Effect of common herbal medicines on patients undergoing anaesthesia

Herbal medicines are the oldest known remedies to mankind. Herbs have been used by all cultures throughout history but India has one of the oldest, and most diverse cultural living traditions associated with the use of medicinal plants. The use of these agents may have perioperative implications, which often is a result of various factors. The constituents of these medications may not be adequately described. Conventional agents like ste-roids, oral hypoglycaemic agent, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents and antihistamines are frequently added to herbal medicines. Toxic materials like arsenic, mercury, lead, etc. have been detected from time to time in some herbs. The use of herbal medicines can result in drug interactions, most of which are less well defined. The interactions that are most important in the perioperative period include sympathomimetic, sedative, and coagulopathic effects. Less than 50% of patients admit to taking these medicines, which compounds the prob-lem. It is imperative that anaesthesiologists obtain a history of herbal medicine use from patients and anticipate the adverse drug interactions. In case of any doubt, it may be prudent to stop these herbal medicines atleast 2-3 weeks prior to anaesthesia and surgery

Recognition of pain as a specialty in India

Chronic pain problem is one of the most common symptoms for which a patient visits a primary health-care practitioner in India. Pain management is a rapidly growing specialty of medicine concerned with the prevention of pain, and the evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of persons in pain. Pain as a specialty has grown enormously in the last decade and is being recognized at the national level by the government, medical fraternity, and community at large. The time has come for the formation of a uniform, high-quality, standardized, multidisciplinary pain education, and training framework which would include health-care providers from the grass root level to the specialized pain consultants

Pyeloplasty for hydronephrosis: Issues of double J stent versus nephrostomy tube as drainage technique

Aims: To compare the efficacy, complications, cost analysis and hospital stay between two methods of drainage of the kidney: double J (DJ) stent versus nephrostomy tube following open pyeloplasty for ureteropelvic junction obstruction hydronephrosis. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective randomized study of 20 patients in each group over 14 months. Pre and post-operative (3 months) function and drainage were assessed by ethylenedicysteine scan and intravenous urogram. Results: Both groups showed similar good improvement in function and drainage. Nephrostomy group had significantly longer hospital stay (P < 0.001) but incurred less cost. Complications with nephrostomy included tube breakage (n = 1) and urine leak after tube removal (n = 2). DJ stents were associated with stent migration (n = 4), increased frequency of micturition (n = 9), dysuria (n = 4) and urinary tract infection (n = 1). Conclusion: Both methods of drainage did not interfere with improvement after pyeloplasty. Minor complications were more with DJ stent (P = 0.0003). Although overall cost of treatment was more with stents, they reduced length of hospital stay. Optimal length of stent is essential to reduce complications secondary to migration and bladder irritation