates and infants, using electrical impedance tomography., Methods: Twenty infants (age 3 days to 12 months), without known lung disease and receiving general anaesthesia with endotracheal intubation for supine positioned surgery, were included in the study. Anaesthesia and ventilation management was at the discretion of the treating clinician. Standardised lung imaging using electrical impedance tomography was made at six time points during anaesthesia from induction to post-extubation. At each time point, the gravity-dependent and right-left lung centre of ventilation was calculated., Results: Tidal ventilation favoured the dorsal lung regions at induction, with a median (inter-quartile range) centre of ventilation (CoV) of 58.2 (53.9-59.3)%. After intubation, there was a redistribution of ventilation to the ventral lung, with the greatest change occurring early in surgery: CoV of 53.8 (52.3-55.2)%. After extubation, CoV returned to pre-intubation values: 56.5 (54.7-58)%. Across all time points, the pattern of ventilation favoured the right lung., Conclusions: General anaesthesia creates heterogenous patterns of ventilation similar to those reported during prolonged mechanical ventilation. This potentially poses a risk for lung injury that may not be recognised clinically. These results suggest the need to better understand the impact of general anaesthesia on the developing lung., Clinical Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN 12616000818437, 22 June 2016)., Competing Interests: The authors declare they have no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Background and aims Optimal postoperative care and analgesia are the key factors in the management of cases of lumbosacral spine surgery. The erector spinae plane (ESP) block is a recently evolving entity and has a dynamic role in postoperative pain management. However, its role in the management of pain in lumber spinal surgeries is still not clear, and the literature remains anecdotal. Therefore, we planned to study the efficacy of ultrasound-guided preoperative ESP block at the T12 level using levobupivacaine for perioperative analgesia in lumbosacral spine surgeries. Methods A total of 60 patients scheduled for elective or emergency lumbosacral spine surgery were divided into two groups - the GA group received standard general anesthesia (GA) and the GA+ESP group received standard general anesthesia along with ultra-sound guided ESP block at the T12 level with a bilateral injection of 20 ml 0.25% levobupivacaine. Perioperative analgesia was assessed by total intra-operative fentanyl dose and frequency, intra-operative hemodynamic parameters, post-operative numeric rating scale (NRS) scores, time of first systemic rescue analgesia, tramadol usage, mobilization day, and hospital stay duration.  Results Intraoperative fentanyl sparing was observed in 83% of the GA+ESP group compared to 33% in the GA group. Postoperative tramadol sparing was observed in 80% of the GA+ESP group compared to 26.7% of the GA group. Twenty-four-hour postoperative NRS scores >3/10 were observed in 20% of the GA+ ESP group compared to 73.3% of the GA group. Conclusion In this study, superior perioperative analgesia, opioid-sparing effect, and decreased requirement of postoperative rescue analgesia were observed with ESP block., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ethical Committee, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal issued approval ID: MD0048 (IHEC-LOP/2019/MD0048). Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Sharma et al.)

Segmental thoracic spinal anesthesia (STSA) has been described primarily as case reports for performing upper abdominal and thoracic surgeries in significant respiratory comorbid patients. A few comparative studies have recently evaluated the technique as an advantageous alternative to general anesthesia (GA). However, there is no systematic evaluation and comparison of the techniques. The present systematic review evaluated the hemodynamic, comfort, and satisfaction of patients undergoing abdominal and thoracic surgeries under STSA and GA. PubMed, CENTRAL, Google Scholar Advanced, and citation tracking were performed to find suitable articles that compared STSA and GA. The primary objective-related data were hypotension and bradycardia. The secondary objective-related data in the context of postoperative nausea vomiting (PONV), pain, rescue analgesics, sedation requirement, satisfaction, and comfort were assessed. Meta-analysis was performed for dichotomous data on hypotension, bradycardia, and PONV; odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were reported. Data of 394 patients from six studies were evaluated. Patients undergoing upper abdominal and breast surgeries under STSA had significantly higher odds of hypotension (Fixed-Effect Model OR 12.23, 95% CI 2.81-53.28; I2 =0%, and the Random Effects Model OR 12.01, 95% CI 2.75-52.52; I2 =0%) and bradycardia (Fixed-Effect Model OR 10.95, 95% CI 2.94-40.74, I2 =0%, and the Random Effects Model OR 9.97, 95% CI 2.61-38.08; I2 =0%) but lower odds of PONV (Fixed-Effect Model OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.13-0.43; I2 =0%, and the Random Effects Model OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.13-0.45; I2 =0%). Most of the patients undergoing STSA were given intravenous sedation to overcome anxiety and discomfort. Overall, patient satisfaction was on par with GA. However, few surgeons were unenthusiastic about the technique while performing axillary clearances due to bothering twitches from cautery. STSA led to early post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) discharge and provided better pain control, lowering the need for rescue analgesics and opioid consumption in the first 24-hour postoperative period. STSA is associated with very high odds of hypotension and bradycardia as compared to GA. On the other hand, STSA demonstrated superior pain control, reduced opioid requirements, shorter PACU stays, and significantly reduced risk of PONV. Nevertheless, STSA patients mostly require sedation to make the patient comfortable., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: Dr Imran Ahmed Khan is one of the authors of the book Basics of Thoracic Segmental Spinal Anesthesia and receives royalties from Pulse Publications, Gorakhpur, India. The book describes and advocates segmental thoracic spinal anesthesia as an alternative to general anesthesia., (Copyright © 2024, Karim et al.)

Background and Aims: Propofol has been used in medical practice as an anaesthetic drug for producing and sustaining general anaesthesia due to its advantages. However, it also has drawbacks, including injection-related discomfort. Recently, ciprofol has emerged as a promising anaesthetic drug that may overcome many drawbacks associated with propofol. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we assess the efficacy and safety of ciprofol compared to propofol in different anaesthesia procedures., Methods: The study protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (ID: CRD42023458170). Central, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and WOS were searched for English literature until 26 February 2024. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan. The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB 2.0 tool. Results were reported as risk ratios (RRs), mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: Nineteen randomised controlled trials were included in our analysis, with 2841 participants. There was no difference between ciprofol and propofol in the success rate of endoscopy (RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.02; P = 0.44), while ciprofol showed a significant increase in the success rate of general anaesthesia/sedation (RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.02; P = 0.04). Ciprofol showed significantly lower pain on injection (RR: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.22; P < 0.001), lower adverse events (RR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.69, 0.92; P = 0.002) and higher patient satisfaction (standardised mean difference (SMD): 0.36, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.48; P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Ciprofol exhibited a comparable efficacy to propofol in inducing general anaesthesia and sedation with fewer adverse events, less pain on injection and higher patient satisfaction. These collective findings may suggest that ciprofol can be used as an alternative drug to ensure effective general anaesthesia/sedation induction in the future., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Anaesthesia.)

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of preventive interventions in children who have undergone caries-related dental extractions., Methods: Rapid review across five databases (CENTRAL, Ovid Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus). Quality was assessed using the Risk of Bias 2 tool., Results: Five studies were included, all randomised controlled trials involving pre-and/or post-extractions activity. Three studies involved oral health education (computer game, motivational interviewing, visual aids), one delivered clinical prevention (fissure sealants), and one an enhanced prevention programme combining additional health education and a clinical intervention (fluoride varnish). Retention was mixed (55%-80% in the intervention groups). Of the three studies measuring caries, all reported less caries development in the test group. However, only a study involving a dental nurse-delivered structured conversation, informed by motivational interviewing, showed an improvement in oral health. Two studies reporting on plaque and gingival bleeding had conflicting results. A study reporting on subsequent dental attendance did not demonstrate a clear improvement., Conclusion: Few published studies have explored prevention-based interventions in high caries-risk children requiring dental extractions. Whilst evidence of clinical benefit of preventive interventions in this population is limited, the potential use of contemporary behaviour change techniques appears promising. There is an urgent need for more high-quality longer-term trials using contemporary methodologies., (Copyright© 2024 Dennis Barber Ltd.)

