Hemodynamic responses to two different anesthesia regimens in compromised left ventricular function patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery: Etomidate-midazolam versus propofol-ketamine

Background: Various methods have been suggested to prevent hemodynamic instability caused by propofol and adverse effects caused by etomidate induction. The current study evaluated hemodynamic effects of propofol-ketamine mixture in comparison to etomidate-midazolam mixture during anesthesia induction. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic effects of etomidate-midazolam by comparing it with propofol-ketamine for the induction of anesthesia in patients with left ventricular dysfunction undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Patients and Methods: One-hundred patients aged between 40 and 65 with coronary artery disease and low ejection fraction scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass surgery participated in this study. The patients were randomly allotted to one of the two groups to receive either propofol-ketamine or etomidate-midazolam combination. Two groups were compared for pain on injection and myoclonus, Heart Rate (HR), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP), Cardiac Index (CI) and Systemic Vascular Resistance (SVR), before and one minute after induction of anesthesia, and one, three and five minutes after intubation. Results: Incidence of pain on injection (2 - 4) and myoclonus (10) was less in both groups. The hemodynamic response was similar in the two groups for all variables over the time interval, except for CI at one and three minutes after intubation (P = 0.024 and P = 0.048, respectively), and SVR in five minutes after intubation (P = 0.009), with differences being statistically significant. Conclusions: Both anesthetic regimens were acceptable for induction in patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. © 2015, Iranian Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ISRAPM)

Mid-term patency in radial artery and saphenous vein after coronary artery bypass grafting in asymptomatic patients using 128-slice CT coronary angiography

Background: Patency of the revascularization conduit is an essential predictor of long-standing survival after coronary artery bypass grafting. Objectives: We have conducted this study to compare the mid-term patency rates of radial artery (RA), left internal thoracic artery (LITA) and also saphenous vein (SV) grafts in asymptomatic patients following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) undergoing total IV anesthesia. Patients and Methods: In this study, 30 three-vessel disease patients with 104 RA, LITA, and SV grafts used concomitantly for primary isolated non-emergent CABG surgery were assessed. The primary end point was CT angiographic graft patency rate. After 53.5 (24-97) months� follow-up, graft patency was assessed using 128-slice CT coronary angiography. Logistic regression analysis was used to detect the independent predictors of graft failure. Results: A total of 104 grafts, including 30 LITA, 44 SV, and 30 RA grafts, were studied. Cumulative graft patency rates were 93.3 in LITA, 83.3 in RA, and 70.5 in SV grafts. Statistically significant difference was found between the LITA and the SV graft patency rates (P = 0.019), whereas the difference between the RA conduit patency and the LITA or SV graft patency rates did not have any statistical significance (P = 0.424 and P = 0.273, respectively). Independent predictors of RA grafts occlusion were native coronary stenosis < 70 and female gender. Conclusions: In our patients, the RA grafts had an acceptable patency rate in 2 to 5 years� follow-up. Although the SV grafts had a relatively higher patency rate than RA grafts in our asymptomatic patients, the patency rates in RA and SV grafts were close to each other. The RA graft function was poor in the patients with a higher number of risk factors and in the females. © 2015, Iranian Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ISRAPM)

A comparison of the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients referring to a pain clinic with subacute and chronic pain

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the sociodemographic characteristics and clinical features of patients referring to a university hospital�s pain clinic with chronic (� 12 weeks) and subacute pain (< 12 weeks). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 426 patients were included. Demographic variables including education level, marital and employment status, and risk factors such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cigarette smoking, and opium addiction were recorded. Also, sites of pain, pain quality and associated symptoms, and pain severity were assessed using a numerical rating scale. Each one of these variables was compared between the chronic and subacute pain groups. Results: Of the 426 studied patients, 292 (69) had chronic pain and 134 (31) reported subacute pain. Patients with chronic pain were older and had higher body mass indices. Additionally, self-employment was less frequent among the chronic pain group. The patients with chronic pain had a higher prevalence of addiction. The most commonly reported site of pain in all patients was the lower back (62.4), followed by pain in the leg and foot (39.9), knee (24.4), and hip (18.8). There were no statistically significant differences in pain sites between the two groups, except for knee pain, which was more common among the chronic pain group. The patients with chronic pain had a higher incidence of obscure and persistent pain, while those with subacute pain experienced more night pain. Conclusions: About one-third of the patients referring to the pain clinic had subacute pain. The patients with chronic pain were older and more obese, had a higher prevalence of addiction, had more cases of knee pain, and reported more instances of obscure and persistent pain than those with subacute pain. © 2016, Iranian Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ISRAPM)

