Erector spinae plane block for inguinal hernia repair in preterm infants

Neuro‐axial anesthesia has been the preferred technique for inguinal hernia repair when attempting to avoid general anesthesia in neonates and preterm infants. We present a case where an erector spinae plane block was used successfully for this surgery. Hemodynamic stability, minimal anesthetic requirements, and excellent pain control were documented. This block promises to be a valuable and safe alternative for inguinal hernia repair, accompanying the path of neuroprotective anesthesia.     

Overnight observation in former premature infants undergoing inguinal hernia repair

BackgroundOvernight observation for apneic events is standard practice in former preterm infants. However, the literature supporting current protocols is dated. Therefore, we retrospectively evaluated the post-anesthetic risks in these patients.MethodsA retrospective review was conducted on former preterm infants admitted after an inguinal herniorrhaphy between 1/00 and 10/09. The protocol for overnight admission was for patients born before 37 weeks gestation who are less than 60 weeks post-conceptional age (PCA).ResultsThere were 363 patients, of which 23 were <40 weeks PCA (group 1), 244 were 40 to 49.9 weeks PCA (group 2), and 96 were 50 to 60 weeks PCA (group 3). Events registered by alarms occurred in 4 patients (1.1%), 2 from group 1 and 2 from group 2. In Group 1, one occurred during nasogastric tube placement and resolved spontaneously. In group 2, one was apnea-induced bradycardia that resolved spontaneously, and one was in a patient on home monitors with an event similar to home reports. There were no events in group 3.ConclusionConservative guidelines for overnight observation after inguinal hernia repair could be set for patients born before 37 weeks gestation who are under 50 weeks PCA.     

Local anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair in adolescents

Background Many centers use local anesthesia for adult inguinal hernia surgery in the setting of day-case surgery. There are no reports on, or guidelines for, use of anesthesia for inguinal hernia surgery in adolescents. We describe our initial experience with the use of local anesthesia and intravenous sedation for inguinal hernia surgery in adolescents in the setting of a day-surgery facility. Methods The charts of 14 consecutive adolescent patients (aged 12–17) who had inguinal hernia surgery from July 2004 to March 2005 were reviewed retrospectively. Intravenous sedation was administered 1–3 min before injection of local anesthetic. Sedation consisted of midazolam 0.085 mg kg⁻¹ and either fentanyl 0.85 μg kg⁻¹ or ketamine 0.085 mg kg⁻¹, according to the preference of the anesthesiologist. Additional sedation with half the initial dose was administered if required. Local anesthesia using a combination of lignocaine and bupivacaine was administered by the surgeon with infiltration in the skin and deep tissues. Results Fourteen adolescents aged 12–17 years (mean 14.8 ± 1.37), weighing 34–100 kg (mean 61.2 ± 16.5), had 15 inguinal hernia repairs with sedation and local anesthesia. All the patients were male. All completed the surgery with sedation and local anesthesia. None required conversion to general anesthesia. There were no immediate or subsequent complications. Mean time from the end of surgery to discharge home was under 2 h (mean 106 ± 36 min). Examination of patient charts did not reveal any complaints regarding the surgery or the postoperative course at the postoperative follow up visit. Conclusions The use of local anesthesia with intravenous sedation for inguinal hernia repair in the adolescent age group seems feasible and requires further prospective study.     

Spinal anaesthesia for inguinal hernia repair in high-risk neonates

To avoid the high incidence of respiratory complications associated with general anaesthesia in premature neonates, 44 spinal anaesthetics for inguinal hernia repair in very low birthweight infants were administered in 47 attempts. Hyperbaric tetracaine with epinephrine 1:200,000 was administered in a dose range of 0.27-1.10 mg.kg-1. Attempted lumbar puncture failed in three infants. In 24 procedures, spinal anaesthesia alone provided satisfactory operating conditions; in 20, supplementary inhalational general anaesthesia or iv ketamine was necessary. Perioperative apnoeic episodes requiring bag/mask assisted ventilation occurred in six infants. In five infants, apnoeic spells occurred in the postoperative period. No infant required tracheal intubation; there was no haemodynamic instability. Twenty-four infants required no postoperative analgesia. Our experience suggests that spinal anaesthesia for inguinal hernia repair in very low birth weight infants reduces but does not eliminate the risk of respiratory instability, and that supplementary anaesthesia is often necessary to provide satisfactory operating conditions.     