Background Music therapy has been shown to reduce the need for sedation and analgesics, as well as lower plasma cortisol and epinephrine levels in patients undergoing regional anesthesia. This study evaluates the efficacy of perioperative music therapy in reducing pain perception and its impact on cortisol levels. Materials and methods This prospective randomized control trial was conducted at the tertiary care center in Western Maharashtra. Sixty adult patients (males/females) undergoing elective lower abdomen surgery were included and randomized equally into two groups to listen to music using headphones at a preselected volume (Group M) or to use only headphones without any music played (Group C) for 2 hours in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative periods. Demographic information, anthropometric (height, weight), and biochemical (serum cortisol) measurements were performed. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grades 1 and 2, and patients aged 18 to 65 years were included. Pain perception was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results The demographic data, including mean age, BMI, ASA status, average duration of anesthesia, and average duration of surgery, were comparable between the two groups. Group M showed improved control of systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 10- and 30-minute post-induction of general anesthesia and had a significantly lower VAS score (p < 0.05). Additionally, patient satisfaction was higher in Group M (81.4%) compared to Group C (51.4%) with a p-value of < 0.05. Intraoperative awareness was non-significant between the groups. Conclusion Music therapy is a safe, cost-effective, and efficacious method for reducing pain perception and can be used in conjunction with other treatments for postoperative pain management., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. INSTITUTIONAL ETHICS SUB- COMMITTEE issued approval Ref.No.: I.E.S.C./83/2023. This is to certify that the faculty project proposal( Research protocol no.IESC/FP/38/2023)titled "Effects of music Therapy on post-operative pain perception in patients undergoing abdominal surgeries under general anaesthesia "to be done by Dr.sanya varma under the guidance of Dr. Subha teresa jose vazhakalayil from department of Anaesthesiology is ethically approved. The faculty project proposal was approved by the institutional ethics sub-committe on 25/09/2023. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Vazhakalayil et al.)

Introduction: To evaluate the recovery quality between remimazolam and propofol after general anesthesia surgery., Methods: We included eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Central, Scopus, and Web of Science up to June 26, 2024 for comparison the recovery quality of remimazolam and propofol after general anaesthesia. The primary outcomes were the total Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) and five dimensions of QoR-15 on postoperative day 1 (POD1). Secondary outcomes were adverse events, the Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) on POD1, and the intraoperative and postoperative time characteristics., Results: Thirteen RCTs with a total of 1,305 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Our statistical analysis showed that remimazolam group had higher QoR-15 score on POD1, with no significant difference (Mean Difference (MD) = 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI), [-1.67-4.15]; I 2 = 75%; P  = 0.41). In the five dimensions of QoR-15, remimazolam group was superior to propofol group in terms of physical independence (MD = 0.79; 95% CI [0.31-1.27]; I 2  = 0%; P  = 0.001). Remimazolam group was lower than propofol group in incidence of hypotension (Risk Ratio (RR) = 0.48; 95% CI [0.40-0.59]; I 2 = 14%; P  < 0.00001), bradycardia (RR = 0.18; 95% CI [0.08-0.38]; I 2 = 0%; P  < 0.0001) and injection pain (RR = 0.03; 95% CI [0.01-0.12]; I 2 = 48%; P  < 0.00001), respectively. The intraoperative and postoperative time characteristics and the QoR-40 were similar in the two groups., Conclusions: Our analysis showed that the recovery quality of the remimazolam group after general anaesthesia was similar to propofol group, while the incidence of adverse events was low in remimazolam group. As a potential anesthetic, remimazolam can be used in place of propofol for surgical general anesthesia., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2024 Zhu et al.)

Background Endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff pressure changes during general anesthesia. Endotracheal cuff pressure ideally should be maintained between 20 and 30 cm of H 2 O. Cuff pressure of less than 25 cm of H 2 O increases the chances of aspiration while pressure of more than 40 cm of H 2 O causes tracheal mucosa damage. The study aimed to monitor and compare variations of endotracheal cuff pressure during general anesthesia with oxygen-air or oxygen-nitrous oxide. Methods This prospective, randomized, double-blinded, observational study was conducted on 40 patients. After approval from the institutional ethics subcommittee, 40 patients of either gender, aged 18-60 years, belonging to ASA grades I and II, who were undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia, were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, with 20 in each group. In Group A, oxygen-air and Group N, oxygen-nitrous oxide was used as a gaseous mixture in general anesthesia with ETT. The ETT cuff pressure was recorded with the help of a cuff manometer at intervals of five, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 minutes after intubation. If pressure was more than 40 cm of H 2 O, it was reduced to 25-30 cm of H 2 O. Data were collected and analyzed using methods described in Primer of Biostatistics by Stanton A. Glantz. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Student's t-test. Qualitative data were analyzed using the chi-square test. Results An increase in cuff pressure was noted more in Group N as compared to Group A. The pressure in the endotracheal cuff started to gradually increase after 30-40 minutes in Group N after intubation, while in Group A, there was no significant increase. The average number of times the cuff deflated was 0.2 ± 0.41 in Group A and 1.55 ± 0.51 in Group N, which was highly significant. Conclusion Changes in endotracheal cuff pressure were observed when using different gas mixtures for inflation. Specifically, cuff pressure increased with oxygen and nitrous oxide compared to oxygen with air. This suggests that anesthetic gas composition can impact cuff pressure, potentially affecting tracheal mucosal perfusion and patient safety. Therefore, regular monitoring and adjustment of cuff pressure is crucial, especially when using nitrous oxide, to prevent complications and ensure optimal patient care., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre Institutional Ethics Sub-Committee issued approval IESC/15/2020. This is to certify that the faculty project proposal (Research Protocol number: IESC/15/2020) Titled "Comparison of endotracheal tube cuff pressure changes during general anaesthesia while using air versus nitrous oxide in anaesthetic gases" to be done by Dr. Abhishek Raj under the guidance of Dr. Aparna Bagle from the Department of Anaesthesia is ethically approved. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Bagle et al.)

We present a case of prolonged lower limb movement disorder following general anesthesia in a female patient in her early forties. She presented with vigorous, regular synchronous, rhythmic, and jerky movements during the immediate postoperative period lasting around forty minutes. Her past anesthetic history suggests varying degrees of postoperative movement disorders. Our patient was on long-term hydroxyzine for her skin condition. She had uneventful anesthetics before the prescription of hydroxyzine for her skin condition. All post-anesthetic dystonic events were reported while she was on hydroxyzine. Dystonic reactions during the perioperative period are rare and mostly occur during induction and emergence, which usually be transient. Our patient had prolonged lower limb dystonia resulting in severe muscular pain and lethargy for a few days. Further, she once developed transient aphasia and prolonged dysphonia following total intravenous anesthesia. This clinical finding could be a part of spasmodic laryngeal dystonia, which has not been reported previously. We correlate this rare postoperative dystonic reaction with propofol and possibly with the concurrent use of hydroxyzine. As differential diagnosis can widely vary, the correlation of clinical findings with movement disorders is important for the diagnosis. Alterations of anesthetic techniques avoiding propofol and holding hydroxyzine are advisable in such rare clinical situations. Early diagnosis of perioperative movement disorders will prompt specific treatments, such as anticholinergic medications, for dystonia., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Wijerathne et al.)

