The effect of obstructive jaundice on the sensitivity of intravenous anesthetic of remimazolam: study protocol for a controlled multicenter trial

Background It is well known that obstructive jaundice could affect the pharmacodynamics of some anesthetics, and the sensitivity of some anesthetics would increase among icteric patients. Remimazolam is a new ultra-short-acting intravenous benzodiazepine sedative/anesthetic, which is a high-selective and affinity ligand for the benzodiazepine site on the GABAA receptor. However, no study has reported the pharmacodynamics of remimazolam in patients with obstructive jaundice. We hypothesize that obstructive jaundice affects the pharmacodynamics of remimazolam, and the sensitivity of remimazolam increases among icteric patients. Methods/design The study will be performed as a prospective, controlled, multicenter trial. The study design is a comparison of remimazolam requirements to reach a bispectral index of 50 in patients with obstructive jaundice versus non-jaundiced patients with chronic cholecystitisor intrahepatic bile duct stones. Remimazolam was infused at 6 mg/kg/h until this endpoint was reached. Discussion Remimazolam could be suitable for anesthesia of patients with obstructive jaundice, because remimazolam is not biotransformed in the liver. Hyperbilirubinemia has been well-described to have toxic effects on the brain, which causes the increasing of sensitivity to some anesthetics, such as desflurane, isoflurane, and etomidate. Furthermore, remimazolam and etomidate have the same mechanism of action when exerting an anesthetic effect. We aim to demonstrate that obstructive jaundice affects the pharmacodynamics of remimazolam, and the dose of remimazolam when administered to patients with obstructive jaundice should be modified. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100043585. Registered on 23 February 2021

Serratia Bacteremia After Intravenous Propofol: Two Case Reports

Serratia species may cause severe infections by contaminating some intravenous anesthetic solutions easily. This study presented two cases with healthcare-associated bacteremia in which propofol solution used intravenously for short-term anesthesia are the possible source, and Serratia species were isolated as the agent.

Does the Sensitivity of Intravenous Anesthetic of Remimazolam Increase in Patients With Obstructive Jaundice?

BackgroundIt is well known that obstructive jaundice could affect the pharmacodynamics of some anesthetics, and the sensitivity of some anesthetics would increase among icteric patients. Remimazolam is a new ultra-short-acting intravenous benzodiazepine sedative/anesthetic, which is a high-selective and affinity ligand for the benzodiazepine site on the GABAA receptor. However, very few studies have been reported the pharmacodynamics of remimazolam in patients with obstructive jaundice. We hypothesize that obstructive jaundice affects the pharmacodynamics of remimazolam, and the sensitivity of remimazolam increases among icteric patients.Methods/designThe study will be performed as a prospective, controlled, multicenter trial. The study design is a comparison of remimazolam requirements to reach a Bispectral Index of 50 in patients with obstructive jaundice versus non-jaundiced patients with chronic cholecystitisor intrahepatic bile duct stones. Remimazolam was infused at 0.03 mg/kg/min until this end point was reached.DiscussionRemimazolam could be suitable for anesthesia of patients with obstructive jaundice, because remimazolam is not biotransformed in the liver. Hyperbilirubinemia has been well-described toxic effects in the brain, which causes the increasing of sensitivity to some anesthetics, such as desflurane, isoflurane and etomidate. Furthmore, remimazolam and etomidate have the same mechanism of action when exerting an anesthetic effect. We aim to demonstrate that obstructive jaundice affects the pharmacodynamics of remimazolam, and the dose of remimazolam when administered to patients with obstructive jaundice should be modified.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100043585. Date of registration: February 23, 2021.

Comparison of Recovery Time of Propofol and Midazolam with Propofol Alone for Sedation in Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography

Background: Procedural sedation is required for multiple short duration procedures outside of the operating rooms especially in radiology and endoscopy suites. Intravenous anesthetic agent with rapid recovery profile is desirable in such circumstances. This study aims to compare two regimens of intravenous anesthetic agents. Aim: To compare the mean recovery time of propofol and midazolam with propofol alone for sedation in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Settings: Department of Anesthesia, Shalamar Hospital, Lahore. Study Duration: June 2017 to December 2017. Methods: A total of 70 adult patients aged 20-60 years undergoing ERCP under sedation were included. Patients were given a combination of propofol and midazolam in group A while propofol alone was given in group B. After procedure, pts were transferred to recovery room and were followed for assessment of recovery time. Data were analyzed in SPSS vr 21, Independent t-test was applied & p-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Significant difference was found in mean recovery time amongst both the groups. Mean recovery time in Group A (propofol and midazolam) was 19.29±4.50 minutes while in Group B (propofol alone) was 26.66±3.70 minutes showing statistically significant result with p-value = 0.0001. Conclusion: We conclude that mean recovery time with propofol plus midazolam is shorter as compared to propofol alone for sedation in ERCP. Keywords: Propofol, midazolam, sedation outside operation theatre.

Total Intravenous Anesthesia for Myocardial Protection and Preconditioning

Perioperative myocardial injury is common after any major surgical procedure even with best possible anesthesia and surgical management. Organ preservation during surgical procedure prevents morbidity and mortality. The effect of ischemic preconditioning on myocardial as well as other organ protection is well known. A variety of other agents also shown to have preconditioning thus protective effect on myocardium during anesthesia and surgery. The beneficial effect of volatile anesthetic preconditioning is well studied. However, the effect of intravenous anesthetic agents on this context is still way to go. This review is an attempt to look into the latest available research regarding the preconditioning and myocardial protective effect of intravenous anesthetic agents.

Anesthetic management for a patient with myotonic dystrophy with remimazolam

Background Patients with myotonic dystrophy may have increased sensitivity to drugs used for anesthesia. We successfully managed general anesthesia in a patient with myotonic dystrophy using a novel intravenous anesthetic, remimazolam. Case presentation The patient was a 46-year-old man, 169 cm in height, and weighing 60 kg. He was diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy 5 years previously. Phacoemulsification for both eyes was scheduled under general anesthesia. Anesthesia was induced with remimazolam 6 mg/kg/h for 1 min and maintained by continuous infusion at 0.25 mg/kg/h during surgery, a 1/4 dose of the standard infusion rate, as indexed by a bispectral index (BIS). Six minutes after remimazolam discontinuation, the patient opened his eyes on verbal command with sufficient spontaneous respiration. Flumazenil (0.2 mg) was administered to boost the patient’s recovery. Conclusion In addition to the short-acting anesthetic remimazolam, the presence of the antagonist flumazenil enabled complete recovery from anesthesia, without postoperative complications.