Indian journal of anaesthesia
-
Maintenance of adequate depth of anaesthesia in spine surgery is vital to prevent awareness, to reduce stress response and possible autonomic instability frequently associated with spine surgery. Dexmedetomidine, a α2-adrenoceptor agonist with analgesic and sedative adjuvant property has been found to reduce dose requirement of multiple anaesthetic agents both for induction and during the maintenance of anaesthesia. ⋯ Administration of dexmedetomidine significantly reduces the requirement of propofol while maintaining desired depth of anaesthesia without any significant complication.
-
Anaesthesia for spine surgeries is not only concerned with relieving pain during surgeries but also during the post-operative period. A prospective randomised study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of epidural route and to compare the efficacy and clinical profile of dexmedetomidine and clonidine as an adjuvant to ropivacaine, in epidural analgesia with special emphasis on their quality of analgesia and the ability to provide the smooth post-operative course. ⋯ Epidural route provided acceptable analgesia in spine surgeries and avoided the need of IV analgesics in either group. Dexmedetomidine is a better neuraxial adjuvant compared with clonidine for providing early onset and prolonged post-operative analgesia and stable cardiorespiratory parameters.
-
During paediatric cleft surgeries intraoperative heat loss is minimal and hence undertaking all possible precautions available to prevent hypothermia and use of active warming measures may result in development of hyperthermia. This study aims to determine whether there will be hyperthermia on active warming and hypothermia if no active warming measures are undertaken. The rate of intraoperative temperature changes with and without active warming was also noted. ⋯ In pediatric cleft surgeries, we recommend active warming during the first 30 minutes if the surgery is expected to last for <2h, and no such measures are required if the expected duration is >2h.
-
This case report exemplifies how the anaesthetic technique of general anesthesia with continuous bilateral femoral nerve block for bilateral knee arthroplasty was well chosen for the management of perioperative complications in an elderly patient with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). A 69-year-old female patient of HOCM was scheduled for bilateral total knee replacement. Echocardiography revealed severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction with peak systolic gradient of 56 mmHg. ⋯ This complication was successfully managed without interrupting the management of pain. Management of patients with HOCM for noncardiac surgery requires knowledge of variable presentation of two forms of disease. Also, this case report highlights the practical advantage of continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB)s over epidural anaesthesia.
-
Unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation remains a primary concern of anaesthesiologists and upper lip bite test (ULBT) is one of the assessments used in predicting difficult intubation. In this study, we aimed to check the utility of lateral neck X-ray measurements in improving the diagnostic value of the ULBT. ⋯ Although all the tests used had relatively acceptable predictive values, combination of tests appeared to be more predictive. Highest sensitivities were observed with ULBT, mandibulohyoid distance and thyromental distance respectively. Use of radiological parameters may not be suitable as screening tools, but may help in anticipating and preparing for a difficult scenario.