Evaluation of the effect of preoperative anxiety on intraoperative hemodynamic stability and drug consumption in patients who underwent BIS-guided total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) for neurophysiological monitoring in spine surgery

In our study, the aim was to evaluate the effects of preoperative anxiety measured by Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI-S) and State-Trait Inventory-Trait (STAI-T) scores on intraoperative hemodynamic stability, drug consumption and recovery in patients who underwent spinal surgery with neurophysiological monitoring and total intravenous anesthesia with bispectral index (BIS) monitoring, without the use of muscle relaxants. Eighty patients with planned spinal surgery and neurophysiological monitoring were included in this prospective observational study. Anxiety scores were recorded by applying Spielberger’s STAI-T and STAI-S scoring questionnaires to all patients included in the study 1 hour before the operation. Age, gender and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores of the patients who were taken to the operating table without premedication were recorded. Before anesthesia induction, standard monitoring including electrocardiography (ECG), noninvasive blood pressure, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), BIS was applied. The correlation between STAI-T and STAI-S scores with demographic characteristics of patients, preoperative, post-induction, 5th minute, 10th minute, 30th minute, 50th minute, 70th minute, 90th minute heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), SpO2, operation time, recovery time, and total amount of propofol and remifentanil used during the operation were evaluated statistically. A significant negative correlation was observed between STAI-S anxiety scoring and age (p < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between the total amount of remifentanil and propofol used with the STAI-S score (p < 0.05). Significant positive correlations were observed between the STAI-S score and the HR value preoperatively, and in the 5th, 30th, 50th, 70th, and 90th minutes (p < 0.05). Our study showed that preoperative anxiety increases intraoperative drug consumption and heart rate. It is of great importance to keep the amount of intraoperative medication at optimal levels, to measure preoperative anxiety, and to eliminate it with multimodal treatments, especially for the accurate detection of neurological damage in patients with neurophysiological monitoring.

Impact of general anaesthesia on parameters of bulbocavernosus reflex

Dysfunction of the pelvic organs in tumor lesions of the spinal cord is up to 20%. Registration of the bulbocavernosus reflex is performed to assess the integrity of the segmental apparatus of the spinal cord. Polymodal neurophysiological monitoring includes registration of the bulbocavernosus reflex during surgery of spinal cord tumors. The effect of the components of general anesthesia on the parameters of the bulbocavernosus reflex varies significantly according to various medical sources. The aim of the work was to compare the effect of inhalation anesthesia (sevoflurane) and total intravenous anesthesia (propofol) on the parameters of the bulbocavernosus reflex in the surgical treatment of spinal cord tumors. Thirty patients with intradural extramedullary and intramedullary tumors of the spinal cord at the level of Th11–S2 vertebrae were included in the study. The amplitude-frequency parameters of the bulbocavernosus reflex and the threshold intensity of stimulation were assessed in the study. The results of the study demonstrate that intraoperative registration of the bulbocavernosus reflex during resection of tumors of the distal spinal cord can be performed both with inhalation and total intravenous anesthesia. A sustained motor response of the bulbocavernosus reflex requires a higher intensity of stimulation with inhalation anesthesia with sevoflurane than with total intravenous anesthesia. If during the operation the depth of propofol's anesthesia increases by 1 mg/kg/h, then it is necessary to increase the current strength during stimulation by 10–11 mA.

A Study of The Effect of Aminophylline on Clinical Recovery and Bis Readings After Total Intravenous Anesthesia

Background: In anesthesia and intensive care we face a lot of respiratory problems that require the use of bronchodilators such as aminophylline which is accused of antagonizing of the action of adenosine which acts as neuromodulator in the CNS. Objective: To test the hypothesis that aminophylline increases BIS readings and decreases recovery time after total intravenous anesthesia. Methods: We tested the hypothesis on 50 patients who were to be operated upon for orthopedic procedures. We induced anesthesia using bollous dose of propofol 2.5 mg/kg and bollous remifentanil 1.5 mcg/kg and didn't use any muscle relaxant. Anesthesia was maintained using propofol and remifentanil infusion in the rate of 100 mcg/kg/min and 0.2 mcg/kg/min respectively with 100% O2 with BIS readings in the range of 40 – 60. After skin closure, patients were divided into group A (given aminophylline 4 mg/kg), and group P (given same volume of normal saline). Vital signs and BIS values were recorded. Time to eye opening and extubation time and time to reach BIS value of 95 were measured. Results: Significant difference was found in BIS readings (p value < 0.001). Time to eye opening and extubation times were significantly shorter in group A than group P (p value < 0.001). Conclusion: Aminophylline decreases recovery time and increases BIS readings after TIVA.

