Anju Grewal

A comparison of intrathecal dexmedetomidine, clonidine, and fentanyl as adjuvants to hyperbaric bupivacaine for lower limb surgery: A double blind controlled study

Background: Various adjuvants are being used with local anesthetics for prolongation of intraoperative and postoperative analgesia. Dexmedetomidine, the highly selective 2 adrenergic agonist is a new neuraxial adjuvant gaining popularity. Settings and Design: The study was conducted in prospective, double blind manner. It included 120 American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) class I and II patients undergoing lower limb surgery under spinal anesthesia after approval from hospital ethics committee with written and informed consent of patients. Materials and Methods: The patients were randomly allocated into four groups (30 patients each). Group BS received 12.5 mg hyperbaric bupivacaine with normal saline, group BF received 12.5 mg bupivacaine with 25 g fentanyl, group BC received 12.5 mg of bupivacaine supplemented 30 g clonidine, and group BD received 12.5 mg bupivacaine plus 5 g dexmedetomidine. The onset time to reach peak sensory and motor level, the regression time of sensory and motor block, hemodynamic changes, and side effects were recorded. Results: Patients in Group BD had significantly longer sensory and motor block times than patients in Groups BC, BF, and BS with Groups BC and BF having comparable duration of sensory and motor block. The mean time of two segment sensory block regression was 147 ± 21 min in Group BD, 117 ± 22 in Group BC, 119 ± 23 in Group BF, and 102 ± 17 in Group BS (P > 0.0001). The regression time of motor block to reach modified Bromage zero (0) was 275 ± 25, 199 ± 26, 196 ± 27, 161 ± 20 in Group BD, BC, BF, and BS, respectively (P > 0.0001). The onset times to reach T8 dermatome and modified Bromage 3 motor block were not significantly different between the groups. Dexmedetomidine group showed significantly less and delayed requirement of rescue analgesic. Conclusions: Intrathecal dexmedetomidine is associated with prolonged motor and sensory block, hemodynamic stability, and reduced demand of rescue analgesics in 24 h as compared to clonidine, fentanyl, or lone bupivacaine.

Preemptive analgesia with ketamine for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The aim of preemptive analgesia is to reduce central sensitization that arises from noxious inputs across the entire perioperative period. N-methyl d-aspartate receptor antagonists have the potential for attenuating central sensitization and preventing central neuroplasticity. Materials and Methods: Patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomized into four groups of 20 patients each, who were administered the study drug intravenously 30 min before incision. Groups A, B, and C received ketamine in a dose of 1.00, 0.75 and 0.50 mg/kg, respectively, whereas group D received isotonic saline. Anesthetic and surgical techniques were standardized. Postoperatively, the degree of pain at rest, movement, and deep breathing using visual analogue scale, time of request for first analgesic, total opioid consumption, and postoperative nausea and vomiting were recorded in postanesthesia care unit for 24 h. Results: Pain scores were highest in Group D at 0 h. Groups A, B, and C had significantly decreased postoperative pain scores at 0, 0.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 12 h. Postoperative analgesic consumption was significantly less in groups A, B, and C as compared with group D. There was no significant difference in the pain scores among groups A, B, and C. Group A had a significantly higher heart rate and blood pressure than groups B and C at 0 and 0.5 h along with 10% incidence of hallucinations. Conclusion: Preemptive ketamine has a definitive role in reducing postoperative pain and analgesic requirement in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The lower dose of 0.5 mg/kg being devoid of any adverse effects and hemodynamic changes is an optimal dose for preemptive analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Efficacy of intravenous fluid warming for maintenance of core temperature during lower segment cesarean section under spinal anesthesia

Introduction: Maintenance of body temperature of obstetrical patients undergoing cesarean section is complicated by a variety of factors including heat loss to atmosphere, infusion of fluids at room temperature, disruption of thermoregulatory mechanisms by epidural or spinal anesthesia and redistribution hypothermia. Infusion of warm fluids is an important method of heat conservation. Hence, we evaluated the efficacy of intravenous fluid warming in preventing hypothermia by observing the change in core temperature with intravenous fluids at room temperature (22°C and 39°C) in patients undergoing lower segment cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Materials and Methods: Sixty-four patients belonging to ASA grade I and II were randomly allocated to either of the two groups. Group I received intravenous fluids at room temperature (22°C) and group II received intravenous fluids via fluid warmer (39°C). Core temperature was recorded at every 1 min for the first 5 min, followed by 10 min till the end of surgery using a tympanic thermometer. Results: The mean decrease in core temperature in group I was -2.184 ± 0.413 and -1.934 ± 0.439 in group II. The comparison of group I and II showed a statistically significant difference in mean core temperatures at times 5, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 min and immediately on arrival in the recovery room. A lower incidence of shivering was seen in group II patients, but the difference in the two groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Infusion of warm intravenous fluids resulted in a lesser degree of fall in core temperature, thereby providing a significant temperature advantage; however, this did not translate to prevention of postoperative shivering.

