Inadvertent thermal injury can occur in pediatric patients under general anesthesia during knee arthroscopic surgery. Here, we report the case of a 10-year-old boy who underwent knee arthroscopic surgery under general anesthesia. After the surgery, he complained of pain in the left lower part of his chin and was diagnosed as having a thermal burn. At three-month follow-up, he recovered without any abnormalities except mild hypertrophy of the wound area. Although rare, arthroscopic surgery has the potential to cause thermal injury from the light source. We recommend that the light source should be connected to the arthroscope before switching the power on and disconnected after a considerable time of switching the power off when not in use.
Anesthesia, General ; Arthroscopes ; Arthroscopy* ; Burns ; Child ; Chin ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Knee* ; Male ; Pediatrics ; Wounds and Injuries

Ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block has several advantages over traditional techniques for nerve localization. One is a reduction of local anesthetic dose required for successful nerve block, which might allow bilateral brachial plexus block to be performed without risk of local anesthetic toxicity. Another advantage is the ability to detect anatomical variations in nerve and vascular anatomy. We report the case of a patient with unilateral anatomical variations of the musculocutaneous nerve found in ultrasound-guided bilateral axillary brachial plexus block.
Anatomic Variation ; Brachial Plexus* ; Humans ; Musculocutaneous Nerve* ; Nerve Block ; Peripheral Nerves

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the effect of two drugs with anti-inflammatory action, dexamethasone and ketorolac, on reduction of postoperative sore throat (POST) after general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation in patients undergoing thyroidectomy. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-two female patients scheduled to undergo general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation for thyroidectomy were enrolled in this prospective study. Participants were randomly allocated to receive intravenous medication; placebo (Group C, n = 45), ketorolac 30 mg immediately before intubation (Group Kpre, n = 47), ketorolac 30 mg at the end of surgery (Group Kpost, n = 45) and dexamethasone 10 mg (Group D, n = 43). The incidence and severity of POST and hoarseness were evaluated at 1, 6 and 24 hours after surgery. RESULTS: Incidences and severities of POST at rest and during swallowing in first 6 hours after extubation were comparable among 4 groups. At 24 hours postextubation, the incidence (P = 0.002, 95% CI of proportion differences; 0.05–0.39) and severity (P = 0.008) of POST during swallowing were significantly lower in group D than in group C. Kpre and Kpost groups did not show a greater reduction in POST than group C, despite lower rescue analgesic requirement at 1 hour after extubation in group Kpre (P = 0.006; 95% CI of proportion differences; 0.07–0.38). No intergroup differences were observed in incidences of hoarseness or adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous administration of dexamethasone 10 mg, but not ketorolac, before induction of anesthesia reduces the incidence and severity of POST during swallowing at 24 hours after thyroidectomy.
Administration, Intravenous ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Deglutition ; Dexamethasone* ; Female ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Ketorolac* ; Pharyngitis* ; Prospective Studies* ; Thyroidectomy*

Background: Intravenous (IV) dexamethasone prolongs the duration of a peripheral nerve block; however, there is little available information about its optimal effective dose. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three different doses of IV dexamethasone on the duration of postoperative analgesia to determine the optimal effective dose for a sciatic nerve block. Methods: Patients scheduled for foot and ankle surgery were randomly assigned to receive normal saline or IV dexamethasone (2.5 mg, 5 mg, or 10 mg). An ultrasound-guided popliteal sciatic nerve block was performed using 0.75% ropivacaine (20 ml) before general anesthesia. The duration of postoperative analgesia was the primary outcome, and pain scores, use of rescue analgesia, onset time, adverse effects, and patient satisfaction were assessed as secondary outcomes. Results: Compared with the control group, the postoperative analgesic duration of the sciatic nerve block was prolonged in groups receiving IV dexamethasone 10 mg (P < 0.001), but not in the groups receiving IV dexamethasone 2.5 mg or 5 mg. The use of rescue analgesics was significantly different among the four groups 24 h postoperatively (P = 0.001) and similar thereafter. However, pain scores were not significantly different among the four groups 24 h postoperatively. There were no statistically significant differences in the other secondary outcomes among the four groups. Conclusions This study demonstrated that compared to the controls, only IV dexamethasone 10 mg increased the duration of postoperative analgesia following a sciatic nerve block for foot and ankle surgery without the occurrence of adverse events.

