Paravertebral blocks reduce the risk of postoperative urinary retention in inguinal hernia repair

Factors associated with postoperative urinary retention in patients undergoing penile prosthesis implantation

Placement of penile prosthesis had been well described in the outpatient setting, however, one barrier to same-day discharge is postoperative urinary retention (POUR). POUR remains a condition encountered during ambulatory surgical procedures and has yet to be characterized in patients undergoing penile prosthesis. We characterized POUR in a cohort of penile prosthesis recipients along with risk factors and management. Patients undergoing penile prosthesis implantation from 2014 through 2020 without pre-existing retention were included. All patients underwent a void trial immediately following penile prosthesis in the post-anesthesia care unit. POUR was strictly defined as (1) any patient requiring catheter replacement after prosthesis, (2) a rising post-void residual, or (3) inability to void after 6 h regardless of whether a catheter was placed. Independent procedures, demographic, intraoperative, and postoperative risk factors for POUR were assessed. 317 men were included of whom 27.1% experienced POUR. Men experiencing POUR and those not in retention were essentially indistinguishable with respect to previously described risk factors for POUR. Only use of both α-blockers and 5-α-reductase inhibitors was significantly associated with a greater risk of POUR, a finding maintained on adjusted analysis (adjusted odds ratio 10.1, 95% confidence interval 2.1 to 49.8). POUR resolved without intervention in 3.5%, a single episode of clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) in 7.0% of patients, and repeated CIC or indwelling catheter placement with a successful delayed void trial in 88.4% of patients. Rate of prosthesis infection in patients who experienced POUR did not significantly differ from those who did not experience POUR (4.7% vs. 2.2% p = 0.26). Our findings suggest that POUR is experienced in as many as 1 in 4 men undergoing penile prosthesis placement, most of whom must be managed with indwelling catheterization or repeated CIC. Those with indicators of symptomatic prostate enlargement are at significantly greater risk of urinary retention.

The analgesic efficacy of paravertebral block at T11 level as a single anaesthetic technique in an older adult with severe cardiac insufficiency undergoing open complex inguinal hernia repair: A case report

Background

We describe a case of severe cardiac insufficiency in an older adult undergoing open complex inguinal hernia repair. We present paravertebral injection technique at lower vertebral level without additional needle entry. The feasibility of this technique was verified by observing its intraoperative and postoperative analgesic effects.

Case presentation

A 91-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital with a very large mass in the right lower abdomen. Diagnostic ultrasonography revealed right inguinal irreducible hernia. The patient had severe cardiac insufficiency with a high risk of general and spinal anaesthesia. After adequate preoperative evaluation and cardiac therapy, the anesthesiologist determined to perform paravertebral block at T11 level using 20 mL of ropivacaine (0.5%) as a single anaesthetic technique to complete the operation. The surgery went uneventfully without using any auxiliary analgesics or sedative drugs. The first reported pain was 19 h after surgery. On the 11-point numeric rating scale, the highest and lowest pain scores within the first 24 h were 3 and 0, respectively. On postoperative day three, the patient was discharged and recovered without complications in 7 days and underwent one-month follow-up.

Conclusions

Single paravertebral block at T11 level with 20 mL of ropivacaine (0.5%) may be an effective intraoperative anaesthetic technique in older adults with severe cardiac decompensation undergoing complex open inguinal hernia repair. The advantage of this technique was that the ipsilateral somatic and sympathetic nerves above and below the injection site could be blocked without additional needle insertion.

Regional Anesthesia for Ambulatory Anesthesiologists

Proper pain control is critical for ambulatory surgery. Regional anesthesia can decrease postoperative pain, improve patient satisfaction, and expedite patient discharge. This article discusses the techniques, clinical pearls, and potential pitfalls associated with those blocks, which are most useful in an ambulatory perioperative setting. Interscalene, supraclavicular, infraclavicular, axillary, paravertebral, erector spinae, pectoralis, serratus anterior, transversus abdominis plane, femoral, adductor canal, popliteal, interspace between the popliteal artery and capsule of the knee, and ankle blocks are described.