Joon Hwa Hong

The effects of barrier materials on reduction of pericardial adhesion formation in rabbits: a comparative study of a hyaluronan-based solution and a temperature sensitive poloxamer solution/gel material.

OBJECTIVE This study was performed to examine the efficacy and safety of a hyaluronan solution (Guardix-SL) and a temperature sensitive poloxamer solution/gel material (Guardix-SG) on the prevention of pericardial adhesion in rabbits. METHODS A total of 60 rabbits were divided into three groups according to material applied after epicardial abrasion: the control group (group CO), the Guardix SL group (group SL), and the Guardix SG group (group SG). The ejection fraction and the presence of pericardial effusion were evaluated by echocardiograms at the immediate postoperative period and 2 wk after the surgery. The adhesion was evaluated macroscopically and microscopically 2 wk after the surgery. RESULTS In the group SG, mild pericardial effusions were observed only at the immediate postoperative period in 10 out of 20 rabbits with an insignificant reduction of the ejection fraction. Group CO had a significantly higher macroscopic adhesion and fibrosis score than did groups SL and SG (P < 0.001), and group SL had a significantly higher adhesion score than did group SG (P = 0.045). Inflammation score and the expression of anti-macrophage antibody in group CO were higher than those in groups SL and SG, although the differences were not significant. CONCLUSIONS Guardix-SL and Guardix-SG effectively reduced the adhesion formation, and Guardix-SG is more effective than Guardix-SL for preventing adhesion. However, Guardix-SG showed a potential disadvantage of decreasing the ejection fraction, although this was statistically insignificant. Further study to verify the appropriate dosage to maximize the therapeutic effect without decreasing the heart function is needed.

Pre- and intraoperative lidocaine injection for preemptive analgesics in laparoscopic gastrectomy: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND The preemptive intravenous injection of local anesthetics is known to improve postoperative pains in abdominal surgery. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of intravenous lidocaine injection and analyze the precise amount of pain by computerized patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) in patients who had undergone laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG). PATIENTS AND METHODS A double-blind placebo control study was designed, and 34 patients undergoing LADG for early gastric cancer were divided into two groups. Preoperatively and throughout the surgery, Group I received intravenous lidocaine injection, and Group C received normal saline injection for placebo. Postoperative outcomes, including the visual analog scale (VAS), the button hit counts (BHC) from PCA, and amount of fentanyl consumed, were measured. RESULTS The demographic data were similar between the groups. The VAS score, BHC, and fentanyl consumption were lower in Group I compared with Group C (P<.05). In particular, fentanyl consumption and BHC in Group I showed a significant decrease during the first 12 hours of the study (P<.05). Postoperative adverse events showed no difference except that nausea was more frequent in the placebo group (P=.039). CONCLUSIONS In this study, intravenous lidocaine injection showed a significant reduction in fentanyl consumption and pain during the earlier postoperative time with more favorable outcomes.

Postoperative respiratory complications and peak airway pressure during laparoscopic colectomy in patients with colorectal cancer.

To determine whether the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications increases in patients with high peak airway pressure (≥30 cm H2O) during laparoscopic colectomy, we investigated consecutive patients with colorectal cancer who had undergone laparoscopic colectomy. Of the 115 enrolled patients, 34 patients (30%) had peak airway pressure ≥30 cm H2O (an overload group). Compared with a nonoverload group (peak airway pressure <30 cm H2O), the overload group had a 5-fold greater incidence of postoperative respiratory complications and operations of longer duration, longer postanesthesia care unit stays, greater alveolar-arterial O2 differences, greater alveolar dead space-to-tidal volume ratios, and lower PaO2 measurements. Body mass index and preoperative alveolar-arterial O2 difference significantly affect higher peak airway pressure occurring during laparoscopic colectomy. Patients who had peak airway pressures ≥30 cm H2O during laparoscopic colectomy for colorectal cancer had higher incidence of postoperative respiratory complications than those whose peak airway pressures remained <30 cm H2O.