Background: Intravenous (IV) dexamethasone prolongs the duration of a peripheral nerve block; however, there is little available information about its optimal effective dose. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three different doses of IV dexamethasone on the duration of postoperative analgesia to determine the optimal effective dose for a sciatic nerve block. Methods: Patients scheduled for foot and ankle surgery were randomly assigned to receive normal saline or IV dexamethasone (2.5 mg, 5 mg, or 10 mg). An ultrasound-guided popliteal sciatic nerve block was performed using 0.75% ropivacaine (20 ml) before general anesthesia. The duration of postoperative analgesia was the primary outcome, and pain scores, use of rescue analgesia, onset time, adverse effects, and patient satisfaction were assessed as secondary outcomes. Results: Compared with the control group, the postoperative analgesic duration of the sciatic nerve block was prolonged in groups receiving IV dexamethasone 10 mg (P < 0.001), but not in the groups receiving IV dexamethasone 2.5 mg or 5 mg. The use of rescue analgesics was significantly different among the four groups 24 h postoperatively (P = 0.001) and similar thereafter. However, pain scores were not significantly different among the four groups 24 h postoperatively. There were no statistically significant differences in the other secondary outcomes among the four groups. Conclusions This study demonstrated that compared to the controls, only IV dexamethasone 10 mg increased the duration of postoperative analgesia following a sciatic nerve block for foot and ankle surgery without the occurrence of adverse events.

One-third of all hospital-regulated medical waste (RMW) comes from the operating room (OR), and it considerably consists of disposable packaging and wrapping materials for the sterilization of surgical instruments. This study sought to identify the amount and type of waste produced by ORs in order to reduce the RMW so as to achieve environmentally-friendly waste management in the OR. We performed an initial waste segregation of 4 total knee replacement arthroplasties (TKRAs) and 1 total hip replacement arthroplasty, and later of 1 extra TKRA, 1 laparoscopic anterior resection of the colon, and 1 pelviscopy (with radical vaginal hysterectomy), performed at our OR. The total mass of non-regulated medical waste (non-RMW) and blue wrap amounted to 30.5 kg (24.9%), and that of RMW to 92.1 kg (75.1%). In the course of the study, we noted that the non-RMW included recyclables, such as papers, plastics, cardboards, and various wrapping materials. The study showed that a reduction in RMW generation can be achieved through the systematic segregation of OR waste.
Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Colon ; Medical Waste* ; Operating Rooms* ; Plastics ; Product Packaging ; Recycling ; Sterilization ; Surgical Instruments ; Waste Management

BACKGROUND: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is one of the major concerns after anesthesia and surgery, and it may be more frequent in orthopedic patients receiving patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA). The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of palonosetron and dexamethasone on the prevention of PONV in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty and receiving PCEA. METHODS: Patients scheduled for total hip or knee arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia/PCEA were randomly allocated to receive either intravenous palonosetron (0.075 mg, n = 50) or dexamethasone (5 mg, n = 50). Treatments were administered intravenously to the patients 30 min before the beginning of surgery. The total incidence of PONV and incidence in each time period, severity of nausea, need for rescue anti-emetics, pain score, and adverse effects during the first 48 h postoperatively were evaluated. RESULTS: The total incidence of PONV was lower in the palonosetron group compared with the dexamethasone group (18.4% vs. 36.7%, P = 0.042), but there were no statistically significant differences in incidence between the groups at all time points. No significant intergroup differences were observed in the severity of nausea, use of rescue anti-emetics, pain score, and adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Although there were no significant differences in the incidence of PONV between the treatment groups at all time points, intravenous palonosetron reduced the total incidence of PONV in orthopedic patients receiving PCEA compared with dexamethasone.
Analgesia, Epidural* ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Anesthesia ; Antiemetics ; Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Dexamethasone* ; Hip ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Nausea ; Orthopedics* ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting*