Real-time hemodynamic effects of 1:100,000 and 1:200,000 injectable epinephrine and placement of topical 1:1000 epinephrine pledgets in patients undergoing endoscopic sinus and skull-base surgery: a randomized, prospective study

Effect of Nasal Submucosal Injection of Low-concentration Epinephrine on Visual Field Visualization in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective: To determine whether nasal submucosal injection of low-concentration epinephrine improved the surgical field visualization and physician satisfaction compared to placebo or without intervention. Methods: A literature search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database was conducted from inception to January 10, 2023. This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Meta-analyses were performed using Review Manager (RevMan version 5.3; the Cochrane Collaboration). Quality was assessed by 2 reviewers using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. And we used funnel plots to visually assess the risk of publication bias. Results: We included a total of 11 studies with 492 patients, all of which were randomized controlled trials. Among the studies, 4 had a low risk of bias, 4 had a moderate risk of bias, and 3 had a high risk of bias. Five studies reported visual bleeding grade in the surgical field (P = 0.07) and total blood loss (P = 0.16), 8 studies reported preoperative baseline heart rate (P = 0.58) and baseline mean arterial pressure (MAP) (P = 0.78), and 9 studies reported intraoperative heart rate (P = 0.27) and MAP (P = 0.56), which showed no significant differences in these parameters between the 2 groups. None of these outcomes were statistically significant between the epinephrine group and the control group. Conclusion: There is insufficient evidence to support the nasal submucosal application of low-concentration epinephrine to improve surgical field dryness and reduce total surgical bleeding.

Skull Base Registries: A Roadmap

Hospitals, payors, and patients increasingly expect us to report our outcomes in more detail and to justify our treatment decisions and costs. Although there are many stakeholders in surgical outcomes, physicians must take the lead role in defining how outcomes are assessed. Skull base lesions interact with surrounding anatomy to produce a complex spectrum of presentations and surgical challenges, requiring a wide variety of surgical approaches. Moreover, many skull base lesions are relatively rare. These factors and others often preclude the use of prospective randomized clinical trials, thus necessitating alternate methods of scientific inquiry. In this paper, we propose a roadmap for implementing a skull base registry, along with expected benefits and challenges.

Safety of topical administration of nasal decongestants and vasoconstrictors in paediatric nasal surgery - A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Topical intranasal decongestants are essential in nasal surgery to improve operative field. There are concerns regarding safety in paediatric population. Data on safety and safe dosage are limited. This systematic review evaluated the literature on safety and dosage of intranasal decongestant in paediatric population.

METHODS

We performed a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library for relevant articles. Quality assessment was done on included articles.

RESULTS

A total of 10 articles were included: five case reports; three observational studies; and two randomised control trials. Decongestants evaluated were phenylephrine, oxymetazoline, epinephrine, xylometazoline, and cocaine. In total, 209 patients were included. Side effects reported included bradycardia, tachycardia and hypertension. These were mostly self-limiting and of no clinical compromise to the patients. A total of 4/209 (1.9%) of patients required treatment for these reported effects. No mortality was reported in the included studies.

CONCLUSION

In the paediatric population, the literature suggests that when delivered in a pre-specified, controlled dosage, the haemodynamic effects of phenylephrine, oxymetazoline, xylometazoline are minimal and of no clinical significance. There is scope for further studies to establish safe dosage in the paediatric population given the paucity of current literature.

Hemodynamic Changes with 1:1000 Epinephrine on Wrung-Out Pledgets Before and During Sinus Surgery

BACKGROUND

Intranasal topical 1:1000 epinephrine has been used safely and effectively for hemostasis during endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Prior studies assessing hemodynamic changes after intranasal topical epinephrine application have only used soaking wet cottonoid pledgets, and have only assessed for hemodynamic changes before any surgery being performed.

OBJECTIVE

The purposes of this study were to determine whether intranasal application of topical 1:1000 epinephrine with wrung-out cottonoid pledgets caused significant hemodynamic changes both before and during ESS, and whether it allowed for adequate hemostasis.

METHODS

A prospective evaluation of 30 patients with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) undergoing complete bilateral ESS was conducted. Heart rate, blood pressure (systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure), and electrocardiography changes were recorded at 0, 1, 2, and 5-minute intervals after placing wrung-out epinephrine-saturated pledgets, both before and at the end of ESS. No submucosal epinephrine injections were performed. Estimated blood loss (EBL) and major intraoperative complications were recorded for all cases.

RESULTS

There were no significant hemodynamic changes or electrocardiographic abnormalities after placement of wrung-out epinephrine-soaked pledgets both before and after ESS. After bilateral ESS, there were actually mean decreases in heart rate and blood pressure parameters. Mean EBL was 75.8 ± 32.2 mL, and no major intraoperative complications occurred.

CONCLUSION

Intranasal application of topical 1:1000 epinephrine via wrung-out cottonoid pledgets was effective for intraoperative hemostasis, and did not cause clinically significant alterations in hemodynamic parameters or cardiovascular events, either before or during ESS in patients with CRSwNP.Level of Evidence: 4.