SummaryThe elderly are a group of patients who would seem ideally suited to day surgery. However, age was initially regarded as a potential barrier to this process. We conducted a retrospective review of 1647 elderly patients (> 70 years of age) over a two-year period. Our results show a favourable outcome for these patients with low rates of unplanned admission and postoperative complications. Elderly patients seem to be at no increased risk of complications after day surgery, and show excellent satisfaction scores.

Background: Cataract surgery is one of the most common procedures performed worldwide in the elderly. Various medications can provide effective anesthesia and analgesia for cataract surgery, but undesirable side effects limit the utility of each medication or combination of medications. Dexmedetomidine may serve as an anesthesia adjunct for outpatient cataract surgery in the elderly. Methods: Searches were conducted in Cochrane, Embase, and PubMed for randomized clinical trials investigating the use of dexmedetomidine in adult patients undergoing outpatient, or ambulatory, cataract surgery with sedation and topical or peribulbar block. Ninety-nine publications were identified, of which 15 trials satisfied the inclusion criteria. A total of 914 patients were included in this review. The following data were collected: American Society of Anesthesiologists' (ASA) physical status and age of study patients; method of blinding and randomization; medication doses and routes of administration; and intraoperative levels of sedation. We also recorded statistically significant differences between dexmedetomidine and other study medications or placebo with respect to the following outcomes: hemodynamic and respiratory parameters; pain; sedation; post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV); discharge from post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) or recovery times; patient satisfaction; surgeon satisfaction; and effects on intraocular pressure (IOP). Results: Hypotension with or without bradycardia was reported following bolus doses of dexmedetomidine ranging from 0.5-1.0 mcg/kg with or without a continuous dexmedetomidine infusion. Delayed PACU discharge times were associated with the use of dexmedetomidine, but no clear association was identified between delayed recovery and higher levels of intraoperative sedation. Better analgesia and higher patient satisfaction were commonly reported with dexmedetomidine as well as reductions in IOP. Conclusions: Overall, this review demonstrates better analgesia, higher patient satisfaction, and reduced IOP with dexmedetomidine for outpatient cataract surgery when compared to traditional sedatives, hypnotics, and opioids. These benefits of dexmedetomidine, however, must be weighed against relative cardiovascular depression and delayed PACU discharge or recovery times. Therefore, the utility of dexmedetomidine for outpatient cataract surgery should be considered on a patient-by-patient basis.

P Pu ur rp po os se e: : To report a patient with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) coming for an orthopedic procedure, with potential problems of sudden cardiac death, difficult airway, and neuromuscular disorders who was managed successfully by permanent pacemaker insertion, total iv anesthesia (TIVA), laryngeal mask insertion (LMA) insertion and continuous epidural blockade.C Cl li in ni ic ca al l f fe ea at tu ur re es s: : A 22-yr-old man with known EDMD presented for triple arthrodesis of his right foot and fractional lengthening of his hamstrings bilaterally. Anesthesia was induced with a TIVA technique, and maintained throughout the operative period. A suspected difficult airway was managed by the use of a LMA, and analgesia for the peri-, and postoperative period provided by a continuous epidural infusion. The patient's perioperative course was uneventful.C Co on nc cl lu us si io on n: : EDMD is a rare disorder. However, anesthesia is often required for orthopedic procedures. This case report illustrates the many potential difficulties that may be encountered. Regional anesthesia combined with light general anesthesia offers a method of avoiding many of these difficulties.

Laparoscopic abdominal surgery has become a mainstay of modern surgical practice. Postoperative analgesia is an integral component of recovery following laparoscopic abdominal surgery and may be improved by regional anesthesia or intravenous lidocaine infusion. There is inconsistent evidence supporting the use of interfascial plane blocks, such as transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks, for patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery as evidenced by variable patterns of local anesthetic spread and conflicting results from studies comparing TAP blocks to local anesthetic infiltration of laparoscopic port sites and multimodal analgesia. Quadratus lumborum (QL) and erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks may provide greater areas of somatic analgesia as well as visceral analgesia, which may translate to more significant clinical benefits. Aside from the locations of the surgical incisions, it is unclear what other factors should be considered when choosing one regional technique over another or deciding to infuse lidocaine intravenously. We reviewed the current literature in attempt to clarify the roles of various regional anesthesia techniques for patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery and present one possible approach to evaluating postoperative pain.

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