Heparinized and saline solutions in the maintenance of arterial and central venous catheters after cardiac surgery

Background: Heparinized saline solution is used to prevent occlusion in the arterial catheters and central venous pressure monitoring catheters. Even at low dose, heparin administration can be associated with serious complications. Normal saline solution can maintain patency of arterial catheters and central venous pressure monitoring catheters. Objectives: The current study aimed to compare the efficacy of normal saline with that of heparinized one to maintain patency of arterial and central venous catheters after cardiac surgery. Patients and Methods: In the current randomized controlled trial, 100 patients, with an age range of 18 - 65 years of valve and coronary artery surgery were studied in Rajaie heart center, Tehran, Iran. Patients were randomized to receive either heparinized saline (n = 50) or normal saline flush solutions (n = 50). In the study, arterial catheters and central venous pressure monitoring catheters were daily checked for any signs of occlusion in three postoperative days as primary end-point of the study. Results: According to the information obtained from the study, four (8) arterial catheters in the saline group (P value: 0.135) and three (6) arterial catheters in the heparin group (P value = 0.097) were obstructed. Statistical analysis showed that the incidence of obstruction and changes in all other parameters between the two groups during the three-day follow-up was not significant (all P values > 0.05). Conclusions: It seems that there is no difference in the use of heparinized and normal saline solutions to prevent catheter occlusion of arterial and central venous pressure. © 2015, Iranian Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ISRAPM)

Comparison of two pain assessment tools, �facial expression� and �critical care pain observation tool� in intubated patients after cardiac surgery

Background: Critical-care patients are at higher risk of untreated pain, because they are often unable to communicate owing to altered mental status, tracheal intubation and sedation. Objectives: This study compared two pain assessment tools on tracheal intubated critically ill patients in a cardiac post-anesthesia care unit, who were unable to communicate verbally. The studied tools were �critical-care pain observation tool (CPOT)� and �facial expression (FE)�. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective study based on diagnostic test evaluation. A sample of 91 intubated patients was selected from cardiac post-anesthesia care unit. Collected data were demographic characteristics, vital signs, FE and CPOT tools� scale. Pain was assessed with CPOT and FE scores five times. The first assessment was performed in at least 3 hours after admission of patients to ICU. Then, the pain intensity was reassessed every 30 minutes. In addition, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation were measured simultaneously. Results: At the first period, the frequency of �severe� pain intensity using the CPOT was 58.2 and with the FE tool was 67 (P = 0.001). Both tools demonstrated reduction in severity of pain on second and third assessment times. Significantly increasing level of pain and blood pressure due to nursing painful procedures (endo-tracheal suctioning, changing patient�s position, etc.), were obtained by CPOT in fourth assessment. FE was not able to detect such important findings (κ = 0.249). In the fifth step, pain intensity was reduced. The most agreement between the two tools was observed when the reported pain was �severe� (κ = 0.787, P < 0.001) and �mild� (κ = 0.851, P < 0.001). Conclusions: The sensitivity of CPOT was higher for detection and evaluation of pain in intubated postoperative patients compared with �Facial Expression�. Best agreement between these tools was observed in two extremes of pain intensity. © 2016, Iranian Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ISRAPM)

Isolated tricuspid stenosis in a patient with history of scleroderma

Isolated tricuspid stenosis (TS) is a very uncommon finding. There are some reports of isolated TS in the setting of systemic lupus erythematous, but its presence in scleroderma has never been reported before. We report a 48-year- old female with isolated TS with a background of scleroderma, diagnosed by echocardiography

Relationship between maximum clot firmness in ROTEM® and postoperative bleeding after coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients using clopidogrel