The long-term survival outcomes of gastric cancer patients with total intravenous anesthesia or inhalation anesthesia: a single-center retrospective cohort study

Background The relationship between the type of anesthesia and the survival outcomes of gastric cancer patients is uncertain. This study compared the overall outcome of gastric cancer patients after surgery with total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) or inhalation anesthesia (IHA). Methods Clinicopathological variables of gastric cancer patients were retrieved from the database of the Surgical Gastric Cancer Patient Registry in West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Patients were grouped according to whether they received TIVA or IHA during the operation. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to balance the baseline variables, and survival outcomes were compared between these two groups. In addition, studies comparing survival outcomes between TIVA and IHA used for gastric cancer surgery and published before April 20th, 2020, were identified, and their data were pooled. Results A total of 2827 patients who underwent surgical treatment from Jan 2009 to Dec 2016 were included. There were 323 patients in the TIVA group and 645 patients in the IHA group, with 1:2 PS matching. There was no significant difference in overall survival outcomes between the TIVA and IHA groups before matching the cohort (p = 0.566) or after matching the cohort (p = 0.679) by log-rank tests. In the Cox hazard regression model, there was no significant difference between the TIVA and IHA groups before (HR: 1.054, 95% CI: 0.881–1.262, p = 0.566) or after (HR: 0.957, 95% CI: 0.779–1.177, p = 0.679) PS matching. The meta-analysis of survival outcomes between the TIVA and IHA groups found critical statistical value in the before PS matching cohort (HR 0.74, 95% CI: 0.57–0.96 p < 0.01) and after PS matching cohort (HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.46–0.94, p < 0.01). Conclusions Combined with the results of previous studies, total intravenous anesthesia has been shown to be superior to inhalation anesthesia in terms of overall survival for gastric cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment. The selection of intravenous or inhalation anesthesia for gastric cancer surgery should take into account the long-term prognosis of the patient.

Dexmedetomidine versus fentanyl in intraoperative neuromuscular monitoring using propofol based total intravenous anesthesia regimen in kyphoscoliosis correction surgery

Background Intraoperative neuromuscular monitoring (IONM) is used to reduce the risk of postoperative neurological deficit in patients undergoing kyphoscoliosis correction surgery. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are among the several techniques developed by neurophysiologists to increase the sensitivity of intraoperative monitoring. We administered total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) to 20 patients undergoing kyphoscoliosis deformity correction surgeries: group A: propofol and dexmedetomidine and group B: propofol and fentanyl. The primary objective of our study was to compare the effect of dexmedetomidine and fentanyl on intraoperative hemodynamic parameters and their interference with SSEP’s readings. The secondary objective was to assess the total intraoperative requirement of inhalational anesthetic agents, quality of surgical field, and the cost-effectiveness of either regimen. Results Intraoperative hemodynamic stability, analgesia, surgical field, and cost-effectiveness (due to reduced requirement of sevoflurane) were better with dexmedetomidine than fentanyl. SSEPs were successfully recorded with both the drugs while the requirement of inhalation anesthetic agents was significantly reduced in the dexmedetomidine group than in the fentanyl group. There were no injuries while recording SSEPs. The latency and amplitude of SSEPs were maintained throughout either group. No intraoperative awakening or awareness was noted (bispectral index was maintained in the range of 40 to 60). No postoperative neurological deficit was noted in any patient. Conclusions Both dexmedetomidine and fentanyl can be successfully used in propofol-based TIVA for SSEP monitoring in kyphoscoliosis correction surgeries, but the better analgesic profile, ease of maintaining stable hemodynamics with a significant reduction in inhalational agent requirement, and opioid-sparing effect by dexmedetomidine make it a more desirable agent to be used in propofol-based TIVA.