Is lumbar erector spinae plane block (L-ESPB) a lumbar plexus block?: a case report of three cases

Background Lumbar erector spinae plane block (L-ESPB) is being used in fractured hip patients for the postoperative pain relief and as a sole anesthetic technique. Various clinical and cadaveric studies have differences of opinion about its mechanism of action and pathways of local anesthetic spread; however, the role of lumbar plexus (LP) in the mechanism of action is still not considered. In our clinical experience, we observed that the action on LP could be a pathway for the analgesic action of local anesthetic along with paravertebral spread. Case presentation We report here three cases of the fractured hip who were given L-ESPB for postoperative pain management. The radiological examination was done after injection of non-ionic contrast to know the spread of local anesthetic. In two cases, the contrast spread was seen towards LP and in one case spread of contrast was observed towards the paravertebral area. Conclusions Effect of local anesthetic on the lumbar plexus is one of the plausible pathways in L-ESPB for its analgesic mechanism of action.

Pericapsular Nerve Group Block (PENG Block) and Spinal Anesthesia as Multimodal Analgetic in Patient with Bipolar Hip Arthroplasty: A Case Report

Introduction. Intertrochanteric fractures are defined as extracapsular fractures of the proximal femur that occur between the greater and lesser trochanter. Bipolar hip arthroplasty is one of the most common major orthopaedic procedures to improve patient’s functional status and quality of life. Spinal anesthesia is a regional anesthetic technique that is performed by injecting local anesthetic drugs into the subarachnoid space to obtain dermatome-level analgesia and skeletal muscle relaxation. Pain after hip replacement originates mainly from the anterior pelvic capsule. The main target for pelvic analgesia is the anterior capsule which is the most richly innervated part of the joint. PENG block is used to block the articular branches to the pelvis. The patient was assessed with an NRS (numeric rating scale) instrument pre and post operative. Case presentation. A-74 year old woman admitted with complaints of pain in the right hip and diagnosed with a closed fracture of the right intertrochanter and planned for bipolar hip arthroplasty with PENG block and spinal anesthesia. Preoperatively the patient was assessed with an NRS (numeric rating scale) instrument with a score of 6. After the procedure, we reevaluated the pain score using NRS was 2 post operative. Conclusion. Patients receiving a PENG block and spinal anesthesia for intraoperative and postoperative analgesia during hip fracture surgery. Prior to spinal anesthesia, PENG block can be performed as a multimodal analgesia in the patient, PENG block expected to facilitate a sitting position during spinal anesthesia and for postoperative pain management

Clavipectoral plane block as a sole anesthetic technique for clavicle surgery - A case report -

Background: The clavipectoral fascial plane block was introduced by Dr. Luis Valdes in a symposium at the 2017 European Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Therapy Congress. Case: Clavipectoral plane block (CPB) with intravenous sedation provided surgical anesthesia and analgesia in a 39-year-old male patient with a right midshaft clavicle fracture. This in-plane technique was used to deposit 30 ml of a local anesthesia mixture between the clavipectoral fascia and periosteum on both the medial and lateral sides of the fracture line. Conclusions: Excellent anesthesia and analgesia for up to 16 h post-block were provided by CPB during the clavicle surgery.

Intravenous ibutilide versus intravenous amiodarone for post-operative management of atrial fibrillation following coronary artery bypass grafting: a prospective randomized controlled double blinded trial

Background: Increased incidence of post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is responsible for more post-operative complications, length of hospital stay and subsequent higher costs of hospitalization. This study was done to compare the efficacy and safety of ibutilide versus amiodarone for treatment of POAF following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).Methods: In this prospective, randomized, double blind controlled study, 60 patients posted for CABG developing POAF, divided randomly into 30 patients each in groups A and group I. Group A received IV amiodarone at 3 mg/kg over 20 minutes and group I received IV ibutilide at 0.01 mg/kg over 10 minutes (weight <60 kg) or 1 mg over 10 minutes (weight >60 kg). Patients underwent standard anesthetic technique and monitoring for CABG. All the demographic data, hemodynamic data were recorded in a structured manner.Results: Ibutilide showed significantly faster resolution of AF at 12.47±5.3 versus 22.9±7.68 minutes by amiodarone (p=0.000). Ibutilide was found to have significantly higher incidences of recurrence at 23.3% versus 0% by amiodarone (p=0.0048). Ibutilide showed significantly lesser hypotension 0% versus 26.67% with amiodarone (p=0.002).Conclusions: This study concluded that ibutilide was found to be better suited to treat POAF patients, who underwent CABG; due to its early and efficient resolution and reduced risk of hypotension.

