Background:Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a serious and frequent complication after surgery, especially in elderly patients. Ketamine is an N-methyl D-aspartic acid receptor antagonist with demonstrated neuroprotective effects. An intravenous bolus of a sub-anesthetic dose (0.5 mg/kg) of ketamine can reduce postoperative delirium (POD) and POCD after cardiac surgery. But, the influence of ketamine on early POCD after non-cardiac surgery is unclear.Objectives:The current study aimed to evaluate the influence of ketamine on early postoperative cognitive function after orthopedic surgery in elderly patients.Patients and Methods:Fifty six elderly patients (> 60-years-old), scheduled for elective orthopedic surgery during general anesthesia (duration of anesthesia > two hours) were enrolled. Patients received intravenous bolus, a total of 3 mL mixed with 0.9% normal saline and 0.5 mg/kg ketamine (K group) or 3 mL of 0.9% normal saline (N group). Three neurocognitive function tests (mini-mental status examination, trail-making test, digit substitution test), and c-reactive protein (CRP) concentration were determined before surgery and on postoperative day one (POD 1) and postoperative day six (POD 6).Results:The two groups had similar demographic characteristics except for the gender. Surgical and anesthetic data were not significantly different. A statistically significant difference was observed in comparison of trail-making test score. Trail-making test score increased more in the N group (52.5 points) than the K group (13 points) at POD 1 (P = 0.047) compared with baseline scores. There were no significant differences in the mini-mental status examination, digit substitution test and CRP concentration at POD 1 and POD 6 between the two groups. POCD (the two Z-scores in more than two tests or the combined Z-score was 1.96 or more) was present in one patient (4%) in the K group at POD 6 (P = 0.98).Conclusions:The incidence of POCD was not significantly influenced by a bolus dose of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) after orthopedic surgery in elderly patients. There were no negative effects of ketamine on early POCD.

ObjectiveA prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial to compare the effect of preoperative midazolam or ketamine on the incidence of emergence agitation (EA) following sevoflurane anaesthesia in children.MethodsPaediatric patients (2–6 years old) undergoing ophthalmic surgery were allocated to receive premedication with either 0.1 mg/kg midazolam or 1 mg/kg ketamine. Incidence of EA and postoperative pain scores were recorded at 10-min intervals in the postanaesthetic care unit (PACU). The use of EA rescue medications (fentanyl or midazolam) was recorded.ResultsThe incidence of EA was significantly lower in the ketamine group (n = 33) than the midazolam group (n = 34) at 10 and 20 min after transfer to PACU. There was no significant difference in overall incidence of EA. The frequency of midazolam use as rescue medication was significantly lower in the katamine group than in the midazolam group.ConclusionPremedication with ketamine is more effective than midazolam in preventing EA during the early emergence period after sevoflurane anaesthesia in children.

The PLEM100 (Inbody Co., Ltd., Seoul, Korea) is a device for measuring phase lag entropy (PLE), a recently developed index for the quantification of consciousness during sedation and general anesthesia. In the present study, we assessed changes in PLE along with the level of consciousness during the induction of general anesthesia using propofol. PLE was compared with the bispectral index (BIS), which is currently the most commonly used index of consciousness. After obtaining Institutional Review Board approval and written informed consent, we enrolled 15 patients (8 men, 7 women; mean age: 37 ± 9 years; mean height: 168 ± 8 cm; mean weight; 68 ± 11 kg) undergoing nasal bone reduction. PLE and BIS sensors were attached simultaneously, and general anesthesia was induced via target-controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol. PLE and BIS scores were recorded when the calculated effect site concentration shown on the TCI pump was equal to the target concentrations of 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, 3.2, 3.4, and 3.5 μg/mL (and at each 0.1 μg/mL increase, thereafter). Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation (OAA/S) scores were also recorded until unconsciousness was achieved. Throughout the anesthesia period, all pairs of PLE and BIS data were collected using data acquisition software. The partial correlation coefficients between OAA/S scores and PLE, and between OAA/S scores and BIS were 0.778 ( P < .001) and 0.846 ( P < .001), respectively. Throughout the period of anesthesia, PLE and BIS exhibited a significant positive correlation. The partial correlation coefficient prior to the loss of consciousness was 0.838 ( P < .001), and 0.669 ( P < .001) following the loss of consciousness. Intra-class correlation between the 2 indices was 0.889 ( P < .001) and 0.791 ( P < .001) prior and following the loss of consciousness, respectively. PLE exhibited a strong and predictable correlation with both BIS and OAA/S scores. These results suggest that PLE is reliable for assessing the level of consciousness during sedation and general anesthesia.

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The airway management of patients with subglottic stenosis poses many challenges for the anesthesiologists. Many anesthesiologists use a narrow endotracheal tube for airway control. This, however, can lead to complications such as tracheal mucosal trauma, tracheal perforation or bleeding. The ASA difficult airway algorithm recommends the use of supraglottic airway devices in a failed intubation/ventilation scenario. In this report, we present a case of failed intubation in a patient with subglottic stenosis successfully managed during an i-gel™ supraglottic airway device. The device provided a good seal, and allowed for controlled mechanical ventilation with acceptable peak pressures while the patient was in the beach-chair position.

Background Over the past few decades, interventional neuroradiology (INR) has been a rapidly growing and evolving area of neurosurgery. Sevoflurane and propofol are both suitable anesthetics for INR procedures. While the depth of anesthesia is widely monitored, few studies have examined the patient state index (PSI) during clinical neuroanesthesia. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the differences in PSI values and in hemodynamic variables between sevoflurane anesthetic and propofol anesthetic during INR procedures. Methods We reviewed the medical charts of the patients who underwent embolization of a non-ruptured intracranial aneurysm by a single operator at a single university hospital from May 2013 to December 2014. Sixty-five patients were included and divided into two groups: S group (sevoflurane anesthesia, n = 33) vs. P group (propofol anesthesia, n = 32). The PSI values, hemodynamic variables, and use of hemodynamic drugs between two groups were analyzed. Results There were significant differences between the PSI values obtained through different perioperative stages in the two groups (P < 0.0001). During the procedure, the PSI values were significantly lower in the P group than in the S group (P = 0.000). The P group patients had a more prolonged extubation time (P = 0.005) and more phenylephrine requirement than the S group patients (P = 0.007). More anti-hypertensive drugs were administered to the patients in the S group during extubation (P = 0.0197). Conclusions The PSI can be used to detect changes in anesthetics concentration and in the depth of anesthesia during INR procedures. Although the extubation was faster under sevoflurane anesthetic, propofol anesthetic showed rather smoother recovery.