Comparative study of epidural application of morphine versus gelfoam soaked in morphine for lumbar laminectomy.

Background: Epidural application of morphine has been used for postoperative analgesia following spine surgery but short duration of action of single application limits its widespread use. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty patients undergoing lumbar laminectomy were randomly allocated to two groups of 75 patients each. Anesthetic technique was standardized in both the groups. In Group I, at the completion of laminectomy, a 5 × 1-cm strip of gelfoam soaked in 5 mg morphine (1 mg/ml) was contoured to be placed in the epidural space whereas, in group II, gelfoam soaked in saline was placed in the epidural space and 5 mg morphine (1mg/ml) was instilled over the intact epidural space. Analgesic consumption for 48 hours, time-of first analgesic request, time of ambulation, time of discharge from post anesthesia care unit (PACU) and hospital and adverse effects were recorded. The data was analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Results: Mean analgesic consumption in 48 hours was significantly less in group I (8.47 ± 3.674 mg) as compared to group II (24.80 ± 6.009 mg). Supplemental analgesia was requested at 30.03 ± 6.796 hours in Group I, vs 10.25 ± 2.243 in group II (P < 0.001). Group I patients were discharged earlier from PACU as compared to group II (P < 0.001) though time of discharge from hospital was similar in both the groups. There were no major adverse effects except pruritis, which was observed in 30.6% patients in group I and 37.3% in group II (statistically insignificant (P > 0.01)). Conclusion: Epidural application of morphine soaked in gelfoam is an effective method for prolonging the postoperative analgesia after spine surgery.

Regional anesthesia in patients with pregnancy induced hypertension

Pregnancy induced hypertension is a hypertensive disorder, which occurs in 5% to 7% of all pregnancies. These parturients present to the labour and delivery unit ranging from gestational hypertension to HELLP syndrome. It is essential to understand the various clinical conditions that may mimic preeclampsia and the urgency of cesarean delivery, which may improve perinatal outcome. The administration of general anesthesia (GA) increases morbidity and mortality in both mother and baby. The provision of regional anesthesia when possible maintains uteroplacental blood flow, avoids the complications with GA, improves maternal and neonatal outcome. The use of ultrasound may increase the success rate. This review emphasizes on the regional anesthetic considerations when such parturients present to the labor and delivery unit.

Anaesthetic management of two cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy

Anaesthetic management for caesarean section of a patient with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) can be challenging. In this case report, we describe the anaesthetic management of two cases of PPCM posted for emergency caesarean section. Anaesthetic management was directed towards optimization of myocardial contractility, preload and after load. No adverse events or complications were observed.

A comparative study on postoperative pain relief in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Intraperitoneal bupivacaine versus combination of bupivacaine and buprenorphine

Context: To assess the analgesic efficacy of the combination of bupivacaine and buprenorphine in alleviating postoperative pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Aims: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is comparatively advantageous as it offers less pain in the postoperative period and requires a shorter hospital stay. There are only a few studies performed to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of intraperitoneal instillation of buprenorphine and bupivacaine during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Settings and Design: The present research is a randomized, double-blind controlled study conducted in the Department of Anaesthesiology, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital Ludhiana, Punjab after formal ethical approval from Hospitals Ethics Committee. Subjects and Methods: This study analyzed 90 adults admitted for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. After the procedure, subjects were divided into three equal groups to conduct the study. Three Groups A, B, and C had intraperitoneal instillation of the 25 ml of physiological saline (0.9% normal saline), 0.25% of bupivacaine, 0.25% bupivacaine, and 0.3 mg buprenorphine, respectively. Necessary vitals were monitored and recorded. Visual analog scale (VAS) and verbal rating scale (VRS) scores were recorded and analyzed systematically. Statistical Analysis Used: All observations were analyzed using analysis of variance and Students t-test. Results: The mean pain scores were highest in Group A compared to Group B and Group C. Mean VAS and VRS scores were highest in Group C comparatively and lowest in Group A. Conclusion: Combination of buprenorphine and bupivacaine intraperitoneally is comparatively more effective in relieving postoperative pain in comparison to intraperitoneal instillation of bupivacaine alone for postoperative pain management after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Bilateral Infraorbital Nerve Block Versus Intravenous Pentazocine: A Comparative Study on Post-operative Pain Relief Following Cleft Lip Surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Infra orbital nerve block is utilized for postoperative pain control in children undergoing cleft lip repair. This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages of infra orbital nerve block and opioids for postoperative pain relief following cheiloplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty paediatric patients aged 3 months - 13 years undergoing cheiloplasty were selected by simple random sampling and were divided into two groups. All the children received standardized premedication with midazolam, were operated upon under general anaesthesia and the block was performed at the end of surgery before reversal. Group B patients were administered bilateral infra orbital nerve block with 0.25% Bupivacaine (upto 2 mg/kg). Group O patients received Pentazocine 0.5 mg / kg IV. Postoperatively, the heart rate and respiratory rates were recorded every 15 minutes for the first 60 minutes, half hourly till 4 hours and then at 12 and 24 hours. Behavioural assessment for pain / discomfort was done at intervals of ½, 1, 2, 3, 4, 12 and 24 hours. Need for supplementary analgesics and duration between the administration of block/opioid and the first dose of supplementary analgesics were noted. Side effects such as nausea and vomiting, pruritus, respiratory depression and bradycardia during each of these periods were noted. RESULTS Both the groups were comparable for age, sex, weight and operative time with no statistical difference. The mean duration of analgesia for infra orbital nerve block was 357.5 minutes i.e. 5 hours 58 minutes and that for opioid was 231 minutes i.e. 3 hours 51 minutes which was significantly lower than the hours of analgesia provided by the block. Further, at the 4th hour, 76.6% of the patients in Group O required supplementary analgesics, in contrast to only 16.6% in Group B. The incidence of nausea and vomiting and pruritus was also higher in Group O. CONCLUSION The results indicate that bilateral infra orbital nerve block provides effective analgesia in the postoperative period, lasting for 6 hours in comparison to 3½ - 4 hours following the administration of intravenous Pentazocine, with no major untoward effects.