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between maximum clot firmness (MCF) in rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM®) and postoperative bleeding in patients on clopidogrel after emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Methods: This observational study recruited 60 patients posted for emergency CABG following unsuccessful primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) while on 600 mg of clopidogrel. The study population was divided into 2 groups on the basis of their MCF in the extrinsically activated thromboelastometric (EXTEM) component of the (preoperative) ROTEM® test: patients with MCF &lt;50 mm (n = 16) and those with MCF �50 mm (n = 44). Postoperative chest tube drainage amount, need for blood product transfusion, postoperative complications, and duration of mechanical ventilation after CABG were recorded. Results: No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding duration of surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass, and aortic cross-clamp time. Chest tube drainage at 6, 12, and 24 h after Intensive Care Unit admission were significantly higher in the patients with MCF below 50 mm. The need for blood product transfusion was higher in the group with MCF &lt;50 mm. In patients who experienced postoperative bleeding of 1000 mL or more, the ROTEM® parameters of INTEM (Intrinsically activated thromboelastomery) and MCF, EXTEM and MCF, and HEPTEM (INTEM assay performed in the presence of heparinase) MCF (but not FIBTEM (Thromboelastometric assay for the fibrin part of the clot) values) were significantly lower than those with postoperative bleeding &lt;1000 mL (P � 0.05). Conclusions: When platelet aggregometry is not available, the ROTEM® test could be useful for the prediction of increased risk bleeding after emergency CABG in patients who have received a loading dose of clopidogrel. © 2018 Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow

Intraperitoneal And Incisional Bupivacaine Analgesia For Major Abdominal/Gynecologic Surgery: A Placebocontrolled

Background:Postoperative pain is an important surgical problem. Recent studies in pain pathophysiology have led to the hypothesis that with perioperative administration of analgesics (pre-emptive analgesia) it may be possible to prevent or reduce postoperative pain. This study was planned to investigate the efficacy of pre-emptive analgesia on postoperative pain after major gynecologic abdominal surgeries. Methods: In this prospective, double-blinded, randomized, and placebocontrolled trial, 60 ASA physical status I and II patients undergoing major abdominal gynecologic surgeries were randomized to receive 45 mL of bupivacaine 0.375% or 45mL of normal saline; 30 mL and 15 mL of the treatment solution was administered into the peritoneal cavity and incision, respectively, before wound closure. The pain score of the patients was evaluated by the visual analogue scale (VAS) on awakening, and at 6, 12, and 24h after surgery. Time to first analgesia request and total analgesic requirements in the first 24h were recorded. Results: Pain scores were significantly higher in the placebo group than in the bupivacaine group on awakening (5.98±1.01 v.s 1.05±1.05; p<0.001), and at 6h after surgery (5.37±0.85 vs. 2.51±1.02; p<0.001). First request to analgesia was significantly longer in the bupivacaine patients than in the placebo group (5.87±3.04 h vs.1.35±0.36; p<0.001).Meperidine consumption over 24h was 96.00 ±17.53 mg in the placebo group compared with 23.28 ±14.89 mg in the bupivacaine patients (p<0.001).Conclusion:A combination of intraperitoneal and incisional bupivacaine infiltration at the end of abdominal gynecologic surgeries reduces postoperative pain on awakening and for 6 hours after surgery, and provides significant opioidsparing analgesia for 24 h after gynecologic abdominal surgeries

Cardiovascular responses to orotracheal intubation in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: Comparing fiberoptic bronchoscopy with direct laryngoscopy

Background: The intubation by using fiberoptic brochoscop (FOB) can avoid the mechanical stimulus to oropharyngolaryngeal structures thereby it is likely to attenuate hemodynamic response during orotracheal intubation. Based on this hypothesis, we compared the hemodynamic responses to orotracheal intubation using an FOB and direct laryngoscope (DLS) in patients undergoing general anesthesia for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Methods: Fifty patients with ASA physical status II and Mallampati score I and II were scheduled for elective CABG surgery under general anesthesia requiring orotracheal intubation were randomly allocated to either DLS group (n = 25) or FOB group (n = 25). The same protocol of anesthetic medications was used. Invasive systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP & DBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded before and after anesthesia induction, during intubation and in the first and second minutes after intubation. The differences among the hemodynamic variables recorded over time and differences in the circulatory variables between the two study groups were compared. Results: Duration of intubation was shorter in DLS group (19.3 ± 4.7 sec) compared with FOB group (34.9 ± 9.8 sec; p = 0.0001). In both study groups basic SBP and DBP and HR were not significantly different (P >0.05). During the observation, there were no significant differences between the two groups in BP or HR at any time points or in their maximal values (all p values >0.05). Conclusion: We conclude that the FOB had no advantage in attenuating the hemodynamic responses to orotracheal intubation in patients undergoing CABG surgery