No abstract

Background: Although the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is a brief procedure, it can cause severe pain and discomfort to patients in the absence of adequate sedation. An admixture of ketamine with propofol (ketofol), may reduce patient movement due to insufficient sedation while providing hemodynamic and respiratory stability. This study evaluated the ability of two ratios of a propofol–ketamine combination, compared with propofol alone, to reduce patient movement during procedural sedation for LEEPs. Methods: One hundred and twenty women scheduled for a LEEP were randomly assigned to three groups. Anesthesia was induced with 1 mg/kg propofol (group P), 1 mg/kg propofol and 0.33 mg/kg ketamine (group K1), or 1 mg/kg propofol and 0.66 mg/kg ketamine (group K2). The primary outcome was the incidence of adduction motion in the lower extremities during the procedure. The requirements for respiratory interventions, changes in vital signs, sedation score, additional anesthetic usage, and surgeon and patient satisfaction were also evaluated. Results: The incidence of adduction motion was significantly lower in groups K1 and K2 than in group P (overall p-value <0.001) but did not differ significantly in groups K1 and K2. Group K2 needed more jaw thrust maneuvers than group K1. Additional propofol usage was lower and surgeon satisfaction scores higher in groups K1 and K2 than in group P. Conclusion: A propofol–ketamine combination is more effective than propofol alone in reducing procedural interference during LEEPs. However, increasing the dose of ketamine showed no additional benefit.

Background: The addition of the adjuvant dexmedetomidine to a nerve block improves the quality of the block and reduces perioperative opioid consumption. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant for the thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) in postoperative pain control after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Methods: Sixty-six males, aged 15–40 years, with spontaneous pneumothorax scheduled for VATS wedge resection were enrolled. Following surgery, ultrasound-guided TPVB was performed on the T3 and T5 levels with 30 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine, plus adjuvant dexmedetomidine 50 μg or normal saline. The primary outcome was cumulative fentanyl consumption at 24 h. Pain severity, the requirement for additional rescue analgesics, hemodynamic variations, and side effects were also evaluated. Results: Median postoperative cumulative fentanyl consumption at 24 h was significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group (122.6 (interquartile range (IQR) 94.5–268.0) μg vs. 348.1 (IQR, 192.8–459.2) μg, p-value = 0.001) with a Hodges–Lehman median difference between groups of 86.2 (95% confidence interval (CI), 4.2–156.4) mg. Coughing numeric rating scale (NRS) was lower in the dexmedetomidine group at postoperative 2, 4, 8, and 24 h. However, resting NRS differed significantly only after 4 h postoperative. Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine as an adjunct in TPVB provided effective pain relief and significantly reduced opioid requirement in VATS.

Background and Objectives: The effect of supra-inguinal fascia iliaca compartment block (SI-FICB) in hip arthroscopy is not apparent. It is also controversial whether SI-FICB can block the obturator nerve, which may affect postoperative analgesia after hip arthroscopy. We compared analgesic effects before and after the implementation of obturator nerve block into SI-FICB for hip arthroscopy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 90 consecutive patients who underwent hip arthroscopy from January 2017 to August 2019. Since August 2018, the analgesic protocol was changed from SI-FICB to SI-FICB with obturator nerve block. According to the analgesic regimen, patients were categorized as group N (no blockade), group F (SI-FICB only), and group FO (SI-FICB with obturator nerve block). Primary outcome was the cumulative opioid consumption at 24 hours after surgery. Additionally, cumulative opioid consumption at 6 and 12 hours after surgery, pain score, additional analgesic requests, intraoperative opioid consumption and hemodynamic stability, and postoperative nausea and vomiting were assessed. Results: Among 87 patients, there were 47 patients in group N, 21 in group F, and 19 in group FO. The cumulative opioid (fentanyl) consumption at 24 hours after surgery was significantly lower in the group FO compared with the group N (N: 678.5 (444.0–890.0) µg; FO: 482.8 (305.8–635.0) µg; p = 0.014), whereas the group F did not show a significant difference (F: 636.0 (426.8–803.0) µg). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that implementing obturator nerve block into SI-FICB can reduce postoperative opioid consumption in hip arthroscopy.