Background: Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) belongs to the group of mitochondrial encephalomyopathies. Anaesthesia for patients with CPEO may be associated with an increased risk due to known drug effects on mitochondrial metabolism. Therefore, the aim of this analysis was to evaluate anaesthesiological concepts in patients with CPEO requiring ophthalmic surgery., Methods: This is a retrospective, monocentric cohort analysis of eleven patients with CPEO undergoing ophthalmic surgery either with general anaesthesia or local anaesthesia in a German university hospital from January 2012 to February 2022., Results: A total of twelve ophthalmic surgery procedures were performed in eleven adult patients with CPEO. Six patients underwent surgery after receiving local anaesthesia (LA cohort). Five patients underwent six surgical procedures under general anaesthesia (GA cohort). In five cases within the GA cohort, propofol and remifentanil were used for the maintenance of anaesthesia. In one case, balanced anaesthesia with desflurane and remifentanil was used. The median duration of general anaesthesia was 37.5 min (range, 25-65 min). Patients stayed in the recovery room for a median of 48.5 min (range, 35-70 min). All patients were discharged on the first postoperative day. No relevant complications occurred in either the LA or GA cohort., Conclusion: Both local and general anaesthesia are feasible concepts for patients with CPEO undergoing ophthalmic surgery. Propofol, at least with a short duration (less than one hour) of use, appears to be a feasible hypnotic drug in CPEO patients.

Aims: Catheter ablation (CA) is a well-established treatment option for atrial fibrillation (AF), where sedation and analgesia are pivotal for patient comfort and lesion formation. The impact of anaesthesia type on AF recurrence rates remains uncertain. This study aimed to examine AF recurrence rates depending on conscious sedation (CS) vs. general anaesthesia (GA) during CA., Methods and Results: Utilizing nationwide data from the Danish healthcare registries, we conducted this cohort study involving adults (≥18 years) undergoing first-time CA for AF between 2010 and 2018. Patients were categorized by anaesthesia type (CS or GA), with the primary endpoint being AF recurrence, defined by a composite endpoint of either antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) prescriptions, AF-related hospital admissions, electrical cardioversions, or AF re-ablation. The impact of anaesthesia type was evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. The study cohort comprised 7957 (6421 CS and 1536 GA) patients. Persistent AF, hypertension, and heart failure, as well as use of AAD, were more prevalent in the GA group. Cumulative incidences of recurrent AF were higher in the CS group at 1 (46% vs. 37%) and at 5 (68% vs. 63%) years. Multivariate analysis revealed CS as significantly associated with increased risk of AF recurrence at 5-year follow-up [hazard ratio 1.26 (95% confidence interval 1.15-1.38)], consistent across paroxysmal and persistent AF subtypes., Conclusion: This nationwide cohort study suggests a higher risk of AF recurrence with CS during CA compared to GA. These results advocate for considering GA as the preferred anaesthesia type for improved CA outcomes., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: L.D.R.-V., J.T., C.R.Z., C.M., R.H., A.J., R.H.W., G.G.: none. M.H.R.: Speaker honoraria from Boston Scientific and CardioFocus. J.H.: Speaker fees and consultant honoraria from Boston Scientific and Biosense Webster. M.L.H.: Received research grants from Biosense Webster and Medtronic., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: Preclinical studies suggest that early exposure to anaesthesia alters the visual system in mice and non-human primates. We investigated whether exposure to general anaesthesia leads to visual attention processing changes in children, which could potentially impact essential life skills, including learning., Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of data from the APprentissages EXécutifs et cerveau chez les enfants d'âge scolaire (APEX) cohort study. A total of 24 healthy 9-10-yr-old children who were or were not exposed to general anaesthesia (for surgery) by a mean age of 3.8 (2.6) yr performed a visual attention task to evaluate ability to process either local details or general global visual information. Whether children were distracted by visual interference during global and local information processing was also assessed., Results: Participants included in the analyses (n=12 participants exposed to general anaesthesia and n=12 controls) successfully completed (>90% of correct answers) the trial tasks. Children from both groups were equally distracted by visual interference. However, children who had been exposed to general anaesthesia were more attracted to global visual information than were control children (P=0.03)., Conclusions: These findings suggest lasting effects of early-life exposure to general anaesthesia on visuospatial abilities. Further investigations of the mechanisms by which general anaesthesia could have delayed effects on how children perceive their visual environment are needed., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Vaginal hysterectomy (VH) is usually performed under general (GA) or regional anaesthesia. In recent years, the possibility of performing vaginal hysterectomy under local anaesthesia (LA) has also been explored. Our aim was to compare intraoperative and early postoperative outcomes in women who underwent VH under LA with intravenous sedation or GA., Methods: In this retrospective study, we collected data of patients who underwent VH at our department from June 2021 to December 2022. For every patient, the following data was obtained: hospitalisation duration, type of anaesthesia (LA or GA), accompanying procedures, the dosage of used local anaesthetic in the LA group, maximal pain score for each day of hospitalisation after the procedure, procedure duration, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative complication rate. Data was analysed using the SPSS Statistics programme. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05., Results: Seventy patients were included in the study. The mean age was significantly higher in the LA group compared to GA group (73.8 ± 8.0 years vs. 67.1 ± 9.3 respectively, p-value = 0.003). LA was associated with statistically lower pain scores in the first two days after the procedure (p = 0.003), and shorter procedure duration (p-value <0.001) as well as hospitalisation duration (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the cumulative dosage of different analgesics used during hospitalisation was higher in the GA group., Conclusions: Our results show that LA is a feasible option for patients undergoing VH. Vaginal surgical procedures under LA could be especially beneficial for older patients with medical comorbidities in whom GA would be particularly hazardous., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Remimazolam, a novel benzodiazepine, shows promise as an alternative to traditional sedatives and hypnotic agents in procedural sedation and general anaesthesia. While preliminary research indicates potential advantages over conventional agents, such as faster onset, predictable duration, and improved safety profile, the extent and quality of existing evidence remain unclear. This scoping review aims to investigate the current clinical role of remimazolam and provide a broad and comprehensive overview., Methods: The proposed review will adhere to the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Reviews. A comprehensive search will be conducted across major peer-reviewed databases and grey literature will be sought. All studies involving individuals undergoing procedural sedation or general anaesthesia with remimazolam will be eligible. Data extraction will encompass trial and participant characteristics, intervention details, reported outcomes, comparative efficacy versus midazolam and propofol, patient and operator experience and economic costs., Results: We will provide a descriptive summary supplemented by statistics, figures and tables where applicable., Conclusion: The outlined scoping review aims to assess the clinical use of remimazolam in procedural sedation and as the hypnotic component of general anaesthesia. The review will map the current body of evidence of remimazolam and identify knowledge gaps, contributing to understanding its clinical implications and guiding future research efforts in procedural sedation and general anaesthesia., (© 2024 The Authors. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.)

