Application of Ultrasound-guided Intercostal Nerve Block in Retroperitoneal Laparoscopic Nephrectomy

Purpose: Surgical stimulation causes many pathophysiological changes which are not conducive to the recovery of patients, this trail aims to investigate whether intercostal nerve block can reduce the perioperative stress response and postoperative pain in patients undergoing elective retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy.Patients and methods:40 patients were recruited and randomly assigned to Test groupand Blank group.Results: Our study found that the catecholamine and cortisol levels in two groups were higher than the baseline value after pneumoperitoneum, (P＜0.05), while the catecholamine level was lower in Test groupthan in Blank group (P＜0.05), and there is no differences of cortisol levels was observed in two groups. The catecholamines and cortisol levels of two groups were basically restored to the preoperative level after 24 hours surgery, The concentration of IL-6 and IL-10 in two groups increased at 24 hours after surgery, but there was no differences was observed between the two groups at the same point. And the usage of analgesic during operation was less in the Test group than Blank group (P＜0.05).Conclusion : Intercostal nerve block can reduce the stress response of patients undergoing retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy and reduce the usage of perioperative analgesics.Tial registration statement : This trial has been applied by the ethics Association of Chongqing cancer hospital.

Role of loco-regional anesthesia for non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: A tertiary care hospital in northern Thailand

Background: A few studies have focused on the role of regional anesthesia for non-intubated thoracoscopic surgery (NIVATS) in Thailand. The purpose of the present study was to review the feasibility and safety of loco-regional anesthesia for NIVATS in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: All patients undergoing scheduled NIVATS under loco-regional anesthesia including thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA), intercostal nerve block (ICNB), thoracic paravertebral block, and local wound infiltration from 2018 to 2021 were assessed by a retrospective chart review. Sedation was performed with propofol infusion and bispectral index monitoring. Primary outcomes were the feasibility of surgery and safety related to loco-regional anesthesia techniques. Results: Twenty-three patients were included. The average age was 43 (26-59) years. The two most common regional anesthesia techniques in this study were TEA and ICNB. The most common surgical procedure was wedge resection (13 patients, 56.5%) followed by pleurectomy (5 patients, 21.7%). The overall median technical feasible scores were 3 (2-3). Intraoperative hypotension (62.5% for TEA vs 20% for ICNB) and urinary retention (25% for TEA vs 0 for ICNB) were found. Among four patients with severe cough, three patients received intrathoracic vagal block and one patient required general anesthesia due to severe hypoxemia. Patients with ICNB had a higher degree of incisional pain and a higher amount of postoperative morphine consumption. Conclusion: NIVATS under loco-regional anesthesia could be a feasible and safe technique. A further study is recommended to compare the efficacy and safety of TEA and ICNB for NIVATS.

Pain Control After Mastectomy in Transgender Patients: Ultrasound-guided Pectoral Nerve Block II Versus Conventional Intercostal Nerve Block: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Mastectomy is sometimes performed in transgender patients, which may damage the regional nerves such as the pectoral and intercostobrachial nerves, leading to postoperative pain. An ultrasound-guided nerve block can be used to track and block the nerves properly. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the ultrasound-guided type-II pectoral nerve block with the blind (conventional) intercostal nerve block (ICNB) for pain control after breast tissue reconstruction surgery in transgender patients. Methods: In the present single-blind randomized clinical trial, 47 patients were randomly divided into two groups: (A) Ultrasound-guided type-II pectoral nerve block (n = 23) and (B) blind intercostal nerve block (n = 24). After nerve block in both groups, pain intensity at 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery, upper limb paresthesia, frequency of nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath, hematoma, and the length of hospital stay were assessed. Results: Patients who received the ultrasound-guided type-II pectoral nerve block had a greater reduction in pain intensity (24 h after surgery), opioid use (24 h after surgery), nausea, vomiting, and hospital stay than those who received ICNB, whereas the recovery time did not differ between the study groups. Conclusions: The pectoral nerve block under ultrasound guidance, compared to the intercostal nerve block, in transgender patients can reduce the required dosage of opioids within 24 hours, pain intensity within 24 hours after surgery, the incidence of postoperative nausea, and vomiting, and the hospital stay of patients.

