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Background: General anesthesia (GA) is the preferred anesthetic modality for open renal surgeries to ensure a patent airway while the patient is in the lateral decubitus position. However, these surgeries are usually accompanied by severe postoperative pain with increased requirements for multimodal pain management strategies. Regional blocks provide better postoperative pain control with less systemic opioid consumption. Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the ultrasound (US)-guided transincisional quadratus lumborum block (TiQLB) as a new approach, and to compare the addition of dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine versus bupivacaine alone for TiQLB in combination with GA regarding postoperative analgesia and adverse effects in open renal surgery. Study Design: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Setting: Ain Shams University Hospitals. Methods: Eighty patients who were scheduled for an elective open renal surgery, aged 20 to 65 years, of either gender, and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I to II were enrolled in the study. They were randomly allocated into 2 equal groups: group dexmedetomidine-bupivacaine (DB) (n = 40) in which patients received combined GA plus TiQLB with 30 mL bupivacaine 0.25% plus 1 μg/kg dexmedetomidine, and group bupivacaine (B) (n = 40) in which patients received combined GA plus TiQLB with 30 mL bupivacaine 0.25% only. The primary outcome was the total morphine consumption among both groups, whereas the secondary outcomes were the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores and the time to first analgesic requirement during the first 24 hours. Postoperative side effects, such as sedation, nausea, vomiting, shivering, pruritus, bradycardia, hypotension, and respiratory depression, were also recorded. Results: Patients in the DB group experienced lower total morphine consumption and lower VAS scores when compared with patients in the B group (P < 0.001). Time to first analgesic requirement was prolonged in patients in the DB group (18.6 ± 2.4 hours) in comparison to patients in the B group (7.3 ± 1.1 hours). Ten minutes after the block there was a significant reduction in mean blood pressure and heart rate in the DB group than in the B group. Regarding postoperative adverse effects, sedation scores were higher in the DB group than in the B group, postoperative nausea, vomiting, and shivering were significantly higher in the B group than in the DB group. Bradycardia was significantly more frequent among the DB group. Although nonsignificant, pruritus was more frequent in the B group than in the DB group. No cases of respiratory depression were reported in both groups. Limitations: The used technique US-guided TiQLB could be performed in open renal surgeries only. Conclusions: The new approach US-guided TiQLB was effective and easy to be performed. Adding dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine in TiQLB was associated with potent and prolonged postoperative analgesia with fewer postoperative adverse effects. Key words: Quadratus lumborum block, dexmedetomidine, open renal surgery, postoperative pain, bupivacaine

Background Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) has been proposed as a selected treatment used in patients with chronic sinusitis that have not responded to medical therapy. Due to the nature of the location of endoscopic sinus surgery, even a small amount of bleeding can reduce the operative visibility. The aim of the work was to compare between dexmedetomidine and magnesium sulphate regarding their efficacy as a hypotensive agent in FESS in adult patients to obtain a bloodless surgical field. Patients and methods Sixty patients were randomly assigned into two groups, (D group) for dexmedetomidine (n = 30) and (M group) for magnesium sulphate (n = 30). In (D group), patients received 1 μg/kg dexmedetomidine in 100 ml saline solution as the loading dose 10 min before induction and 0.5–1 μg/kg/h infusion via syringe pump during surgery. In (M group), patients received 40 mg/kg magnesium sulphate in 100 ml saline solution over 10 min as the intravenous loading dose 10 min before induction, with a subsequent 10–15 mg/kg/h infusion. If there is an increase in the arterial blood pressure greater than the targeted MAP (55–65 mmHg), nitroglycerine infusion was started by 0.5 μg/kg/min. The surgeon estimated the quality of the surgical field and recorded it. The total blood loss was measured. In recovery, time to reach Aldrete score ≥ 9 was recorded to fulfill the discharge criteria. Pain score was assessed by the NRS numerical rating score. The time needed to first analgesia requirement was recorded. Sedation score was recorded using Ramsay sedation score. Results There was no statistically significant difference between both groups regarding MAP except at 30 min postoperatively as there was a statistically significant decrease in the MAP among the dexmedetomidine (D group) (p = 0.039). Nitroglycerine was required in eight cases in the magnesium sulphate (M group) to reach the targeted MAP which was statistically significant compared to the (D group). Patients in the (D group) had a statistically significant decrease in heart rate than in the (M group) during and after the operation (p = 0.35). The quality of the surgical field was significantly better among the (D group) (p < 0.05), and accordingly, the surgeon satisfaction was significantly higher in the (D group) (p = 0.001). Time to reach Aldrete score ≥ 9 and time for first analgesic requirement postoperatively were significantly longer in the (D group) (p = 0.023, p = 0.001 respectively). Regarding the Ramsay sedation score (RSS), it was higher in the (D group) which was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion Dexmedetomidine was more effective than magnesium sulphate to achieve controlled hypotension in patients undergoing FESS. Compared with magnesium, dexmedetomidine offers the advantage of better clarity of the field, surgical satisfaction, less bleeding, and prolonged postoperative analgesia.