Feasibility,safety and outcome of inguinal hernia repair under spinal versus general anesthesia in preterm and term infants

BackgroundInguinal hernia repair (IHR) is a common operation in preterm and term infants. Recently, spinal anesthesia (SA) has been proposed as an alternative to avoid exposure to general anesthesia (GA) during early life. The aim of this study was to compare surgical outcomes of open IHR performed under SA versus GA in neonates and infants, and to detect criteria to predict the success or failure of SA.Materials and methodsThis is a 6-year, single center, nonrandomized interventional study (2013–2019). SA was performed with 0.5% bupivacaine. GA was given using propofol, fentanyl, sevoflurane, and laryngeal mask. Patient demographics, operative time, intraoperative events related to surgery or anesthesia, and complications were analyzed at short and long-term follow-up.Results68 infants (78 IHR) and 37 infants (44 IHR) received SA and GA at the discretion of the anesthesiologist, respectively. SA failure rate was 9%, and positively correlated with weight at surgery (p = 0.001; r_p = 0.38). Conversion from SA to GA occurred in 4 (6%) patients owing to prolonged operative time (43.75 ± 4.8 vs 23.02 ± 11.3 min; p = 0.0006). There were no differences regarding operative time and intra- and postoperative complications among the two groups at mean follow-up of 18.53 ± 21.9 months.ConclusionsThis pilot study confirms that SA is safe, effective and not detrimental to surgical outcome of neonates and infants undergoing IHR. Additionally, it may help further define what patients may have a successful SA. Our experience suggests that SA is especially suitable in infants weighing < 4000 g, and conversion to GA correlates with prolonged operative time.Level of evidenceLevel II.     

Local anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair step-by-step procedure.

OBJECTIVE. The authors introduce a simple six-step infiltration technique that results in satisfactory local anesthesia and prolonged postoperative analgesia, requiring a maximum of 30 to 40 mL of local anesthetic solution. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA. For the last 20 years, more than 12,000 groin hernia repairs have been performed under local anesthesia at the Lichtenstein Hernia Institute. Initially, field block was the mean of achieving local anesthesia. During the last 5 years, a simple infiltration technique has been used because the field block was more time consuming and required larger volume of the local anesthetic solution. Furthermore, because of the blind nature of the procedure, it did not always result in satisfactory anesthesia and, at times, accidental needle puncture of the ilioinguinal nerve resulted in prolonged postoperative pain, burning, or electric shock sensation within the field of the ilioinguinal nerve innervation. METHODS. More than 12,000 patients underwent operations in a private practice setting in general hospitals. RESULTS. For 2 decades, more than 12,000 adult patients with reducible groin hernias satisfactorily underwent operations under local anesthesia without complications. CONCLUSIONS. The preferred choice of anesthesia for all reducible adult inguinal hernia repair is local. It is safe, simple, effective, and economical, without postanesthesia side effects. Furthermore, local anesthesia administered before the incision produces longer postoperative analgesia because local infiltration, theoretically, inhibits build-up of local nociceptive molecules and, therefore, there is better pain control in the postoperative period.     

Paravertebral blocks provide superior same-day recovery over general anesthesia for patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair

Inguinal herniorrhaphy is commonly performed on an outpatient basis under nerve blocks or local or general anesthesia (GA). Our hypothesis is that use of paravertebral blocks (PVB) as the sole anesthetic technique will result in shorter time to achieve home readiness and improved same-day recovery over a 'fast-track' GA. Fifty patients were randomly assigned to receive either PVB or GA under standardized protocols (PVB = 0.75% ropivacaine, followed by propofol sedation; GA = dolasetron 12.5 mg, propofol induction, rocuronium, endotracheal intubation; desflurane; bupivacaine 0.25% for field block). Eligibility for postanesthetic care unit (PACU) bypass and data on time-to-postoperative pain, ambulation, home readiness, and incidence of adverse events were collected. More patients in the PVB group (71%) met the criteria to bypass the postanesthetic care unit compared with patients in the GA group (8%; P < 0.001). Only 3 (13%) of patients in the PVB group requested treatment for pain while in the hospital, compared with 12 (50%) patients in the GA group, despite infiltration with local anesthetic (P = 0.005). Patients in the PVB group were able to ambulate earlier (102 +/- 55 minutes) than those in the GA group (213 +/- 108 minutes; P < 0.001). Time-to-home readiness and discharge times were shorter for patients in the PVB group (156 +/- 60 and 253 +/- 37 minutes) compared with those in the GA group (203 +/- 91 and 218 +/- 93 minutes) (P < 0.001). Adverse events (e.g., nausea, vomiting, sore throat) and pain requiring treatment in the first 24 hours occurred less frequently in patients who had received PVB than in those who had received GA. In outpatients undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy, PVB resulted in faster time to home readiness and was associated with fewer adverse events and better analgesia before discharge than GA.     

Laparoscopic bilateral inguinal hernia repair under local anesthesia

A case report of the laparoscopic repair of bilateral inguinal hernias performed under local anesthesia with intravenous sedation is presented. The combination of nitrous oxide for peritoneal insufflation and an ultrasonically activated scalpel for dissection made the procedure feasible. It is hoped that this technique can extend laparoscopic surgery to patients who are poor candidates for general anesthesia.     