Perioperative Outcomes in COVID-19 Obstetric Patients Undergoing Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Section: A Prospective Observational Study

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) adds more challenges to the perioperative management of parturients. The aim of this study is to examine perioperative adverse events and hemodynamic stability among COVID-19 positive parturients undergoing spinal anesthesia. This prospective observational investigation was conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in Jordan between January and June 2021, during which 31 COVID-19 positive parturients were identified. Each COVID-19 positive parturient was matched with a COVID-19 negative parturient who received anesthesia under similar operating conditions as a control group. Of the 31 COVID-19 patients, 22 (71%) were otherwise medically free, 8 (25.8%) were emergency cesarean sections. The sensory level of spinal block after 10 min was T8 (T6–T10) among COVID-19 positive group, compared to T4 (T4–T6) among control group (p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in heart rate, SBP, DBP, and MAP intraoperatively (p > 0.05). Twelve (36.4%) neonates born to COVID-19 positive patients were admitted to NICU, compared to four (11.8%) among control group (p = 0.018). There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative complications. In conclusion, spinal anesthesia is considered a safe anesthetic technique in COVID-19 parturients, and therefore it is the anesthetic method of choice for cesarean deliveries among COVID-19 patients.

Knowledge Level of Clinical Dental Students in Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Sumatera Utara Regarding the Anesthetic Technique of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block

The inferior alveolar nerve block technique (Fischer's method) is a local anesthetic technique that is often used in daily dental and surgical treatment. However, the failure rate reaches 15-20% because many factors affect the technique's success. Therefore, this descriptive study aims to determine the knowledge of clinical dental students regarding the inferior alveolar nerve block technique and the management of the failure associated with its characteristics. A cross-sectional approach was employed by using a validated questionnaire consisting of 2 parts, namely 6 general questions and 12 knowledge questions, which were distributed to 68 clinical dental students in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Sumatera Utara in 2019. The results showed that 51.5% of the students had good knowledge, 41.2% had fair knowledge and 7.4% had less knowledge. The highest percentage of students based on male gender had fair knowledge (10 people out of 15) and the female had good knowledge (30 people out of 53). The clinical dental students’ level of knowledge based on whether they have ever or never failed to perform an anesthetic block technique is in a good category. In conclusion, most of the clinical dental students at the Department of Oral Surgery in 2019 had a good level of knowledge about the inferior alveolar nerve block technique and its failure management.

Anesthesia for cesarean in pregnant with uncorrected failot tetralogy

Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease. Hemodynamic changes can cause serious and fatal multi-organ complications, the choice of anesthesia is very difficult.Combined spinal epidural techniques have become an alternative to traditional neuraxial interventions; the advantages of spinal or subarachnoid block are fused with the flexibility of the epidural technique; they offer a fast, effective and minimally toxic spinal block, improve inadequate block, and prolong the duration of anesthesia with epidural supplements.The purpose of this article is to report the case of a pregnant woman with a diagnosis of uncorrected Tetralogy of Fallot and the anesthetic technique of effective establishment without producing harmful hemodynamic changes for the mother-child binomial.

Comparison of infiltration (INF) and inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) injection techniques in bilateral therapeutic removal of mandibular premolars

Background. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the anesthetic effect of infiltration (INF) and inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) techniques for bilateral therapeutic extraction of mandibular premolars. Methods. One hundred patients requiring bilateral therapeutic removal of mandibular premolars were included in the study. For the extraction of the mandibular right premolar tooth, INF was used, and after one week, the mandibular left premolar tooth was extracted using the IANB. The effect of anesthesia between the two techniques was compared and evaluated by ANOVA using SPSS. Results. INF was successful in 78% of cases, whereas IANB was successful only in 22% of cases. Furthermore, INF had a significantly better anesthetic effect than IANB (P<0.05). During pain assessment during the anesthetic drug injection and the procedure, two patients in the INF and five patients in the IANB group reported minimal pain during extraction (P>0.05). The onset of the anesthetic effect was faster in the INF group, while the duration of the effect was longer in the IANB group. Conclusion. INF was a more efficacious local anesthetic technique with high success rate than the IANB technique.