The quest for effective pain control during suture adjustment after strabismus surgery: a study evaluating supplementation of 2% lidocaine with 0.4% ropivacaine

PURPOSE: To determine whether the addition of 0.4% ropivacaine to the standard 2% lidocaine peribulbar anesthetic block improves pain scores during suture adjustment in patients undergoing strabismus surgery with adjustable sutures. METHODS: Prospective, double-blind study of 30 adult patients aged 21–84 years scheduled for elective strabismus surgery with adjustable sutures. Patients were divided into two groups of 15 patients each based on the local anesthetic. Group A received 2% lidocaine and Group B received 2% lidocaine/0.4% ropivacaine. Pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) preoperatively and at 2, 4, and 6 hours postoperatively. The Lancaster red-green test was used to measure ocular motility at the same time points. RESULTS: The pain scores in the two groups were low and similar at all measurement intervals. The VAS for Group A versus Group B at 2 hours (1.7 versus 2.4, P=0.5) and 4 hours (3.5 versus 3.7, P=0.8) showed no benefit from the addition of ropivacaine. At 6 hours, the VAS (3.7 versus 2.7) was not statistically significant, but the 95% confidence interval indicated that ropivacaine may provide some benefit. A repeated measures ANOVA did not find a statistically significant difference in VAS scores over time (P=0.9). In addition, the duration of akinesia was comparable in both groups (P=0.7). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the 50:50 mixture of 2% lidocaine with 0.4% ropivacaine as compared to 2% lidocaine in peribulbar anesthetic blocks in adjustable-suture strabismus surgery does not produce significant improvements in pain control during the postoperative and adjustment phases. In addition, ropivacaine did not impair return of full ocular motility at 6 hours, which is advantageous in adjustable-suture strabismus surgery

Complete heart block in pregnancy: case report, analysis, and review of anesthetic management

Maternal complete heart block can pose significant challenges for the anesthesiologist in the antepartum, peripartum, and postpartum periods. Some patients may present for the first time in the puerperium with dizziness, weakness, syncope, or congestive heart failure as a result of the additional hemodynamic burden that accompanies pregnancy. Although there is an increase in permanent pacemaker placement in young symptomatic patients before pregnancy, prophylactic placement of pacemakers in asymptomatic parturients is not always indicated. The need for temporary or permanent pacemakers in asymptomatic women should be assessed on a case-by-case basis; many of these patients may be safely managed during labor and delivery without pacing. The parturient with complete heart block must be followed vigilantly during pregnancy and post delivery, as the need for pacemaker insertion can also arise in the postpartum period. We present a case of third-degree heart block in a 26-year-old parturient

Devastating intracardiac and aortic thrombosis: a case report of apparent catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome during liver transplantation

Fewer than 80 cases of intracardiac thrombosis and intraoperative pulmonary thromboembolism during liver transplantation have been described. We present a patient who suffered an intraoperative fulminant intracardiac and aortic thrombosis and posthumously was found to have had high anticardiolipin immunoglobulin M concentration and markers of hyperfibrinolysis in preoperatively collected plasma. Hemostatic therapy in the presence of circulating antiphospholipid antibodies and the pathogenesis of a catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome are discussed