Purpose Ultrasound-guided interscalene nerve block (UISB) is commonly used to alleviate postoperative pain during shoulder arthroscopy. This retrospective observational study aimed to evaluate the intraoperative advantages and analgesic effects of preoperative UISB. Patients and Methods In this retrospective observational study, a total of 170 patients underwent shoulder arthroscopy at a tertiary medical center in southern Taiwan throughout 2019. After applying the exclusion criteria, 142 of these cases were included, with 74 and 68 in the UISB group and control groups, respectively. The primary outcome was the evaluation of intraoperative morphine milligram equivalent (MME) consumption. Secondary outcomes were sevoflurane consumption, the use of intraoperative antihypertensive drugs, and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and in the ward at 24 h after surgery. Results Preoperative UISB effectively reduced opioids and volatile gases during surgery, supported by a 48.1% and 14.8% reduction in the median intraoperative MME and sevoflurane concentrations, respectively, and showed less need for antihypertensive drugs. The preoperative UISB group also showed significantly better performance on the VAS in both the PACU and ward. Conclusion Taken together, the preoperative UISB reduced not only intraoperative MME and sevoflurane consumption but also had satisfactory VAS scores in both the PACU and ward without any symptomatic respiratory complications. In summary, preoperative UISB is a reliable adjuvant analgesic technique and a key factor in achieving opioid-sparing and sevoflurane-sparing anesthesia and multimodal analgesia during shoulder arthroscopy.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the treatment of choice for end-stage osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, because it alleviates pain and restores function of the knee. However, TKA-associated hemorrhage and subsequent anemia remain a concern. Most previous studies have defined meaningful postoperative bleeding as blood loss > 500 mL or hemoglobin (Hb) drop > 20 g/L. Therefore, we defined significant hemorrhage as a postoperative Hb drop more than 20 g/L in this study, and we investigated possible risk factors related to significant hemorrhage in TKA and whether these risk factors are modifiable. This retrospective study was conducted through a comprehensive review of the perioperative records of patients with OA of the knee who underwent TKA between January 2009 and December 2015 at our hospital. Patients were allocated into two groups: patients in Group A had their Hb drop ≤ 20 g/L; patients in Group B had their Hb drop > 20 g/L. Factors analyzed included sex, age, body mass index (BMI), the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, comorbidities, preoperative platelet count, use of tranexamic acid (TXA), operation time, and type of anesthesia. A total of 3350 patients met the criteria for analysis, with 1782 patients allocated to Group A and 1568 patients to Group B. Five independent risk factors for significant hemorrhage were identified: male sex (odds ratio(OR), 1.29; 95% confidence interval(CI), 1.08–1.53; p = 0.005), age (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01–1.03; p = 0.001), use of TXA (OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.34–0.45; p < 0.001), spinal anesthesia versus general anesthesia (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56–0.90; p = 0.004), and preoperative platelet count (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93–0.98; p = 0.001). Of these identified risk factors, preoperative platelet count, use of TXA, and spinal anesthesia are modifiable. These potentially modifiable risk factors need to be taken into consideration when making both the perioperative care and anesthesia plan by surgeons and anesthesiologists, especially in patients at risk of significant hemorrhage.

The use of rocuronium/sugammadex in otorhinolaryngologic surgery improves intubation conditions and surgical rating scales. This study primarily aimed to evaluate the effect of the combination of rocuronium and sugammadex on intraoperative anesthetic consumption. The secondary outcomes were the intraoperative and postoperative morphine milligram equivalent (MME) consumption, duration of intraoperative hypertension, extubation time, incidence of delayed extubation and postoperative nausea and vomiting, pain score, and length of stay. A total of 2848 patients underwent otorhinolaryngologic surgery at a tertiary medical center in southern Taiwan. After applying the exclusion criteria, 2648 of these cases were included, with 167 and 2481 in the rocuronium/sugammadex and cisatracurium/neostigmine groups, respectively. To reduce potential bias, 119 patients in each group were matched by propensity scores for sex, age, body weight, and type of surgery. We found that the rocuronium/sugammadex group was associated with significant preservation of the intraoperative sevoflurane and MME consumption, with reductions of 14.2% (p = 0.009) and 11.8% (p = 0.035), respectively. The use of the combination of rocuronium and sugammadex also significantly increased the dose of intraoperative labetalol (p = 0.002), although there was no significant difference in intraoperative hypertensive events between both groups. In conclusion, our results may encourage the use of the combination of rocuronium and sugammadex as part of volatile-sparing and opioid-sparing anesthesia in otorhinolaryngologic surgery.

