The quadratus lumborum block (QLB) is a relatively new regional analgesic technique that could provide analgesia to the abdominal wall and reduce postoperative opioid consumption. We investigated the opioid-sparing effect of a unilateral lateral QLB in laparoscopic nephrectomy. Patients and Methods: A total of 60 patients undergoing laparoscopic nephrectomy were included in the study. Patients were randomized into two groups as QLB and control group. QLB group received QLB with 25mL 0.25% ropivacaine, and the control group received 25mL 0.9% saline at anterolateral border of quadratus lumborum muscle preoperatively. Opioid consumption and the pain intensity at rest and on movement were measured at 2nd, 6th, 24th, and 48th hour postoperatively. We also assessed the time to first flatus to measure the extent of paralytic ileus and the quality of recovery-15 (QoR-15) questionnaire. Results: Postoperative opioid consumption was significantly lower in the QLB group than in the control group at 6, 24, and 48h after surgery (P < 0.05). The pain intensity at rest and on movement was significantly lower in the QLB group than in the control group during the first 24 hours after surgery (P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, time to first flatus, and QoR-15 score did not show significant differences. Conclusion: Preoperative unilateral QLB successfully decreased postoperative pain and opioid consumption after laparoscopic nephrectomy and could be an option for analgesia after laparoscopic nephrectomy.

Quality of recovery after anesthesia is an important measure of the early postoperative health status of patients. The Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) questionnaire is a self-rated questionnaire used to assess the quality of postoperative recovery. This study is aimed at translating and validating the Korean version of QoR-15 (QoR-15K). One hundred fifty patients were included in this study. We translated the original version of QoR-15 into QoR-15K and evaluated its validity, reliability, responsiveness, and clinical feasibility. QoR-15K showed acceptable criterion, structure, and construct validities. Reliability was verified using Cronbach’s α (0.856), standard error of measurement (10.78), split-half reliability (0.831), test-retest reliability ( ρ = 0.945 , P ≤ 0.001 ), and intraclass correlation test-retest ( ρ = 0.903 , P ≤ 0.001 ). These results represent an acceptable reliability. Responsiveness was verified using Cohen’s effect size (1.39), standardized response mean (1.03), and the correlation between QoR-15K score and duration of anesthesia ( ρ = − 0.197 , P = 0.016 ). These results show acceptable responsiveness. The mean ± standard   deviation time to complete QoR-15K was 138.1 ± 30.7   s . QoR-15K was rated more than adequate on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments checklist. In conclusion, QoR-15K shows acceptable validity, reliability, responsiveness, and clinical feasibility and may help evaluate postoperative quality of recovery in Korean populations.

Background A multimodal analgesia (MMA) protocol has shown the effect of postoperative pain control and reduced the postoperative opioid consumption. However, it was questionable whether MMA could replace opioidbased patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for postoperative pain control. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether an MMA protocol is non-inferior to opioid-based PCA for pain management after a minimally invasive colorectal cancer surgery. Methods A randomized, open-label, non-inferiority clinical trial was conducted on patients undergoing laparoscopic or robotic resection of colorectal cancer. The patients were randomly assigned to either the PCA or MMA group. The MMA protocol included pregabalin, tramadol, wound infiltration, and transversus abdominis plane block. The primary outcome was the numeric rating scale (NRS) score for pain at rest 24 h postoperatively. Results Ninety-seven patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. The mean difference in NRS score at rest at 24 h was 0.25 (95% confidence interval, -0.61 to 1.11). This result demonstrated the non-inferiority of MMA to PCA in our non-inferiority margin (-1). Compared with the PCA group, the median remifentanil dose (996 vs. 654 lg; p \ 0.001) and time in the post-anesthesia care unit (35 vs. 25 min; p \ 0.001) were significantly less in the MMA group. Conclusions Our MMA protocol successfully controlled postoperative pain and was non-inferior to morphine-based PCA based on patient-reported pain intensity, with no significant increase in adverse events. These results will help construct a strategy to reduce conventional opioid prescriptions for pain management after a minimally invasive colorectal cancer surgery.

Background: The first large coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak outside China occurred in Daegu. In response, we developed infection prevention measures for surgical patients during the outbreak at our hospital and retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of COVID-19–related surgical patients.Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 118 COVID-19–related surgical patients and monitored their clinical outcomes until March 31, 2021. We also interviewed healthcare workers who participated in their perioperative care at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital. The perioperative management guidelines for COVID-19–related patients were prepared through multidisciplinary discussions, including the infection control department, surgical departments, and anesthesiology department before and during the COVID-19 outbreak.Results: One standard operating room was temporarily converted to a negative-pressure room by increasing the exhaust air volume, creating a relative pressure of −11.3 Pa. The healthcare workers were equipped with personal protective equipment according to the patient's classification of the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The 118 COVID-19–related patients underwent emergent surgery in the negative-pressure room, including three COVID-19–confirmed patients and five COVID-19–exposed patients. Conclusion: All surgeries of the COVID-19–related patients were performed without specific adverse events or perioperative COVID-19 transmission. Our experience setting up a negative-pressure operating room and conservative perioperative protocol to prevent COVID-19 transmission will help plan and execute infection control measures in the future.