Comparing the effects of propofol and ketamine on the emergence agitation of male children undergoing circumcision

Background Separation from the family, prolonged hunger, inability to perceive the surgical procedure performed, and feeling pain are among the main reasons for agitation in young children. In operations like circumcision, in which all bodily integrity is disrupted and children cannot make sense of it and feel punished, this agitation increases. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of propofol and ketamine on the emergence agitation (EA) in children undergoing circumcision. Result When the patients were taken to post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), no statistically significant difference was observed between propofol and ketamine groups in the Aono’s four-point scale at minute 0 (p = 0.073). In the 5th minute, it was higher in the ketamine group compared to the propofol group (p < 0.001). With Aono’s four-point scale, EA diagnosis is made in areas with 3 and 4 points. The average Aono’s four-point scale in the ketamine group at the 5th minute was 3.08 ± 1.02. Since the Modified Steward score was ≥ 6, the time taken was longer in the ketamine group compared to the propofol group (p < 0.001). Conclusion EA does not only occur in inhalational anesthetics, it is also seen with ketamine. In view of the fact that ketamine can cause EA in children, it should not be used alone in anesthesia. Propofol provides a safe anesthesia. Instead of inhalational anesthesia, where the type of surgery is suitable, anesthesia with propofol infusion should be applied. Further research is required to investigate EA.

Median Nerve Stimulation Facilitates the Identification of Somatotopy of the Subthalamic Nucleus in Parkinson’s Disease Patients under Inhalational Anesthesia

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) improves Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms by suppressing neuropathological oscillations. These oscillations are also modulated by inhalational anesthetics used during DBS surgery in some patients, influencing electrode placement accuracy. We sought to evaluate a method that could avoid these effects. We recorded subthalamic nucleus (STN) neuronal firings in 11 PD patients undergoing DBS under inhalational anesthesia. Microelectrode recording (MER) during DBS was collected under median nerve stimulation (MNS) delivered at 5, 20, and 90 Hz frequencies and without MNS. We analyzed the spike firing rate and neuronal activity with power spectral density (PSD), and assessed correlations between the neuronal oscillation parameters and clinical motor outcomes. No patient experienced adverse effects during or after DBS surgery. PSD analysis revealed that peripheral 20 Hz MNS produced significant differences in the dorsal and ventral subthalamic nucleus (STN) between the beta band oscillation (16.9 ± 7.0% versus 13.5 ± 4.8%, respectively) and gamma band oscillation (56.0 ± 13.7% versus 66.3 ± 9.4%, respectively) (p < 0.05). Moreover, 20-Hz MNS entrained neural oscillation over the dorsal STN, which correlated positively with motor disabilities. MNS allowed localization of the sensorimotor STN and identified neural characteristics under inhalational anesthesia. This paradigm may help identify an alternative method to facilitate STN identification and DBS surgery under inhalational anesthesia.

Inhalational versus intravenous maintenance of anesthesia for quality of recovery in patients undergoing corrective lower limb osteotomy: A randomized controlled trial

Background Inhalational anesthesia and propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) are the two most popular methods of general anesthesia with distinct characteristics that may affect quality of recovery (QOR) differently. This study compared QOR after corrective lower limb osteotomy between desflurane-based inhalational anesthesia and propofol-based TIVA. Methods Sixty-eight patients, ASA class I or II who underwent corrective lower limb osteotomy were randomized to receive either desflurane anesthesia or propofol TIVA. The primary outcome was quality of recovery 40 (QoR-40) questionnaire scores on postoperative day (POD) 1 and 2. Postoperative nausea scores, antiemetic requirements, and amount of opioid consumption via intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) were assessed as secondary outcomes. Results Global QoR-40 scores on POD 1 (153.5 (140.3, 171.3) vs. 140.0 (120.0, 173.0), P = 0.056, 95% CI; -22.5, 0.2) and POD 2 (155.5 (146.8, 175.5) vs. 152.0 (134.0, 179.0), P = 0.209, 95% CI; -17.5, 3.9) were comparable between the two groups. Among the five dimensions of QoR-40, physical independence scores were significantly higher in the TIVA group compared to the Desflurane group on POD both 1 and 2. Nausea scores (0.0 (0.0, 0.0) vs. 1.0 (0.0, 3.5), P < 0.001) and number of patients requiring rescue antiemetics (0% vs. 15.2%, P = 0.017) were significantly lower in the TIVA group at the post anesthesia care unit (PACU). Although the number of bolus attempts between 0–24 h and the morphine equivalent dose of analgesics administered via IV PCA between 12–24 h were significantly less in the TIVA group compared to the Desflurane group, there was no significant difference between groups for the overall 48 h postoperative period. Conclusions Propofol-based TIVA did not improve global QoR-40 scores compared with desflurane-based inhalational anesthesia. However, considering the better QoR-40 scores in the domain of physical independence and less nausea in the early postoperative period, propofol TIVA should be considered as a useful option in patients undergoing corrective lower limb osteotomy.

Infographics in TIVA

Infographics are a new way of visually communicating information in a colorful and concise manner. They are becoming very popular in medical field since the last decade. Through infographics, one can understand the subjects through text, graphics, and images. Total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) is a technique of general anesthesia (GA) given via intravenous (IV) route exclusively. In perspective of infographics, TIVA is far more understandable through its simple format. TIVA is also more advantageous than inhalational anesthesia. It avoids the deleterious effects of immunosuppressant and lacks any respiratory irritation, thus providing a good alternative anesthesia technique. Many peripheral surgeries can be done with the patient breathing spontaneously without any airway device, thus avoiding airway instrumentation, leading to droplet and aerosol generation. IV agents can be utilized to provide sedation during regional anesthesia (RA), which can easily be escalated to contain pain due to sparing of blocks or receding neuraxial anesthesia. The present narrative review focuses on the infographics in TIVA technique, providing highlights pertaining to its importance.