Spinal and epidural anaesthesia and analgesia are important anaesthetic techniques, familiar to all anaesthetists and applied to patients undergoing a range of surgical procedures. Although the immediate effects of a well-conducted neuraxial technique on nociceptive and sympathetic pathways are readily observable in clinical practice, the impact of such techniques on patient-centred perioperative outcomes remains an area of uncertainty and active research. The aim of this review is to present a narrative synthesis of contemporary clinical science on this topic from the most recent 5-year period and summarise the foundational scholarship upon which this research was based. We searched electronic databases for primary research, secondary research, opinion pieces, and guidelines reporting the relationship between neuraxial procedures and standardised perioperative outcomes over the period 2018-2023. Returned citation lists were examined seeking additional studies to contextualise our narrative synthesis of results. Articles were retrieved encompassing the following outcome domains: patient comfort, renal, sepsis and infection, postoperative cancer, cardiovascular, and pulmonary and mortality outcomes. Convincing evidence of the beneficial effect of epidural analgesia on patient comfort after major open thoracoabdominal surgery outcomes was identified. Recent evidence of benefit in the prevention of pulmonary complications and mortality was identified. Despite mechanistic plausibility and supportive observational evidence, there is less certain experimental evidence to support a role for neuraxial techniques impacting on other outcome domains. Evidence of positive impact of neuraxial techniques is best established for the domains of patient comfort, pulmonary complications, and mortality, particularly in the setting of major open thoracoabdominal surgery. Recent evidence does not strongly support a significant impact of neuraxial techniques on cancer, renal, infection, or cardiovascular outcomes after noncardiac surgery in most patient groups., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recommendations suggest favouring regional over general anaesthesia to reduce impact on postoperative sleep apnoea severity, but there is currently no evidence to support this. We compared the impact of general vs spinal anaesthesia on postoperative sleep apnoea severity and assessed the evolution of sleep apnoea severity up to the third postoperative night., Methods: This post hoc analysis used pooled data from two previous randomised controlled trials in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty under general or spinal anaesthesia (n=96), without performing a preliminary power analysis. All participants underwent respiratory polygraphy before surgery and on the first and third postoperative nights. The primary outcomes were the supine apnoea-hypopnea index on the first postoperative night and the evolution of the supine apnoea-hypopnea index up to the third postoperative night. Secondary outcomes included the oxygen desaturation index on the first and third postoperative nights., Results: In the general and spinal anaesthesia groups, mean (95% confidence interval) values for the supine apnoea-hypopnoea index on the first postoperative night were 20 (16-25) and 21 (16-26) events h -1 (P=0.82), respectively; corresponding values on the third postoperative night were 34 (22-45) and 35 (20-49) events h -1 (P=0.91). The generalised estimating equations model showed a significant time effect. Secondary outcomes were similar in the two groups., Conclusions: Use of spinal anaesthesia compared with general anaesthesia was not associated with a reduction in postoperative sleep apnoea severity, which was worse on the third postoperative night., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT02717780 and NCT02566226., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Abstract Background Evidence regarding the relationship between the type of anaesthesia and length of hospital stay is controversial. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate whether the type of anaesthesia was independently related to the length of hospital stay in patients undergoing unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) after adjusting for other covariates. Methods The present study was a cohort study. A total of 2622 participants underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at a hospital in Singapore from 2013 to 1-1 to 2014-6-30. The target independent variable and the dependent variable were two types of anaesthesia and length of hospital stay, respectively. The covariates included age, BMI, hemoglobin (Hb), length of stay (LOS), duration of surgery, sex, ethnicity, American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) Status, smoking, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), diabetes mellitus (DM), DM on insulin, ischemic heart disease (IHD), congestive cardiac failure (CCF), cerebrovascular accident (CVA), creatinine > 2 mg/dl, day of week of operation. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were performed on the variables that might influence the choice of the two types of anaesthesia and the LOS. This association was then tested by subgroup analysis using hierarchical variables. Results The average age of 2366 selected participants was 66.57 ± 8.23 years old, and approximately 24.18% of them were male. The average LOS of all enrolled patients was 5.37 ± 4.87 days, 5.92 ± 6.20 days for patients receiving general anaesthesia (GA) and 5.09 ± 3.98 days for patients receiving regional anaesthesia (RA), P 6 days was 45% higher for GA than for RA (OR = 1.45, 95% CI (1.15, 1.84)), P

General anaesthesia (GA) is known to affect the circadian clock. However, the mechanisms that underlie GA-induced shifting of the clock are less well understood. Activation of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-type A receptors (GABAAR) in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) can phase shift the clock and thus GABA and its receptors represent a putative pathway via which GA exerts its effect on the clock. Here, we investigated the concurrent effects of the inhalational anaesthetic, isoflurane, and light, on mouse behavioural locomotor rhythms and on α1, β3, and γ2 GABAAR subunit expression in the SCN of the mouse brain. Behavioural phase shifts elicited by exposure of mice to four hours of GA (2% isoflurane) and light (400 lux) (n = 60) were determined by recording running wheel activity rhythms in constant conditions (DD). Full phase response curves for the effects of GA + light on behavioural rhythms show that phase shifts persist in anaesthetized mice exposed to light. Daily variation was detected in all three GABAAR subunits in LD 12:12. The γ2 subunit expression was significantly increased following GA in DD (compared to light alone) at times of large behavioural phase delays. We conclude that the phase shifting effect of light on the mouse clock is not blocked by GA administration, and that γ2 may potentially be involved in the phase shifting effect of GA on the clock. Further analysis of GABAAR subunit expression in the SCN will be necessary to confirm its role.

