Indian journal of anaesthesia
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Mostly, institutions in India have single post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) which follows traditional time-based discharge (TBD) method. Recently, it has been classified into PACU Phase I and Phase II, and criteria-based discharge (CBD) method has been used. This study primarily compares CBD versus TBD methods in moving patients through PACU, and other non-clinical factors causing delay in shifting. ⋯ The study concluded that in patients undergoing ambulatory minor surgeries, discharge times based on Criterion Based Discharge scoring systems such as modified Aldrete's and White's-fast are significantly lower in PACU Phase I as compared to the traditional Time Based Discharge method.
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Routine use of pre-procedural ultrasound guided midline approach has not shown to improve success rate in administering subarachnoid block. The study hypothesis was that the routine use of pre-procedural (not real time) ultrasound-guided paramedian spinals at L5-S1 interspace could reduce the number of passes (i.e., withdrawal and redirection of spinal needle without exiting the skin) required to enter the subarachnoid space when compared to the conventional landmark-guided midline approach. ⋯ Routine use of paramedian spinal anaesthesia at L5-S1 interspace, guided by pre-procedure ultrasound, in patients undergoing lower limb joint arthroplasties did not reduce the number of passes or attempts needed to achieve successful dural puncture.
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Post-operative pain after minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in adults is commonly managed with oral and parenteral opioids and invasive regional techniques such as thoracic epidural blockade. Emerging research has shown that the novel erector spinae plane (ESP) block, can be employed as a simple and safe alternative analgesic technique for acute post-surgical, post-traumatic and chronic neuropathic thoracic pain in adults. We illustrate this by presenting a paediatric case of VATS, in which an ESP block provided better analgesia, due to greater dermatomal coverage, as well as reduced side-effects when compared with a thoracic epidural that had previously been employed on the same patient for a similar procedure on the opposite side.