Background: Although the quality of postoperative recovery may be affected by factors, there are few investigations whether the type of anesthesia also affects it. In this single-blinded, prospective, observational study, we compared the quality of postoperative recovery in patients undergoing orthopedic forearm surgery under general or regional anesthesia (brachial plexus block). Methods: Ninety-seven subjects, aged 18-65 years and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II, undergoing orthopedic forearm surgery, were allocated to general or regional anesthesia group. The quality of postoperative recovery was assessed using a validated Korean version of Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40K) questionnaire. Patients were surveyed three times, the day before surgery (baseline) and 1st and 7th day after the surgery, and the scores of both groups were compared. Results: We analyzed 47 and 50 patients in general and regional anesthesia, respectively. The global QoR-40K score and those of each of its five dimensions were not significantly different between the two groups at baseline, 1st and 7th day postoperatively. In twoway RM ANOVA, the global QoR-40K score at postoperative 1st day was significantly lower than that of baseline (P < 0.001) and postoperative 7th day (P < 0.001), respectively, in both general and regional anesthesia groups. However, there was no significant difference at each timepoint between the two groups. Conclusions: The present study suggests that brachial plexus block with intravenous dexmedetomidine infusion does not improve the quality of postoperative recovery compared to sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia with remifentanil infusion in patients undergoing orthopedic forearm surgery.

Background Retropharyngeal hematoma following cervical spine trauma may lead to life-threatening upper airway obstruction and difficult airway management. This retrospective study was performed to investigate whether the extension of retropharyngeal space (RPS) was associated with difficult intubation by direct laryngoscopy in traumatic cervical spine injury. Patients and methods Sixty-two patients who had undergone direct endotracheal intubation under general anesthesia for cervical spine surgery were retrospectively identified. Laryngoscopic grade by Cormack–Lehane (C-L) classification was collected; grade 1 or 2 was categorized as easy laryngoscopy, whereas grade 3 or 4 was categorized as difficult laryngoscopy. In these patients, RPS thickness and the proportions of RPS to the vertebral bodies were measured at the 2nd, 5th and 7th cervical spine levels using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine. Measures of RPS were compared between easy and difficult laryngoscopy. Relationships between measures of RPS and difficult laryngoscopy were analyzed with logistic regression analysis. Results RPS thickness at C2 was significantly greater in difficult laryngoscopy (median 14.29 mm, IQR: 9.75–18.04) than easy laryngoscopy (median 5.10, IQR: 4.33–5.94, p <0.001). Proportion of RPS to the C2 vertebral body were significantly higher in difficult laryngoscopy than in easy laryngoscopy ( p <0.001). RPS thickness and the proportion of RPS to the vertebral body were significantly associated with difficult laryngoscopy (OR=2.13, 95% CI: 1.38–3.30; p <0.001 and OR=1.13, 95% CI: 1.05–1.21; p <0.001, respectively). Conclusion RPS extension at the upper cervical spine level is associated with difficult direct laryngoscopy in traumatic cervical spine injury.

Background The present study was designed as a prospective, randomized, double‐blind clinical trial to evaluate the effects of preoperatively administered nefopam on postoperative acute hyperalgesia and the long‐term painful sequelae compared to intraoperative administration. Methods One hundred and fifty patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colectomy were enrolled. Group 1 (post‐incisional nefopam) patients received saline at 30 min before skin incision followed by intraoperative administration of 20 mg nefopam at 1 h after incision. Group 2 (pre‐incisional nefopam) patients were administered 20 mg nefopam before skin incision and received saline after skin incision. At postoperative 2, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h, fentanyl consumption and pain intensities at rest and during deep breathing were evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS). The incidence of the long‐term painful sequelae after surgery was evaluated more than one year after surgery. Results Cumulative fentanyl consumption during postoperative 72 h was similar between Group 1 and Group 2 (1534 ± 698 μg, 95% CI 1367–1702 μg vs. 1442 ± 721 μg, 95% CI 1266–1618 μg, P = 0.197). VAS pain scores at rest were comparable between the two groups, but VAS scores during deep breathing were significantly lower in Group 2 than in Group 1. Six and five patients complained of mild pain (pain rating 1) at the surgical site in Group 1 and 2, respectively. Conclusions Preoperatively administered nefopam reduced exertional pain compared to intraoperative administration although postoperative analgesic consumption was similar between two groups. It may be helpful to conduct early ambulation and deep breathing during the acute postoperative period in patients undergoing intestinal surgery. Trial registration No: KCT0001656.