Background: Recurrence is common after surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer and is multifactorial. Perioperative factors affecting stress and inflammation have an influence on immunity and thus cancer recurrence. The effect of peri-operative epidural anesthesia has been quoted to be beneficial by decreasing stress. A retrospective analysis of perioperative Epidural analgesia use (EA) was compared to general anesthesia (GA) without epidural, with disease free survival (DFS)as the outcome. Methods: We did a retrospective observational study of patients with epithelial ovarian malignancy who had undergone surgery between 2013 and 2017. Cohorts were primarily divided based on receipt of epidural analgesia. Perioperative patient, anesthetic, and tumor related data were collected. The aim was to estimate the association of epidural analgesia with disease free survival (DFS). To prevent bias due to skewed covariate distribution propensity score match was done matching all covariates. Results: We had 312 patients with age ranging from 18 to 77. The median DFS in months was 32.73±25.6 for the entire cohort while it was 54.81±28.69 for the GA group and 27.23±21.84 for EA group. After PSM median DFS was 35.33 for the full cohort and it was 46 and 34 months for the GA and EA groups, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that only patients who were undergoing primary surgery had survival advantage (P

Background: A balanced anaesthetic protocol is a common concept in modern veterinary anaesthesia and aims to maintain good intraoperative cardiopulmonary function. In horses, alpha-2-agonists produce sedation and analgesia and have been shown to reduce inhalational anaesthetic requirements when administered intravenously. Furthermore, these drugs can improve recovery quality. Preliminary investigations of subcutaneous dexmedetomidine administration in humans demonstrated a reduced haemodynamic impact if compared with the intravenous route suggesting that dexmedetomidine is adequately absorbed with both administration routes. The aim of the study was to compare two different dexmedetomidine (DEX) administration routes: intravenous constant rate infusion (CRI) versus repeated subcutaneous (SC) injections on cardiopulmonary function and recovery in anaesthetized horses. Results: No significant differences between groups in heart rate and systolic arterial pressure were detected. A significantly higher mean and diastolic arterial pressure were detected in the SC group at T25 (p = 0.04; p = 0.02), T75 (p = 0.02; p = 0.009), and T85 (p = 0.001; p = 0.005). In SC group there was a significantly lower dobutamine infusion rate (p = 0.03) and a significantly higher urinary output (p = 0.02). Moreover, recovery quality was higher (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Cardiopulmonary effects in both groups were comparable and within clinical ranges with less dobutamine requirement in the subcutaneous group. Recovery was of better quality with fewer attempts in horses receiving subcutaneous dexmedetomidine. The present study suggests that intravenous constant rate infusion and subcutaneous repeated administration of dexmedetomidine at indicated dosage can be useful in balanced anaesthesia without any systemic or local adverse effects; moreover, in healthy horses undergoing general anaesthesia, repeated subcutaneous dexmedetomidine administration may be a suitable alternative if constant rate infusion is not feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: General anaesthesia with endotracheal intubation, being one of the most commonly performed procedures in clinical anaesthesiology, is not without adverse effects. Postoperative Sore Throat (POST) is one of the common adverse effects with a varying incidence. Prophylactic management of POST is recommended to improve the quality of postanaesthesia care and recovery. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative nebulisation with magnesium sulphate and budesonide in reducing the incidence and severity of POST. Materials and Methods: This randomised double-blinded control study was conducted in the Department of Anaesthesiology at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur, India, from September 2021 to December 2021. The study included 120 patients, of either sex, aged between 20-60 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade I and II posted for elective surgery requiring general anaesthesia with endotracheal intubation. The patients were randomly divided into three groups of 40 patients each. Group M was nebulised with 250 mg magnesium sulphate, Group B with 250 mcg budesonide and Group S was nebulised with normal saline, 15 minutes prior to the induction of anaesthesia. Incidence and severity of POST was documented at 0 hr, 2 hrs, 24 hrs and 48 hrs postextubation on a 0-3 score. Data collected was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 and the results were then statistically analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Chi-square test. Results: The incidence of POST was more in saline group when compared with budesonide and magnesium sulphate group at all points of observation (0 hr, 2 hrs, 24 hrs and 48 hrs). The severity of POST was moderate in saline group while the other two groups experienced mild severity. This was statistically significant at 0 hr, 2 hrs and 24 hrs (p-value <0.05). But at 48 hrs severity of POST among the three groups was not significant. Conclusion: Preoperative nebulisation with magnesium sulphate and budesonide significantly reduces the incidence and severity of postoperative sore throat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cardiovascular responses to direct laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation have been well documented and are caused by noxious stimuli. A videolaryngoscope facilitates visualisation of the vocal cords with minimal stretch on the airways. Aim: To compare the haemodynamic responses to endotracheal intubation with videolaryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy in hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: A randomised clinical trial conducted in 90 hypertensive patients. The patients were divided into two groups-Group D in whom conventional (Macintosh) direct laryngoscopy was used and Group V in whom (C-MAC) videolaryngoscopy was used. Haemodynamic parameters were monitored postintubation and to also study the number of intubation attempts, total time taken for intubation, assessment of Cormack-Lehane grade (C-L grade) between C-MAC videolaryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy. Between the group analyses done using student's t-test. Multiple paired t-test was used for within group data analysis. Chi-square was used to compare categorical data between the two groups. The p<0.05 will be considered statistically significant. Results: There was no significant difference in haemodynamic response to intubation between both videolaryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy groups after intubation (p>0.05). Glottic visualisation was significantly better in videolaryngoscopy group using C-L grade (p-value=0.0313). There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect total time taken for laryngoscopy (p-value=0.072). Conclusion: Videolaryngocopy does not have any added advantage over direct laryngoscopy as per Haemodynamic response is considered. Though the visualisation of the glottis is better with videolaryngoscope, duration of laryngoscopy does not differ from routine laryngoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Remimazolam is a new rapid offset benzodiazepine used for procedural sedation and general anaesthesia. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of i.v. bolus remimazolam during induction of anaesthesia.Methods: A total of 120 patients undergoing general anaesthesia were randomly allocated into six dose groups (n=20) of i.v. bolus remimazolam (0.02-0.27 mg kg-1). Loss of consciousness, respiratory depression, patient state index (PSI), and haemodynamic variables were evaluated during anaesthetic induction. Parametric time-to-event models were used to identify the 50% effective dose (ED50)/95% effective dose (ED95) associated with loss of consciousness and respiratory depression. Non-linear mixed-effect models analysed the PSI and haemodynamic changes after i.v. bolus remimazolam.Results: Loss of consciousness and respiratory depression onset showed steep dose-responses with ED50/ED95 of 0.11/0.19 and 0.14/0.27 mg kg-1 and Hill coefficients of 5.3 and 4.6, respectively. Older age was significantly associated with lower ED50/ED95 for both endpoints. ED50/ED95 and the Hill coefficient of PSI decline were 0.12/0.68 mg kg-1 and 1.7, respectively. We propose optimal doses of 0.25-0.33, 0.19-0.25, and 0.14-0.19 mg kg-1 in patients aged <40, 60-80, and >80 yr, respectively, based on the ED95 estimates for the corresponding age groups. The maximum percentage reduction of MAP was 27.8% and the ED50/ED95 were 0.14/2.60 mg kg-1. The effect of remimazolam on heart rate was insignificant.Conclusions: The ED50/ED95s of i.v. bolus remimazolam were successfully estimated from the time to loss of consciousness and respiratory depression. No serious adverse events occurred within the range of tested doses.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04901871. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traditional open surgeries are progressing to minimally invasive keyhole laparoscopic surgeries. Simultaneously, airway management of patients has also progressed from insufflations to endotracheal intubation (ETT) to lesser invasive devices like Pro Seallary ngeal mask airway (PLMA). Hence, the present study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of PLMA with the standard PVC endotracheal tube in patients posted for elective laparoscopic abdominal surgery under general anaesthesia. Method: Total 60 adult patients of ASA grade I or II, age between 18-60 years were enrolled in the study and divided into two equal groups. Group P was proseal laryngeal mask airway group and group E underwent endotracheal intubation. The ease and time for insertion, hemodynamic stress response and postoperative laryngopharyngeal morbidity was notedand compared between two groups. Results: The time required to insert the PLMA was less(16.96 seconds) than that of endotracheal tube (22.16 seconds). In group P, insertion was easy (first attempt) in 90% and in group E, 86.6% patients. Hemodynamic response was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the PLMA group upto five minutes of insertion of device. Mean time required passing the nasogastric tube in group P was 10.66 seconds and in group E was 20.23 seconds. Postoperative laryngopharyngeal morbidity was less (9.9%) with the PLMA than the endotracheal tube (53.3%). Intraoperative oxygenation and ventilation was adequate in both the groups. Conclusion: Thus, the proseal laryngeal mask airway proved to be a suitable and safe alternative to endotracheal tube for airway management in elective, fasted adult patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: This study was designed to compare the efficacy of Macintosh laryngoscope-guided insertion of I-gelTM with the conventional blind insertion technique. Methods: A total of 156 adult patients scheduled to undergo elective surgery under general anaesthesia were included.All participants were randomly divided into two groups; I-gelTM was inserted with conventional blind and Macintosh laryngoscopic-guided technique in group A and B respectively. The primary objective of the study was to determine the incidence of optimal positioning in both the groups based on fibreoptic bronchoscope score of the glottic view. Oropharyngeal leak pressure, haemodynamic parameters and insertion characteristics were also compared.Categorical data were presented as ratio or percentage, continuous data were presented as mean ± standard deviation or median (95% confidence interval). The strength of association between insertion technique and the anatomical fit of the device was calculated by relative risk ratio. Results: Fibreoptic scores were significantly better in laryngoscope-guided insertion group when compared to the blind insertion group (P < 0.0001). The incidence of malposition was 3.85% in the laryngoscopic insertion group and 39.4% in the blind insertion (P < 0.0001). Oropharyngeal leak pressure was higher in laryngoscope-guided insertion group than in blind insertion group (26.89 ± 3.37 cm H2O versus 24.42 ± 3.00 cm H2O; P < 0.0001).Other insertion characteristics except time taken to insert the device were comparable in both groups. Conclusion: When compared to the standard blind insertion technique, laryngoscope-guided insertion of I-gelTM results in better alignment with the laryngeal inlet providing a proper anatomical fit and better airway seal pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A substantial number of pregnant women require anaesthesia for non-obstetric surgery, but the risk to fetal heart development is unknown. We assessed the relationship between first trimester anaesthesia and risk of congenital heart defects in offspring.Methods: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study of 2 095 300 pregnancies resulting in live births in hospitals of Quebec, Canada, between 1990 and 2016. We identified women who received general or local/regional anaesthesia in the first trimester, including anaesthesia between 3 and 8 weeks post-conception, the critical weeks of fetal cardiogenesis. The main outcome measures were critical and non-critical heart defects in offspring. We estimated risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of first trimester anaesthesia with congenital heart defects, using log-binomial regression models adjusted for maternal characteristics.Results: There were 107.3 congenital heart defects per 10 000 infants exposed to anaesthesia, compared with 87.2 per 10 000 unexposed infants. Anaesthesia between 3 and 8 weeks post-conception was associated with 1.50 times the risk of congenital heart defects (95% CI 1.11-2.03), compared with no anaesthesia. Anaesthesia between 5 and 6 weeks post-conception was associated with 1.84 times the risk (95% CI 1.10-3.08). Associations were driven mostly by general anaesthesia, which was associated with 2.49 times the risk between weeks 5 and 6 post-conception (95% CI 1.40-4.44).Conclusions: General anaesthesia during critical periods of fetal heart development may increase the risk of congenital heart defects. Further research is needed to confirm that anaesthetic agents are cardiac teratogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal preoxygenation (PO) prior to tracheal intubation reduces the risk of arterial desaturation and prolongs the period of safe apnoea. The common methods of PO are mask ventilation with 100% O2 for 3–5 minutes or, alternatively, asking the patient to take eight deep breaths in a minute. Our study group conducted a prospective study to assess the impact of the most common risk factors on PO and to compare the efficiency of PO in patients undergoing elective and emergency abdominal surgery without premedication. PO was performed using mask ventilation with 6 l/min of 100% oxygen for 5 minutes. End-tidal oxygen (EtO2) was documented in 30-second increments. We found that optimal PO (EtO2 > 90%) was not achieved by almost half of the patients (46%) and that this was more common in the elective surgery group. Effective PO was not impacted by any of the evaluated risk factors for suboptimal oxygenation. Despite these findings, we believe that the identification of potential risk factors is crucial in the pre-anaesthesia stage, given the benefits of optimal PO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is used more often in today's anaesthesia practice. Smooth and successful insertion needs proper mouth opening and minimal or no airway reflexes such as gagging, coughing, or laryngospasm. Induction agents like propofol and etomidate are known to blunt the laryngeal reflexes but often patient movement, coughing, and gagging create an unpleasant situation. Aim: To assess the effects of Suxamethonium 0.25 mg/kg, and 0.5 mg/kg, and placebo (normal saline) on the facilitation of laryngeal mask airway insertion along with Etomidate as an induction agent in order to achieve hemodynamic stability and fewer complications Materials and Methods: A total of 90 adult patients, American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) class I-II, scheduled for minor surgery under general anaesthesia were included in double-blind randomised controlled study, conducted from December 2021 to February 2022. The total participants were randomly allocated into three groups (Normal Saline (NS), S1 and S2). The group NS (placebo) received normal saline, and Group S1 and S2 received injections of Suxamethonium 0.25 mg/kg, or 0.5 mg/kg, respectively. Induction of anaesthesia was performed with a bolus dose of etomidate 0.3 mg/kg. Study drugs were administered when the patient had lost consciousness. Laryngeal mask airway size 3 or 4 (as appropriate) was inserted. Relaxation of the jaw, coughing, gagging, laryngospasm, and any patient movements was observed during the insertion of LMA. The overall insertion conditions were graded according to modified scheme of Lund and Stovner. The statistical analysis was carried out by using chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and Bonferroni's t-test. Results: A total of 89 patients were analysed (Group NS: n=29, group S1: n=30, Group S2: n=30). Good jaw relaxation (absolutely relaxed with no muscle tone) was noted in 16 patients of Group S2, 12 in Group S1, and 2 in Group NS (p<0.001). There was significant difference in coughing and gagging among the three groups (p=0.041). However, in the group NS, eight patients had mild movement and six had moderate movement during the insertion of LMA (p=0.002). Overall insertion conditions were better in suxamethonium groups (p=0.0001). Conclusion: Etomidate as the sole induction agent for LMA insertion is not ideal. Concurrent use of a low dose of suxamethonium (0.5 mg/kg) might significantly obtund the airway reflexes in response to LMA insertion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the functional outcomes in terms of active range of motion for tendon repair surgeries under wideawake local anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia. Study design: Comparative prospective study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Dr Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi Pakistan, from Jan to Sep 2020. Methodology: Patients of either gender of age 15 years or above with hand injuries with tendon repair required, operated within the hospital premises were included in the study using the non-probability consecutive sampling technique. Individuals who were operated on under wide-awake local anaesthesia were taken as approach arms (n=65). While the patients undergoing tendon repair under general anaesthesia were considered as the study's control arm (n=65). The final functional outcomes were assessed in the sixth week of the surgery by calculating the total active range of motion. Results: For the range of motion of the injured finger in the general anaesthesia group, 25 (38.5%) had excellent outcomes, 14 (21.5%) had a good outcome, and 8 (12.3%) had fair outcomes, while in the WALANT group, 30 (46.2%) had excellent outcome, 16 (24.6%) had a good outcome and 12 (18.5%) had a fair outcome. There was no relationship between the range of motion of the injured finger and the group (p=0.101). Conclusion: The functional outcomes in active range of motion are better in the WALANT approach than in general anaesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Postoperative delirium is the worst patient outcome. Elderly patients undergoing orthopaedic procedures under general anaesthesia are highly liable to experience delirium. Several studies supported melatonin use for the prevention of delirium. This work evaluated the prophylactic efficiency of melatonin for postoperative delirium in patients with multifactorial risk for developing delirium as elderly undergoing orthopaedic trauma surgery under general anaesthesia. Methods: This double-blinded prospective randomized comparative study was conducted on 80 elderly patients subjected to orthopaedic interventions under general anaesthesia. Patients were randomized into group M (Melatonin group) and group NM (Non-melatonin group). Group M received 5 mg melatonin while group NM received placebo. The study drugs were given preoperatively and for the first 3 postoperative days. For the incidence of delirium, patients were evaluated using the Abbreviated Mental Test. The Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia, sedation scores, and changes in hemodynamics were recorded. Results: The incidence of delirium was significantly lower postoperatively in M group (25%) relative to NM group (52.5%) (P < .001, OR = 2.3. 