Paravertebral blockade vs general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair

One hundred and fifty-five patients scheduled for inguinal hernia repair (IHR) were given the choice of either general anesthesia (GA) (n = 53) or spinal anesthesia (SP) (n = 47) or nerve stimulator guided paravertebral blockade (PVB) (n = 55). The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), duration of hospital stay and need for postoperative analgesia were recorded. Apart from a difference in the age of patients in the GA group who were found to be slightly younger, all groups were found similar with regard to weight, height, duration of surgery, sex, type of hernia and ASA class. The incidence of PONV (0%) v/s 19% and 21% was significantly reduced in patients treated with the PVB compared to patients receiving SA and GA respectively. The length of hospital stay was also found to be shorter in the PVB group (mean 1.2 days) v/s SA (mean 2.4 days) and GA (mean 2.9 days). The need for supplemental postoperative analgesics was also found to be higher in both SA and GA when compared to PVB patients who were managed without any analgesics during the first 24 postoperative hours. The described technique appears to be an attractive alternative method to provide adequate anesthesia for IHR.     

老年初发非嵌顿性腹股沟疝开放性手术患者的麻醉

目的研究老年原发非嵌顿性腹股沟疝开放性手术患者的最佳麻醉方式及临床意义。 方法选取2014年11月至2016年11月,湛江市第二人民医院接受手术治疗的老年原发非嵌顿性腹股沟疝患者662例,其中男性604例,女性58例,平均年龄（68.8±5.4）岁。将全部患者随机分为3组并各自采用全身麻醉（全麻组221例）、椎管内麻醉（椎管内组221例）以及局部麻醉（局麻组220例）。对比3组患者的手术时间、手术加麻醉时间和术中出血量;对比3组患者术后并发症发生情况及并发症率;对比3组患者的术后住院时间以及住院总费用。 结果全麻组、椎管内组、局麻组手术时间分别为（95.32±32.07）、（90.24±28.17）、（89.41±27.52）min,差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）;手术加麻醉时间上局麻组（101.29±32.71）min则显著低于椎管内组的（129.62±39.75）min和全麻组的（149.67±51.38）min,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;局麻组的尿潴留发病率3.63%（8/220）显著低于椎管内组13.12%（29/221）和全麻组23.53%（52/221）,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;局麻组在术后住院时间及住院总费用（4.35±2.41）d、（6 259.76± 773.59）元显著低于椎管内组（6.53±3.25）d、（7 653.26±861.27）元和全麻组（6.82±2.94）d、（9 135.32±896.81）元,差异均有统计学意义（P均<0.05）。 结论局部麻醉是老年原发非嵌顿性腹股沟疝开放性手术患者最佳的麻醉方式。     

Laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia in infants: Comparison with open hernia repair

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia (LR) in infants in comparison with open hernia repair (OR).

局部麻醉下自裁剪免缝合无张力疝修补在腹股沟疝手术中的临床研究

目的 比较自裁剪补片与成型网塞补片在无张力疝修补术的临床效果及性价比.方法 回顾性分析2011年1月至2012年6月涿州市医院普外科施行单侧腹股沟疝患者140例,根据采用补片不同分为自裁剪补片组（试验组）与成型网塞补片组（对照组）各70例,比较二组患者手术时间、术后住院时间、住院费用、术后24 h的疼痛及术后3个月慢性疼痛VAS评分,术后异物感等并发症发生情况.结果 试验组手术时间（48±8）min,对照组手术时间（51±9）min,二组手术时间比较差异有统计学意义（t=-2.004,P=0.047）;试验组住院时间（2.1 ± 0.7） d,对照组住院时间（2.3 ± 0.8） d,二组住院时间比较差异无统计学意义（t=-1.414,P=0.160）;术后24 h疼痛VAS评分差异有统计学意义（t=-4.950,P=0.000）;术后3个月慢性疼痛比较差异有统计学意义（χ2=-4.025,P=0.000）;术后异物感差异有统计学意义（χ2=-4.084,P=0.000）;住院费用试验组明显低于对照组,差异有统计学意义（t=-19.095,P=0.000）.随访10～39个月,二组均无复发.结论 利用平补片进行个体化剪裁、免缝合、腹膜前修补的方法进行无张力疝修补术,临床效果与疝环充填式修补术相近,但具有材料价格低、手术时间短、术后疼痛轻及异物感低等优点.     