Rationale: Gastrobronchial fistula (GBF) is a rare but life-threatening complication of esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction, and airway management during fistula repair is challenging. Here, we describe airway management in a patient undergoing left-sided GBF repair using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Patient concerns: A 63-year-old man diagnosed with esophageal carcinoma underwent esophagectomy with reconstruction by gastric pull-up and tabularization of the gastric conduit. Subsequently, about 8 weeks later, the patient presented with repeated pneumonia and a 1-week history of cough with significant sputum, dysphagia, and repeated fever. Diagnosis: GBF, a rare postoperative complication, was located on the left main bronchus at 2 cm below the carina and was diagnosed based on findings from gastroscopy, flexible bronchoscopy, and thoracic computed tomography scan with contrast. Interventions: We performed left-sided one-lung ventilation (OLV) under total intravenous anesthesia instead of inhalational anesthetics. The left-sided OLV, with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and nasogastric tube decompression, generated positive pressure across the fistula. It prevented backflow into the left main bronchus. Total intravenous anesthesia preserved hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and prevented adverse effects associated with inhalational anesthetics. A right-sided, double-lumen endotracheal tube was inserted after anesthesia induction, and surgical repair was performed through a right-sided video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Outcomes: Intraoperative hemodynamics remained relatively stable, except for brief tachycardia at 113 beats/min. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed pH 7.17 and PaO 2 89.1 mmHg upon 100% oxygenation, along with hypercapnia (PaCO 2 77.1 mmHg), indicating respiratory acidosis. During OLV, pulse oximetry remained higher than 92%. The defect in the left main bronchus was successfully sutured after dissecting the fistula between the left main bronchus and the gastric conduit, and subsequently, OLV resulted in ideal ventilation. Lessons: A left-sided GBF could lead to leakage from the OLV during surgery. Possible aspiration or alveolar hypoventilation due to this leakage is a major concern during airway management before surgical repair of the main bronchus.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common disease and one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. This retrospective cohort study evaluated the risk of developing CRC in people with hemorrhoids. Using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database, we established three sets of retrospective study cohorts with and without hemorrhoids. The first set of cohorts were matched by sex and age, the second set of cohorts were matched by propensity score without including colonoscopies, and the third set of cohorts were matched by propensity score with colonoscopies, colorectal adenomas, and appendectomies included. In the second set of cohorts, 36,864 persons with hemorrhoids that were diagnosed from 2000 to 2010 and a comparison cohort, with the same size and matched by propensity score, were established and followed up to the end of 2011 to assess the incidence and Cox proportional regression-measured hazard ratio (HR) of CRC. The overall incidence rate of CRC was 2.39 times greater in the hemorrhoid cohort than it was in the comparison cohort (1.29 vs. 0.54 per 1000 person-years), with a multivariable model measured adjusted HR of 2.18 (95% CI = 1.78–2.67) after controlling for sex, age, and comorbidity. Further analysis on the CRC incidence rates among colorectal sites revealed higher incidence rates at the rectum and sigmoid than at other sites, with adjusted HRs 2.20 (95% CI = 1.48–3.28) and 1.79 (95% CI = 1.06–3.02), respectively. The overall incidence rates of both cohorts were similar in the first and second sets of cohorts, whereas the rate was lower in the third set of hemorrhoid cohorts than in the respective comparison cohorts, probably because of overmatching. Our findings suggest that patients with hemorrhoids were at an elevated risk of developing CRC. Colonoscopy may be strongly suggested for identifying CRC among those with hemorrhoids, especially if they have received a positive fecal occult blood test result.

No abstract

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), an all-encompassing perioperative care approach, has been demonstrated to enhance surgical results, mitigate postoperative issues, and decrease the length of hospital stay (LOS) in diverse surgical specialties. In this retrospective study, our objective was to examine the influence of muscle relaxant selection on LOS and perioperative results in adult patients undergoing open spine surgery. Specifically, we compared 201 patients who received cisatracurium and neostigmine with 201 patients who received rocuronium and sugammadex, after 1:1 propensity score matching. The utilization of the rocuronium and sugammadex combination in anesthesia for open spinal surgery did not lead to a reduction in the LOS but was associated with a decreased incidence of postoperative chest radiographic abnormalities, including infiltration, consolidation, atelectasis, or pneumonia (p = 0.027). In our secondary analysis, multivariate analysis revealed multiple determinants influencing the prolonged LOS (>7 days) during open spine surgery. Bispectral index-guided anesthesia emerged as a protective factor, while variables such as excessive intraoperative blood loss and fluid administration as well as postoperative chest radiographic abnormalities independently contributed to prolonged LOS.

Supermicrosurgical lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) is a minimally invasive surgical technique that creates bypasses between lymphatic vessels and veins, thereby improving lymphatic drainage and reducing lymphedema. This retrospective single-center study included 137 patients who underwent non-intubated LVA in southern Taiwan. A total of 119 patients were enrolled and assigned to two study groups: the geriatric (age ≥ 75 years, n = 23) and non-geriatric groups (age < 75 years, n = 96). The primary outcome was to investigate and compare the arousal and maintenance of the propofol effect-site concentration (Ce) using an electroencephalographic density spectral array (EEG DSA) in both groups. The results showed that the geriatric group required less propofol (4.05 [3.73–4.77] mg/kg/h vs. 5.01 [4.34–5.92] mg/kg/h, p = 0.001) and alfentanil (4.67 [2.53–5.82] μg/kg/h vs. 6.68 [3.85–8.77] μg/kg/h, p = 0.047). The median arousal Ce of propofol among the geriatric group (0.6 [0.5–0.7] μg/mL) was significantly lower than that in patients aged ≤ 54 years (1.3 [1.2–1.4] μg/mL, p < 0.001), 55–64 years (0.9 [0.8–1.0] μg/mL, p < 0.001), and <75 years (0.9 [0.8–1.2] μg/mL, p < 0.001). In summary, the combined use of EEG DSA provides the objective and depth of adequate sedation for extensive non-intubated anesthesia in late-elderly patients who undergo LVA without perioperative complications.