95% CI = -0.44, + 1.23). Abbreviated Mental Test scores at postanaesthesia care unit and day 0 showed a highly significant differences. However, Abbreviated Mental Test scores had no significant difference within the 3 postoperative days. Heart rate was significantly lower in M group after 50 minutes from the start of surgery. Mean blood pressure, Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia, and sedation scores showed insignificant differences. Conclusion: Perioperative melatonin treatment could reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium in the studied population, and it could be considered a prophylactic medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation are frequently associated with sympathetic stress response. Lignocaine and esmolol are useful to decrease the sympathetic response to laryngoscopy and intubation. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to study the effectiveness of lignocaine and esmolol administered intravenously before laryngoscopy and intubation in attenuating the sympathetic response. Materials and Methods: The prospective, randomized, and controlled study was conducted in Maharajah’s Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital for a period of 18 months from January 2016 to June 2017. A clinical comparative study of attenuation of sympathetic response to laryngoscopy and intubation was done in 90 patients posted for elective surgeries. The sample size estimation is calculated based on findings from the previous study done by Singh et al., (2013).Group I was control group. In this group, no drug was administered. Group II was lignocaine group. Here, patients received 1.5mg/kg lignocaine i.v. bolus. Group III was esmolol group. All patients in this group received 2mg/kg i.v. bolus. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive data presented as Mean±SD and in percentage. Pair-wise comparison between the groups was done by “Z” test. For all tests,“Z” value of >1.96 was considered significant and “P’ <0.05” was considered significant. Results: Esmolol at a bolus dose of 2mg/kg i.v. administered 3 min before laryngoscopy and intubation is more efficient than lignocaine given at a dose of 1.5mg/kg. Conclusions: Esmolol at bolus dose of 2mg/kg i.v. administered can be recommended to attenuate sympathetic responses due to laryngoscopy and intubation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The advisory system SmartPilot® View (Drägerwerk AG, Lübeck, Germany) provides real-time, demographically adjusted pharmacodynamic information throughout anaesthesia, including time course of effect-site concentrations of administered drugs and a measure of potency of the combined drug effect termed the "'Noxious Stimulation Response Index' (NSRI). This dual-centre, prospective, observational study assesses whether the availability of SmartPilot® View alters the behaviour of anaesthetic drug titration of anaesthetists and improves the Anaesthesia Quality Score (AQS; percentage of time spent with MAP 60-80 mm Hg and Bispectral Index [BIS] 40-60 [blinded]).Methods: We recruited 493 patients scheduled for elective surgery in two university centres. A control group (CONTROL; n=170) was enrolled to observe drug titration in current practice. Thereafter, an intervention group was enrolled, for which SmartPilot® View was made available to optimise drug titration (SPV; n=188). The AQS, haemodynamic and hypnotic effects, recovery times, pain scores, and other parameters were compared between groups.Results: There were 358 patients eligible for analysis. Anaesthesia quality score was similar between CONTROL and SPV (median AQS [Q1-Q3]) 25.3% [7.4-41.5%] and 22.2% [8.0-44.4%], respectively; P=0.898). Compared with CONTROL, SPV patients had less severe hypotension and hypertension, less BIS <40, faster tracheal extubation, and lower early postoperative pain scores.Conclusions: Adding SmartPilot® View information did not affect average drug titration behaviour. However, small improvements in control of MAP and BIS and early recovery suggest improved titration for some patients without increasing the risk of overdosing or underdosing.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT01467167. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate patterns of comprehensive dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA) for healthy children in Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. The treatment records of healthy paediatric patients who received dental treatment under GA from February 2017 to January 2021 were reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups: (1) less than 6 years old and (2) 6 to 16 years old. Patients' characteristics were summarised using descriptive statistics while an independent t-test was applied to investigate the influence of "age group" on treatment duration, number of procedures and use of various restorative materials. A total of 125 paediatric patients (67 boys and 58 girls) were included. The patients' mean age at the time they underwent GA was 5.77 ± 1.94 years old and the average duration of dental treatment was 62.58 minutes. There was a significant difference in the duration of treatment between the two age groups (p < 0.05). Tooth extraction was the most dental procedure performed (63.31%). The 6 to 16 years old group had a significantly shorter treatment duration (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in all procedures (extraction, restoration, preventive and pulp therapy) and the utilisation of composite, glass ionomer cement (GIC) and compomer in both groups. The use of stainless steel crown (SSC) restorations was significantly higher in the less than six years old group (p < 0.05). Most of the dental procedures performed under GA on healthy children were extraction procedures. Children less than six years of old had a longer treatment duration under GA. Composite restorations and SSC were more frequently used in primary dentition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dexmedetomidine is a widely used alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonist in perioperative patient care. Its postsynaptic activation of the receptors in the central nervous system is responsible for reduced neuronal firing with resultant sedation, anxiolysis, analgesia, hypotension and bradycardia leading to effective stress response attenuation seen during laryngoscopy and orotracheal intubation. Major head and neck surgeries demand nasotracheal intubation which is more stressful than orotracheal as it traverses through the nasopharynx which is very pain-sensitive. This is to protect the airway in the immediate postoperative period from oedema or haematoma in the oral cavity or neck. Though its stress response attenuation, haemodynamic stability during the intraoperative period following orotracheal intubation has been well studied, its role in the prevention of emergence delirium and tube tolerance following nasotracheal intubation in major head and neck surgery is not found in the literature. Our aim was to evaluate whether dexmedetomidine effectively attenuates the stress response following nasotracheal intubation, perioperative haemodynamic fluctuations and quality of emergence in patients undergoing head and neck oncosurgeries. Methods: A total of 150 patients were randomly assigned to one of the two groups; group D (dexmedetomidine group) and group S (control group with saline). Group D patients received a bolus dose of dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg in 10 ml saline over 10 mts before induction of GA followed by an infusion at 0.4 μ/kg/h during surgery. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 11.0 (SPSS Ltd., Chicago, IL). Categorical data were represented using frequencies and percentages. Continuous variables were represented using mean and standard deviation. The association between categorical variables was assessed using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test, and continuous variables following normality assumption with respect to the two groups were assessed using an independent sample t-test. P value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Patients in the D group showed statistically significant attenuation of heart rate (P < 0.05) and blood pressure (P < 0.05) throughout the surgical period compared to saline. Also, there was a significant reduction in blood loss (P = 0.042), cough score (P = 0.001) and sedation score (P = 0.001) in the D group. Conclusions: We conclude that a bolus dose of dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg given 10 min before induction of anaesthesia followed by an infusion at 0.4 μg/kg/h during surgery effectively attenuates the haemodynamic responses during nasotracheal intubation and provides smooth emergence as evidenced by reduced coughing, agitation and arousable sedation without respiratory depression which facilitates tube tolerance following major head and neck oncosurgeries. Blood loss was also found to be significantly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To compare the postoperative analgesic effect of propofol total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) versus inhalational anaesthesia (GAS) in patients using morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed in a single tertiary university hospital. Adult patients who used PCA morphine