Analgesic efficacy of intercostal nerve block in percutaneous nephrolithotomy: systematic review and meta-analysis

Pain is important morbidity following percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). Various adjunctive procedures such as intercostals nerve block (ICNB) have been described to reduce post-operative pain. The aim of this review was to determine the analgesic efficacy of ICNB in PNL patients. Systematic literature search was conducted to identify relevant publications. We followed preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines while conducting this review. In this review, five randomized studies with 319 patients were included. The analgesic requirement was statistically similar in ICNB and control group (Standard mean difference (SMD) -0.48 confidence interval (CI)[-1.4, 0.44] p=0.31) whereas analgesic requirement was lower for peritubal infiltration group (PTI) as compared to ICNB (SMD 0.85 CI[0.25,1.44] p=0.005). Also, time to first analgesic requirement was similar between ICNB and PTI (SMD 0.86 CI[-9.3,11.0]), p=0.87). Pain according to VAS (visual analog scale) and Dynamic VAS (DVAS) at 24 hours was lower in ICNB group as compared to the control group; however, only DVAS at 24 hours was statistically significant. DVAS and VAS at 24 hours were similar for both ICNB and PTI. Intercostal nerve block in terms of analgesic requirement appears to be inferior to peritubal block and no better than control group. Also, mean pain scores for ICNB were similar to control group and peritubal block.

Incidence of Acute and Chronic Post-Thoracotomy Pain in Pediatric Patients

We studied acute and chronic pain in pediatric patients who underwent thoracotomy for benign disease with a follow-up of at least three months. A telephone interview investigated about the presence of pain and the analgesic therapy in progress. The results were compared with the anesthetic technique, postoperative pain and the adequacy of pain therapy, both during the first week after surgery and at the time of interview. Fifty-six families consented to the study. The mean age of the children at surgery was 2.9 ± 4.5 years, while at the time of the interview was 6.5 ± 4.4 years. We performed different anesthetic strategies: Group A: general anesthesia (36 pts); Group B: general anesthesia and thoracic epidural (10 pts); Group C: general anesthesia and intercostal nerve block (10 pts). During the immediate postoperative period, 21 patients (37.5%) had at least one painful episode. At the time of interview, 3 children (5.3%) had moderate chronic neuropathic (burning) pain on surgical scar. There was no statistically significant difference between the type of anesthesia and the incidence and severity of acute post-operative pain. Despite its limitations, this study confirms the low incidence of chronic post-thoracotomy pain syndrome in children.

Anti-nociceptive Effects of Dexmedetomidine Infusion Plus Modified Intercostal Nerve Block During Single-port Thoracoscopic Lobectomy: A Double-blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Multimodal general anesthesia based on modified intercostal nerve block (MINB) has been found as a novel method to achieve an intraoperative opioid-sparing effect. However, there is little information about the effective method to inhibit visceral nociceptive stress during single-port thoracoscopic surgery. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether a low-dose dexmedetomidine infusion followed by MINB might be an alternative method to blunt visceral stress effectively. STUDY DESIGN: Double-blind, randomized control trial. SETTING: Affiliated hospital from March 2020 through September 2020. METHODS: Fifty-four patients were randomized (1:1), 45 patients were included to receive dexmedetomidine with a 0.4 microgram/kg bolus followed by 0.4 microgram/kg/h infusion (group Dex) or saline placebo (group Con). During the operation, an additional dose of remifentanil 0.05–0.25 microgram/kg/min was used to keep mean arterial pressure (MAP) or heart rate (HR) values around 20% below baseline values. The primary outcome was to evaluate remifentanil consumption. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative hemodynamics, the first time to press an analgesia pump, and adverse effects. RESULTS: Remifentanil consumption during surgery was markedly decreased in the Dex group than in the Con group (0 [0-0] versus 560.0 [337.5-965.0] microgram; P = 0.00). MAP and HR in the Con group during the first 5 minutes after visceral exploration was significantly higher than in the Dex group (P < 0.05). Time to first opioid demand was significantly prolonged (P = 0.04) and postoperative length of stay was shortened slightly in the Dex group (P = 0.05). LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by the measurement of nociception. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that low-dose dexmedetomidine infusion combined with MINB might be an effective alternative method to blunt visceral stress in patients undergoing single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy. Furthermore, the analgesic effect of MINB was significantly prolonged after dexmedetomidine infusion. KEY WORDS: Opioid-sparing, nociceptive stress, dexmedetomidine, remifentanil