Acupuncture in Preventing Postoperative Anaesthesia-Related Sore Throat: A Comparison with No Acupuncture

Effects on ondansetron of postdural puncture headache after cesarean section under spinal anesthesia

Background

Spinal anesthesia is commonly performed for cesarean section, however, postdural puncture headache (PDPH) is one of its most common adverse effects. Ondansetron is an antiemetic for cancer treatment and analgesia-induced nausea and vomiting. In this study, the authors aim to evaluate the effect of postoperative ondansetron on PDPH.

Methods

In this randomized controlled clinical trial study, 120 pregnant patients are ASA ll, undergoing elective cesarean section, were randomized into two groups (placebo or study). The patients in the study group, immediately after the birth of a baby and 24 h after the operation, received ondansetron 4 mg IV while the placebo group received a placebo. The severity and incidence of headache, postoperative nausea and vomiting, dizziness, neck and lower back pain, and the use of analgesia was assessed in the two groups.

Results

The significant meaning of the time effect (P<0.001) indicated that regardless of the group, for each unit increase in time, the chance of developing a headache increased by 23%, which was statistically significant. Also, the significant meaning of the group effect indicated that regardless of time, patients who did not take indomethacin had ~4.11 times higher chances of developing a headache compared to those who received the medication, which was statistically significant (P=0.004).

Conclusion

The administration of ondansetron significantly reduces the occurrence of postspinal anesthesia headaches and neck pain. There was no significant difference in headache severity between the two study groups.

Hemodynamic stability during menstrual cycle in women undergoing elective surgery

Objective

Hemodynamic changes occur in almost one-third of patients undergoing spinal anesthesia, which are likely to effect vital organ. The aim of this study is to determine the hemodynamic effect of spinal anesthesia during different phases of menstrual cycle.

Methods

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, two hundred and seventy-three patients who underwent spinal anesthesia for elective surgery were enrolled in this study. Of all the patients, 141 patients were in the luteal phase and 132 patients were in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle. Analytical epidemiological study was conducted using questionnaires. Blood pressure and heart rate of patients before, immediately after, and 1 h after spinal anesthesia were recorded, and the data were analyzed using SPSS software.

Results

In the follicular phase before anesthesia, systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 127.5 ± 3.9, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 80.3 ± 6.2 mmHg and heart rate (HR) was 82.0 ± 8.5bpm, while, immediately after the induction of anesthesia following recordings were measured; 109.7 ± 9.13, 71.8 ± 2.8 mmHg and 70.0 ± 8.10bpm, respectively. In the luteal phase, it was 126.9 ± 3.12, 81.6 ± 9.3 mmHg and 80.2 ± 4.4bpm, and 122.0 ± 9.12, 78.6 ± 8.5 mmHg and 75.9 ± 6.5bpm respectively before and immediately after anesthesia, these changes in the menstrual phase was significant (P < 0.001). In the follicular phase an hour after spinal anesthesia, the mean SBP was 100.3 ± 3.9, DBP was 71.2 ± 7.5, MAP was 87.0 ± 4.7 mmHg and HR 67.5 ± 5.7bpm and following was seen in luteal phase; 115.4 ± 1.8, 75.9 ± 2.3, 97.3 ± 3.5 mm Hg and 74.0 ± 7.4bpm, respectively. These values were significantly lower in the follicular phase (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Spinal anesthesia in the luteal phase as compared to the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle shows less variation in hemodynamic parameters.

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Hemodynamic changes occur in almost one-third of patients undergoing spinal anesthesia.

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Spinal anesthesia in the luteal phase as compared to the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.

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Our study did not measure the levels of progesterone and estrogen.

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Comparative studies including women with circulatory abnormalities, preoperative and postoperative analysis.

The effectiveness of acupuncture point stimulation for the prevention of postoperative sore throat: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Enhanced recovery pathways can be further improved for postoperative sore throat (POST) that occurs after surgery under general anesthesia. Medications have shown some effectiveness in preventing POST, but acupuncture or related techniques with better safety and lower cost can be used as an alternative or adjuvant therapy to treat perioperative symptoms by stimulating acupuncture point (acupoint). Therefore, we aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to assess whether acupoint stimulation helps patients prevent POST in adults undergoing tracheal intubation for general anesthesia.

METHODS

Publications in PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register, ScienceDirect, and ClinicalTrial.gov were surveyed from January 2000 through August 2020. Studies that compared interventions between true acupoint stimulation and no or sham acupoint stimulation were included. The primary outcomes were the incidence and severity of POST at 24h.