after general anaesthesia across 15 types of surgeries were included. Patients who received propofol TIVA were compared to those who had inhalational anaesthesia. Primary outcomes assessed were postoperative numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores and postoperative opioid consumption. Results: Data from 4202 patients were analysed. The overall adjusted NRS pain scores were significantly lower in patients who received propofol TIVA at rest (GEE: β estimate of the mean on a 0 to 10 scale = -0.56, 95% CI = (-0.74 to -0.38), p < 0.001; GAS as reference group) and with movement (β estimate = -0.89, 95% CI = (-1.1 to -0.69), p < 0.001) from postoperative days (POD) 1–3. Propofol TIVA was associated with lower overall adjusted postoperative morphine consumption (β estimate = -3.45, 95% CI = (-4.46 to -2.44), p < 0.001). Patients with propofol TIVA had lower adjusted NRS pain scores with movement for hepatobiliary/pancreatic (p < 0.001), upper gastrointestinal (p < 0.001) and urological surgeries (p = 0.005); and less adjusted postoperative morphine consumption for hepatobiliary/pancreatic (p < 0.001), upper gastrointestinal (p = 0.006) and urological surgeries (p = 0.002). There were no differences for other types of surgeries. Conclusion: Propofol TIVA was associated with statistically significant, but small reduction in pain scores and opioid consumption in patients using PCA morphine. Subgroup analysis suggests clinically meaningful analgesia possibly for hepatobiliary/pancreatic and upper gastrointestinal surgeries. Trial registration: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03875872). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pain associated with surgical or enzymatic burn wound debridement prevents many burn centres from working outside an operating theatre, creating a burden. Alternatives for general anaesthesia to manage pain in burn patients treated with enzymatic debridements, such as regional anaesthesia, have not been studied in detail. This study explores the different possibilities for pain management during a bedside NexoBrid™ procedure.Material and Methods: We performed a single-centre retrospective study that included 82 paediatric, adolescent, and adult patients with deep dermal and full-thickness burns treated bedside with NexoBrid™ under regional or general anaesthesia. Outcome measures were pain during the NexoBrid™ procedure, the safety of the anaesthesia and the NexoBrid™ procedure, logistics of the bedside NexoBrid™ procedure, and time to wound closure.Results: Forty-three patients in the adult group (43/67, 64%) only presented with burn wounds on one upper or the one or two lower extremities. In 29 of them (29/43, 67%), a NexoBrid™ procedure was performed under regional anaesthesia, which resulted in low pain levels without any adverse events. All seven patients in the paediatric group, where only one upper or one or two lower limbs were involved (7/15, 47%), underwent a NexoBrid™ procedure performed under regional anaesthesia where no adverse events were reported. In these children, the use of regional anaesthesia was associated with a significant decrease in time to wound closure (average treatment effect on the treated = -22.5 days, p = 0.021).Conclusion: This study highlights that regional anaesthesia administered at the bedside should be the method of choice for pain management during NexoBrid™ procedures because often, it can be adequately and safely performed in all age groups. This approach will reduce the burden on operating theatres. A flow chart has been developed to guide pain management during a NexoBrid™ procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Propofol contributes largely in the rapid evolution of day care surgery due to its superior recovery characteristics. However, it is associated with dose-dependent systemic arterial hypotension which increases morbidity and mortality. Bispectral index (BIS) is an Electroencephalographic (EEG) derived parameter used to assess the depth of anaesthesia. Titrating drugs to a specific BIS value during general anaesthesia allows to adjust the dose of anaesthetic needed by the patient thereby, reducing the dose related side-effects. Aim: To determine whether the dose of propofol guided BIS values causes less arterial hypotension than the commonly used sleep dose method. Materials and Methods: The present study was a randomised control trial conducted on 92 patients of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I and II physical status, aged 18-60 years, of both genders, scheduled for elective surgeries under general anaesthesia and were randomly divided into group A and B (46 in each). For induction of anaesthesia, group A received propofol till the BIS values reached 50±1 for 30 seconds, while group B received sleep dose of propofol without BIS monitoring. Haemodynamic effects Heart Rate (HR), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) and Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) were recorded at baseline, during induction and at 1,5, 10 and 15 minutes after intubation. Total propofol consumption and secondarily, level of sedation after extubation using Ramsay Sedation Scale were also measured in both the groups. Results: The total dose requirement of propofol was reduced significantly in group A compared to group B (p<0.005). Blood pressure decreased from the baseline in both the groups following induction with propofol but was insignificant. The HR increased by 2.2% in group A while it decreased by 8.5% in group B but was insignificant (p>0.005). On arrival to Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU), group A were more co-operative, oriented patients compared to group B (67.4% vs 32.6, respectively. Conclusion: The BIS monitoring significantly reduces the consumption of propofol for induction of anaesthesia while the incidence of hypotension was similar in both the groups. Lower sedation level with comparatively better extubation score with the use of BIS helps in fast tracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaesthetic choice for large joint surgery can impact postoperative outcomes, including mortality. The extent to which the impact of anaesthetic choice on postoperative mortality varies within patient populations and the extent to which anaesthetic choice is changing over time remain under-explored both internationally and in the diverse New Zealand context. In a national study of 199,211 hip and knee replacement procedures conducted between 2005 and 2017, we compared postoperative mortality among those receiving general, regional or general plus regional anaesthesia. Focusing on unilateral (n=86,467) and partial (n=13,889) hip replacements, we assessed whether some groups within the population are more likely to receive general, regional or general plus regional anaesthesia than others, and whether mortality risk varies depending on anaesthetic choice. We also examined temporal changes in anaesthetic choice over time. Those receiving regional alone or general plus regional for unilateral hip replacement appeared at increased risk of 30-day mortality compared to general anaesthesia alone, even after adjusting for differences in terms of age, ethnicity, deprivation, rurality, comorbidity, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status score and admission type (e.g. general plus regional: adjusted hazard ratio (adj. HR)=1.94, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.32 to 2.84). By contrast, we observed lower 30-day mortality among those receiving regional anaesthesia alone compared to general alone for partial hip replacement (adj. HR=0.86, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.97). The latter observation contrasts with declining temporal trends in the use of regional anaesthesia alone for partial hip replacement procedures. However, we recognise that postoperative mortality is one perioperative factor that drives anaesthetic choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of the study. Uncooperative children stand for a problem in paediatric dental practice, because dental rehabilitation cannot be achieved without difficulty. This paper emphasis on problems encountered in every day practice after children rehabilitation under general anaesthesia. Material and methods. 8 years old boy with cognitive and developmental problems with compromised dental status was treated under general anaesthesia in one day surgery. Results. Dental procedures performed under general anaesthesia must be follow by preventive regular appointment, with the purpose to increase patient compliance. For the first year after general anaesthesia, patient respect the preventive protocol but after that he abandons. Conclusions. General anaesthesia can help for uncooperative children dental rehabilitation, but active family involvement is necessary for accurate over time results.

Background: Dexmedetomidine is an alpha2 agonist which shows sedative, analgesic and anti-adrenergic effects and is useful as an adjuvant agent in general anaesthesia (GA) in major surgeries. Aims and Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the analgesic efficacy of intra-operative infusion of dexmedetomidine in alleviating post-operative pain in elective spine surgery using multiple efficacy parameters. Materials and Methods: Patients (n=60) scheduled to undergo elective spine surgery under GA were randomised to receive either dexmedetomidine (treatment arm) or normal saline (control arm) in the intra-operative period. The analgesic efficacy of the drug in the post-operative period was assessed using- the time to first rescue analgesic, total requirement of analgesic, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score and the number of back-up analgesic required. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the baseline clinical and demographic characteristics between the two groups. The time to first rescue analgesic, total requirement of analgesic, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score and the number of back-up analgesic required, were all statistically significant in favour of the treatment arm (P