BackgroundThe intraarticular (IA) injection has become popular for the management of the osteoarthritic knee without an effusion. The success rate of IA injection would be better if it was able to be visually confirmed. We hypothesized that an anterolateral approach, which targets the synovial membrane of the lateral condyle using ultrasound, would provide an equivalent alternative to the anterolateral approach, targeting the synovial membrane of the medial condyle for IA injection of the knee.MethodsA total of 96 knees with osteoarthritis were randomized placed into the two groups, which were group I (anterolateral approach to the medial condyle) and group II (anterolateral approach to the lateral condyle). The primary outcome was to compare the success rate of the two methods of IA injection. The required length of the needle for injection was also measured and compared. Pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale in order to evaluate the success of injection.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the success rate between both groups. The success rate of group I and group II were 87.8% (95%, CI 78.7–97.0) and 91.5% (95%, CI 83.6–99.5), respectively (P = 0.549). The needle depth was 5.0 ± 0.8 (3.0 to 6.1 cm) in group I, and 3.0 ± 0.8 (1.5 to 5 cm) in group II (P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe anterolateral approach to the lateral femoral condyle, using ultrasound, is an alternative method to the approach targeting the medial femoral condyle, using shorter needle.

Objective Combined spinal–epidural (CSE) anesthesia is a widely used neuraxial anesthetic technique. In clinical practice, failed dural puncture during needle-through-needle technique occasionally occurs, with incidence of 5%–29%. We radiologically evaluated four cases of failed dural puncture during needle-through-needle CSE anesthesia. Case series Four patients received CSE anesthesia for elective orthopedic surgery. CSE procedures were performed in the same manner using a CSE device for needle-through-needle technique. An epidural needle was inserted in midline at L4/5 interspaces using loss of resistance to air whilst patients lay in the lateral decubitus position. The spinal needle was then inserted through the epidural needle for subarachnoid block, however, negative cerebrospinal flow was identified. Subsequently, radiographic imaging using C-arm fluoroscopy was performed to evaluate the status of needles. We found that epidural needles were considerably deviated from the midline, while spinal needles exited epidural needles, not through back holes, but through the Tuohy curve in three patients. In one patient, when the spinal needle was inserted to 12 mm, the anesthesiologist felt the needle touching the bony structure. The spinal needle was in contact with the superior articular process of the fifth lumbar vertebra, which was confirmed by C-arm radiography. Conclusion Excessive paramedian deviation of the epidural needle may affect dural puncture during needle-through-needle CSE technique. Moreover, wrong passage of the spinal needle through Tuohy curve instead of the back hole, may contribute to failure of dural puncture.

The Vigileo-FloTrac ® system (Edwards Lifesciences, USA), founded on the analysis of arterial pressure wave, is used for automatic and continuous monitoring of cardiac output and stroke volume variation (SVV). The reliability of this system to measure cardiac output has been established in numerous settings with various results [1-7]. In addition, SVV measured by this device has been found to be capable of predicting fluid responsiveness in patients with mechanical ventilation [8-12]. In thoracic surgery, lung resection and/or one lung ventilation (OLV) may cause postoperative acute lung injury [13-15]. In such cases, fluid management is important. Intraoperative fluid overloading is a significant predictor of postoperative lung injury [16,17]. Fluid restriction is usually recommended for lung surgery [17-19]. Thoracotomy (open thorax) and OLV can lead to changes in airway and intrathoracic pressure. Because SVV is based on cyclic changes of intrathoracic pressure during the respiratory cycle, the usefulness of SVV to predict fluid responsiveness is conflicting under the open