Effects of intrathecal fentanyl on quality of spinal anesthesia in children undergoing inguinal hernia repair

Background: The effect of intrathecal fentanyl on the characteristics of spinal anesthesia has not been investigated in children undergoing inguinal hernia repair. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the incidence and severity of pain during peritoneal sac traction is decreased by addition of fentanyl to bupivacaine in children undergoing inguinal hernia repair with spinal anesthesia. Methods: Children (6–14 years) were randomized into two groups. Group F (n = 25): hyperbaric bupivacaine plus 0.2 μg·kg⁻¹ of fentanyl. Group P (n = 25): hyperbaric bupivacaine plus 0.9% NaCl (placebo). The dose of bupivacaine was 0.4 mg·kg⁻¹. The primary variable was the incidence and severity of pain during peritoneal sac traction. Spinal block characteristics, duration of spinal anesthesia assessed by recovery of hip flexion and duration of analgesia were the secondary variables measured, and the side effects were noted. Results: There were significant differences in incidence of pain and pain scores during sac traction with lower incidence and scores in the fentanyl group (P = 0.009). Two groups were similar regarding the level of sensory block during sac traction and duration of spinal anesthesia. Duration of spinal analgesia was prolonged significantly in the fentanyl group (P = 0.025). Conclusion: Intrathecal fentanyl at a dose of 0.2 μg·kg⁻¹ added to bupivacaine significantly improves the quality of intraoperative analgesia and prolongs postoperative analgesia in children undergoing inguinal hernia repair with spinal anesthesia.     

Local versus general anesthesia for Shouldice repair of the inguinal hernia

Since February 1992 local anesthesia (LA) has been used routinely for repair of inguinal hernias at our surgical department. All patients undergoing Shouldice repair of primary uncomplicated inguinal hernia between January 1990 and March 1993 were analyzed retrospectively concerning the need for analgesics, length of stay in hospital, and rate of complications. In addition 50 patients after LA and 50 patients after general anesthesia underwent prospective pain analysis using a visual analogous score and spirometric tests (FEV₁ and peak flow). After LA we found less need of analgesics, shorter hospital stays, and fewer complications. The pain level was lower, and ventilatory function was less affected. Repair of the inguinal hernia using LA is a safe method to lower the risk of the operation and to improve the patient's comfort without increasing complications.

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Resumen A partir de febero de 1992 hemos utilizado anestesia local como rutina para la reparación de las hernias inguinales en el Departamento de Cirugía de la RWTU Aachen. En forma retrospectiva se analizaron todos los pacientes sometidos a reparación de hernias inguinales en el perìodo 1/1990 y 3/1993 en relación al requerimiento de analgésicos, estancia hospitalaria y tasa de complicaciones. Además, se efectuó el análisis prospectivo del dolor en 50 pacientes operados bajo anestesia local y en 50 pacientes operados bajo anestesia general, utilizando un índice análogo visual de puntuación y pruebas espirométricas (FEV 1 y flujo pico). Se encontró menor requerimiento de analgésicos, una estancia hospitalaria más corta y menor tasa de complicaciones luego de anestesia local. También aparecieron más bajos los niveles de dolor y menos afectada la capacidad ventilatoria. La reparación de la hernia inguinal utilizando anestesia local representa un método seguro de reducción de los riesgos de la operación y de mejorar el confort del paciente sin aumentar la tasa de complicaciones.

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Résumé Depuis Février 1992, nous utilisons l'anesthésie locale (AL) pour réparer les hernies inguinales dans le département de Chirurgie RWTU d'Aix-la-Chapelle. Tous les patients ayant une réparation de hernie inguinale primitive, non compliquée, par la technique de Shouldice, entre Janvier 1990 et Mars 1993 ont été analysés rétrospectivement en ce qui concerne le besoin en analgésie, la durée d'hospitalisation et le taux de complications. On a comparé le degré de douleur (score) d'après une échelle visuelle analogue et les tests spirométriques (vitesse maximale d'expiration 1 et débit maximal) entre 50 patients opérés sous une AL et 50 patients opérés sous anesthésie générale. Après AL, le besoin en analgésiques était réduit, la durée d'hospitalisation plus courte et il y a eu moins de complications. Le score de douleur était plus bas et les perturbations ventilatories moindres après AL. La réparation de hernie inguinale sous AL est sûre, abaisse le risque opératoire et améliore le confort du patient sans augmenter le taux de complications.

     

局麻下行无张力疝修补术治疗老年腹股沟疝

目的探讨局麻下行疝环充填式无张力疝修补术治疗老年腹股沟疝的疗效。方法采用美国巴德公司锥形网塞及成型补片对65例老年腹股沟疝在局麻下无张力疝修补术。观察手术时间,术后疼痛,并发症、复发率。结果本组病例的手术时间是25～60min,平均时间为40min。下床活动时间为6-24h。术后仅有5例需口服止痛药。术后无出现尿潴留,伤口感染及阴囊积液等并发症。全部病例治愈出院,住院时间为3～8d。随访6～36个月未见复发。结论局麻下行无张力疝修补术是一种对人体生理功能干扰小,术后恢复快,并发症少和费用低的理想方法,尤其适用于老年腹股沟疝．值得推广应用。