Background: Unfractionated heparin (UFH) infusion therapy needs accurate tight control to prevent overanticoagulation that may result in hemorrhagic complications and also to prevent sub therapeutic level that may result in thrombotic complications. The aim of this study was to compare the most popular monitoring tool activated aPTT versus antifactor Xa to reach accurate monitor to UFH therapy in critically ill pregnant females. Results: Time to reach therapeutic level as well as total heparin dose required to reach this therapeutic level were much lower in the anti-Xa group when compared to aPTT group. Conclusion: The use of anti-Xa-based protocol to monitor UFH infusion therapy resulted in better therapeutic control as it resulted in earlier achievement of therapeutic level and lower heparin dose requitments.

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Objectives: Few studies examined the analgesic effects of dexamethasone in lumbar paravertebral block, specifically the transincisional approach. This study aimed to compare dexamethasone with bupivacaine versus bupivacaine alone for bilateral transincisional paravertebral block (TiPVB) for postoperative analgesia in lumbar spine surgeries. Materials and Methods: Fifty patients who were aged 20 to 60 years and had American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA-PS) I or II of either sex were randomly allocated into 2 equal groups. Both groups received combined general anesthesia and bilateral lumbar TiPVB. However, in group 1 (dexamethasone group) (n=25), patients received 14 mL of bupivacaine 0.20% plus 1 mL containing 4 mg of dexamethasone on each side, while, in group 2 (control group) (n=25), patients received 14 mL of bupivacaine 0.20% plus 1 mL of saline on each side. Time to first analgesic need was the primary outcome, while total opioid consumption during the first 24 hours after surgery, the Visual Analog Scale for pain perception (0-10), and the incidence of side effects were secondary outcomes. Results: The mean time to the first analgesic requirement was significantly prolonged among patients in the dexamethasone group than the control group (mean±SD: 18.4±0.8 vs. 8.7±1.2 h, respectively) (P<0.001). Patients in the dexamethasone group had lower total opiates consumption than the control) P<0.001). Although nonsignificant, the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was more frequent among the control group (P=0.145). Discussion: Adding dexamethasone to bupivacaine in TiPVB resulted in a prolonged analgesia-free period and lower opioid consumption in lumbar spine surgeries with comparable incidence of adverse events.

Background Atelectasis is a common side effect of general anesthesia. Prevention of lung atelectasis, carbon dioxide retention, and chest infection would improve the quality of medical care and decrease hospital stay and costs. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) and pressure-controlled volume-guaranteed ventilation (PCVG) on postoperative lung atelectasis using lung ultrasound (LUS) following upper abdominal laparotomies. Results Sixty patients (male and female) scheduled for upper abdominal laparotomies. They were randomly allocated into two equal groups: Group A ( n = 30): received intraoperative volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) mode and group ( n = 30): received intraoperative pressure-controlled ventilation volume-guaranteed (PCV-VG) mode. Arterial blood samples were obtained immediately after extubation, and 30, 120, 240, and 360 min postextubation. Lung ultrasound was done intraoperatively at 30 min from induction, immediate, and 120 and after 360 min postoperatively. There was difference between two groups favoring PCV-VG group but that difference failed to be statically significant regarding arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO 2 ) and arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCo 2 ) between the two groups in preoperative, immediate postoperative, and 120, 240, and 360 min postoperative. Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO 2 ) was significantly lower among patients in the VCV group immediate postextubation compared with patients in group PCV-VG ( p value = 0.009*). Although signs of atelectasis were low in group B, 36.7% of the patients showed normal lung ultrasound, 63.3% showed various abnormalities, 46.7% showed the presence of lung pulse (vertical rhythmic movement synchronous with cardiac pulsation through motionless lung), and 46.7% showed B lines (vertical lines indicate abnormal lung aeration), while 30% of the patients showed the absence of A-lines (indicates the absence of lung sliding and abnormal lung aeration). Also, some patients demonstrated more than one sign. However, there was no a significant difference between the two groups both showed atelectasis immediate, 2 h and 6 h postoperatively. Conclusion PCV-VG offered no significant advantage over VCV regarding the occurrence of the postoperative atelectasis. However, we prefer to use PCV-VG as postoperative hypoxia and atelectasis was much less in that mode. Further, large-scale studies are required to confirm these findings and to establish a definite conclusion.