RESULTS

Four randomized control trials and 1 comparative study involving 1478 participants were included. Compared with the no or sham acupoint stimulation, the true acupoint stimulation was associated with a reduced incidence (risk ratio, 0.32; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.18-0.55; P < .001) and decreased severity (standardized mean difference, -2.79; 95% CI, -4.59 to - 0.99; P = .002) of POST. There were no significant adverse events related to acupoint stimulation. The finding for POST was assured by subgroup, sensitivity, and trial sequential analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Acupoint stimulation may reduce the occurrence of POST. It can be considered as one of nonpharmacological methods to prevent POST in enhanced recovery pathways. Further rigorous studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of acupoint stimulation.

Perioperative Acupuncture Optimizes Surgical Outcomes: Theory, Clinical Practice and Future Perspectives

A growing body of evidence supports the use of perioperative acupuncture as part of an enhanced postsurgical recovery protocol. Data from both clinical trials and animal studies has shown that the integration of acupuncture into perioperative patient care leads to a reduction of perioperative complications such as preoperative anxiety, intraoperative hemodynamic instability, postoperative pain, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, and postoperative nausea and vomiting in surgical patients. Despite these favorable outcomes, perioperative acupuncture has yet to be widely adopted in current anesthesia practice. This review summarized data from clinical perioperative acupuncture studies and cites recent discoveries regarding the anatomical location and characteristics of acupoint(s), acupuncture stimulation techniques, and treatment practice protocols, as well as identified the areas of deficiency in perioperative acupuncture applications. To facilitate acupuncture integration in perioperative care practice, the authors propose to establish a perioperative acupuncture registry which can be used for data mining as well as a resource for studying the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture. Through this acupuncture registry, clinical guidelines and research protocols can be established, additional large/multi-center clinical and pragmatic trials can be easily performed to determine if the integration and expansion of perioperative acupuncture practice is cost-effective.

Prone position: A possible method to decrease post dural puncture headache (PDPH) during surgery

OBJECTIVES

Postdural puncture headache (PDPH) is a complication associated with spinal and epidural anesthesia, characterized by a very severe dull, non-throbbing positional headache along with nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. The aim of this study was to compare positional character of PDPH, where the effects of prone and supine positions during surgery were compared for the risk of the headache.

METHODS

This cohort study, was carried out at (XXX) University of Medical Sciences from June 2019 to June 2020 after the approval from the Ethical Committee. 1416 patients participated in this study among whom either supine or prone positions were used for the surgery, based on the type of surgical requirements. All patients received spinal where, 18-gauge cannula was inserted and lactated ringer 4 mL per Kg per hour was used for the administration. Using an aseptic technique, a 26-gauge Quincke needle was inserted intrathecally via a midline approach into the L3-L4 or L4-L5 interspace with the patient in the sitting position. Patients received 10 mg 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine. 444 patients were operated in the prone position during surgery (P group) and the 972 patients were in the supine position (S group).

RESULTS

We compared the rate of PDPH between the two groups. 3 (0.68%) patients with pilonidal sinus were operated in prone position experienced headache and 87 of those operated in supine position (8.95%) had headache (P < 0.001); and the odds ratio of developing headache when operated in supine position was 13.16.

CONCLUSIONS

Prone position during surgery appears to be a reliable way to reduce PDPH following spinal or epidural anesthesia.

Comparison of an ephedrine infusion with lidocaine %5 for prevention of hypotension during spinal anesthesia in cesarean section

Background

Spinal anesthesia is the method of choice for cesarean section and in most cases causes hypotension.

Objective

The aim of this study was to treat hypotension by ephedrine in order to prevent maternal and fetal complications, and also to determine the effective amount of ephedrine for reducing arterial hypertension in order to prevent its complications, including cardiac arrhythmias.

Method

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 131 patients. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) of the candidates for cesarean section in the supine position was measured and recorded as mean baseline blood pressure. 75 mg of lidocaine (5%) was used as spinal anesthesia, following which the average blood pressure was measured every 1 min. In the event of a decrease in the mean arterial blood pressure of at least 20% of the mean baseline blood pressure, ephedrine 0.1/mg/kg was injected intravenously and after 1 min of MAP was measured.

Result

The prevalence of hypotension was 89.30%. 25.60% of patients with hypotension had 30–34.99% reduction in MAP compared to baseline MAP. 12% patients had 40% drop in their MAP. 4 min following spinal anesthesia, the incidence of hypotension reduced by 20%. The average dose of ephedrine required to reduce the incidence of hypotension was 20.5 mg.

Conclusion

Reduction in MAP following spinal anesthesia using lidocaine is common. Ephedrine at the dose of 20 mg is effective to reduce the incidence of perioperative hypotension.

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Spinal anesthesia is the method of choice for cesarean section and in most cases causes hypotension.

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Arterial blood pressure drop after spinal anesthesia is very common in cesarean section.

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With lidocaine 5% and in most cases ephedrine is approximately 20 mg treated during the operation.