Comparative efficacy of two different dosages of intrathecal magnesium sulphate supplementation in subarachnoid block.

BACKGROUND Spinal anaesthesia is the primary anaesthetic technique for many types of surgeries. Adjuncts to the local anaesthetics (LA) used in spinal anaesthesia can exhibit undesirable side-effects like respiratory depression, urinary retention, pruritis, haemodynamic instability and nausea and vomiting, limiting their use. Magnesium when used in therapeutic doses avoids all of these side-effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a randomized double blind study on 90 patients, 30 in each group, scheduled for orthopaedic lower limb surgery under subarachnoid block. Group I: received bupivacaine (0.5%), 12.5 mg + 0.5 ml of preservative free 0.9% normal saline, Group II received bupivacaine (0.5%), 12.5 mg + 0.2 ml (50 mg) of preservative free 25 % magnesium sulphate + 0.3 ml of preservative free 0.9% normal saline Group III: received bupivacaine (0.5%) 12.5 mg + 0.3 ml (75 mg) of 25 % magnesium sulphate + 0.2 ml of preservative free 0.9% normal saline for subarachnoid block. The onset and duration of sensory block, the highest dermatomal level of sensory block, motor block, time to complete motor block recovery and duration of spinal anaesthesia were recorded. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ANOVA was applied to determine the significance of difference between different groups. If p-value was significant then Turkeys Post Hoc Multicomparison test was applied. Values of p<0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS The time of maximum sensory block, time of onset of motor block, duration of sensory block, duration of motor block and time of analgesia request were prolonged in patients given magnesium 50mg and 75mg along with local anaesthetic intrathecally. CONCLUSION N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, magnesium when administered intrathecally along with local anaesthetics prolongs the duration of spinal analgesia without adverse effects.

Hemodynamic responses with different dose of ketamine and propofol in day care gynecological surgeries.

BACKGROUND Day care gynaecological surgeries mandate use of hemodynamically stable combination of commonly used intravenous agents, propofol & ketamine. Hence we proposed to evaluate the hemodynamic profile of different dose combination of propofol & ketamine as induction agents in ambulatory gynecological surgeries. MATERIAL & METHODS Thirty adult patients scheduled for day care gynecological surgeries were randomly divided into five Groups. Group I received inj. propofol 2mg/kg i.v + inj. Normal saline (NS); Group II received ketamine 2mg/kg i.v + inj. NS; Group III was given inj. Propofol 2mg/kg i.v followed by inj. Ketamine 1 mg/kg i.v.; Group IV received inj. Ketamine 2 mg/kg i.v followed by inj. propofol 1 mg/kg i.v; Group V received combination of inj. Propofol 1 mg/kg i.v and inj. Ketamine 1 mg/kg i.v. After administration of the drug, non invasive systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures, heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial oxygen saturation and ECG were recorded every minute for five minutes. RESULTS Statistically significant hemodynamic alterations were observed in Group I & II, with Group I having the highest incidence of apnea (23.3%). No significant changes in hemodynamics were seen in Group V. CONCLUSION We conclude that the combination of 1mg Propofol and 1mg ketamine produced better hemodynamic stability in comparison to other Groups.