Cross-sectional study on hearing loss and auditory reaction time before and after spinal anesthesia with marcaine 0.5% in patients undergoing elective surgery

BACKGROUND

Hearing loss is a rarely reported complication of spinal anesthesia. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of 0.5% Maracine (bupivacaine) on hearing threshold and auditory reaction time before and after spinal anesthesia among patients undergoing elective surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study performed on 60 patients undergoing elective surgery with ASA Class II and II anesthesia (0.5% bupivacaine) at Khorramabad Nursing Home. After obtaining consent from the patients, audiometry and tympanometry tests were performed using AZ80 and Madsen otoflex tympanometer and related findings including the presence or absence of hearing loss at various frequencies, before and after the surgery, were noted in a form for each patients along with their demographic data. SPSS 21 was used for statistical analysis and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square inferential tests.

RESULTS

At low frequencies of 250 and 500 Hz, no significant difference in pre- and postoperative hearing threshold in the right ear (P > 0.05) was seen, but at frequencies above 500 Hz, the hearing threshold was significantly decreased after surgery, (P < 0.05). In the left ear at 250, 1000, 3000, and 8000 Hz, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between pre- and postoperative hearing threshold. The results of this study showed that the preoperative hearing threshold for men and women did not differ and the auditory threshold and auditory response time after surgery did not differ between the two sexes (P > 0.05). Similarly, the difference was not correlated with the age and the levels of anesthesia (P > 0.05). The results also showed that changes in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate above 30% of baseline were also not correlated with hearing loss (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed that at certain frequencies, hearing loss was observed in both ears after spinal anesthesia with 5% Marcaine, but this hearing loss was not related to age, sex, and spinal anesthesia level. The results also showed that changes in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate above 30% of baseline did not correlate with hearing loss.

The Effect of Cold Vapor and Ice Cube Absorption in the Early Postoperative Period on Sore Throat and Hoarseness Induced by Intubation

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine the effect of cold vapor and ice cube absorption in the early postoperative period on sore throat and hoarseness induced by intubation.

DESIGN

This is a randomized controlled experimental study.

METHODS

Four groups (n = 30) were involved in the study: cold vapor application (group 1), ice cube absorption (group 2), ice cube absorption along with cold vapor application (group 3), and a control group (group 4). The sample consisted of 120 participants. The data were collected using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Stout's hoarseness scale postextubation (zeroth hour) and at the second, sixth, and 24th hours.

FINDINGS

After the interventions, the mean VAS scores for sore throat at the sixth postoperative hour were found to be 1.50 ± 1.71, 1.16 ± 1.08, and 1.30 ± 1.62 in group 1, group 2, and group 3, respectively. The mean VAS score for sore throat of group 4 was found to be 3.70 ± 1.89. The decrease in the VAS score for the sixth postoperative hour was ranked from highest to lowest as follows: ice cube absorption group, ice cube absorption along with cold vapor application group, and cold vapor application group. There was no significant difference between application groups in terms of mean VAS scores; however, it was found that mean VAS scores of all application groups were lower than that of control group, and there was a significant difference between them (P < .05). We found that at the sixth postoperative hour after intervention, 33.3% of group 1, 36.7% of group 2, 30% of group 3, and 46.7% of group 4 had hoarseness. No significant difference was found between groups, in terms of hoarseness scores of patients in the sixth postoperative hour after intervention (P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Cold vapor application, ice cube absorption, and ice cube absorption along with cold vapor application were effective in reducing sore throat but were ineffective as treatment for hoarseness.

Abdominal pain in the patient with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome: A case report

Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is known to cause hypercoagulability, affecting a wide range of vessels, systematically. A 56-year-old woman was referred to our center with severe epigastric pain, with the history of APS. She was treated with packed cells, fresh frozen plasma and anticoagulation therapies.

Clinical Research on Prevention and Treatment of Respiratory Tract Complications With Acupoint Application After Operation Under General Anesthesia

There are various respiratory tract complications in patients undergoing general anesthesia, with postoperative sore throat (POST) being the most commonly seen. Although measures have been taken to prevent and treat POST in clinical practice, the control of POST is still not satisfactory. In this study, 880 ASA patients with grade I to II general anesthesia were randomly assigned into control group and experimental group. After patients entered into the operating room, the plasters were applied to the designated points (Tianzhu, Lianquan, Dazhui, etc), and the clinical efficacy of acupoint application in prevention and treatment of respiratory tract complications after general anesthesia was observed. The results showed that patients starting using acupoint application before operation could significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative respiratory tract complications, and the effects lasted for up to 24 hours. In this study, acupoint application was used, providing a simple, safe, efficient, and durable approach to prevent and treat respiratory tract complications after operation under general anesthesia.