Localization of lumbar epidural space by loss of resistance and using the Episensor: a comparative study

Since the existence of negative pressure in the epidural space was reported, its technique of localization has undergone changes directed to improve objectivity, reliability and safety. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a new electronic divide to localize the epidural space, i.e. the Episensor (Palex, Spain). To this end, 71 patients, both males and females, undergoing elective urological surgery and in whom catheterization of the lumbar epidural space had been planned, were prospectively evaluated and randomly assigned to two homogeneous groups. In group I (n = 35) the epidural space was localized by the classical technique of loss of resistance, while in group II the Episensor was used. In both groups several technical parameters, the qualification of the operator and the complications of the procedure were evaluated. There were no significant differences between both groups regarding the quality of epidural blockade or the subjective technical difficulty of the operator. The incidence of complications of the technique of puncture was significantly higher in group II (p less than 0.05); the most common were dura mater puncture in 13 group II patients and in one group I patient (p less than 0.001). There was no correlation between the qualification of the operator and the development of complications. It was concluded that the use of Episensor to localize lumbar epidural space did not improve the effectiveness of blockade but increased the iatrogenic effects of the puncture. Our lack of experience with this new technique and the low negative pressure of lumbar epidural space might have been the causes of the poor results, that we consider as initial in the evaluation of this new method.     

Hypotensive epidural anesthesia in total knee replacement without tourniquet: reduced blood loss and transfusion

BACKGOUND AND OBJECTIVES: For decades, hypotensive anesthesia has been used in an attempt to reduce intraoperative blood loss. Hypotensive epidural anesthesia (HEA) is a relatively new technique in hypotensive anesthesia. Use of a tourniquet has been shown to be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular and thromboembolic complications. The effect of HEA on blood loss and need for transfusion in total knee replacement (TKR) is not known. METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients scheduled for TKR were randomized to HEA without tourniquet or spinal anesthesia with the use of a tourniquet (SPI). HEA was performed as an epidurally induced sympathetic block and there was an infusion of low-dose epinephrine to stabilize the circulation. RESULTS: Intraoperative mean arterial blood pressure was 48 mm Hg (HEA) versus 83 mm Hg (SPI) (P <.001). Intraoperative blood loss was 146 mL (HEA) versus 13 mL (SPI) (P <.001). Postoperative blood loss at any time was significantly reduced in the HEA group, and total loss of blood was 1,056 mL (HEA) versus 1,826 mL (SPI) (P <.001). Half of the bleeding took place during the first 3 postoperative hours and 80% during the first 24 hours. In the HEA group, 57% of the patients went through surgery and the hospital stay without receiving blood transfusion versus 19% in the SPI group (P <.05). There was a significantly reduced amount of blood transfusion in the HEA group (193 mL) versus 775 mL in the SPI group (P <.005). No cardiopulmonary, cerebral, or renal complications were registered. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that HEA is a safe technique that allows TKR without a tourniquet. Compared with spinal anesthesia, the use of HEA for TKR significantly reduces blood loss and the need for blood transfusion.     

Thoracic epidural anesthesia and epidural hematoma

This report involves a 74-year-old-male who developed a thoracic epidural hematoma with paraparesis on the second postoperative day in conjunction with thoracic epidural anesthesia established before surgery for acute abdominal aortic dissection. The finding indicates that laminectomy can be performed successfully as late as three days after diagnosis of the hematoma, with a complete restitution of neurological function. High-dose steroid treatment may have been a contributing factor for the positive outcome.     

胸部手术实施全身麻醉联合硬膜外麻醉的效果观察

目的观察分析胸部手术实施全身麻醉联合硬膜外麻醉的效果。方法将42例SASⅠ~Ⅱ级胸部手术患者随机分为两组,各21例。对照组实施全身麻醉,观察组予以全身麻醉联合硬膜外麻醉,观察分析两组麻醉效果。结果 42例患者停止麻药后,自主呼吸恢复时间5~10 min。观察组患者麻醉药剂量明显少于对照组,且清醒时间早,两组比较,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论采用全身麻醉联合硬膜外麻醉进行胸部手术,能降低麻药对循环及呼吸的抑制,缩短患者清醒时间,提高手术效果,值得临床推广应用。     

Lumbar microdiscectomy under epidural anesthesia: a comparison study.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Lumbar microdiscectomy is most commonly performed under general anesthesia, which can be associated with several perioperative morbidities including nausea, vomiting, atelectasis, pulmonary aspiration, and prolonged post-anesthesia recovery. It is possible that fewer complications may occur if the procedure is performed under epidural anesthesia. PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of epidural anesthesia in elective lumbar microdiscectomies. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study evaluating the relative morbidities associated with epidural anesthesia and general anesthesia for lumbar microdiscectomy. PATIENT SAMPLE: Forty-three patients scheduled for primary lumbar microdiscectomy. Two cohorts were formed and were studied separately; one observational of all the 43 patients, and a second cohort of 17 patients who agreed to enter in the randomized trial. OUTCOME MEASURES: The clinical outcome was determined by the presence of postoperative pain, the absence of anesthesia-related complications, and the overall postoperative recovery. METHODS: This was a prospective study. With institutional review board approval, 43 consecutive patients were enrolled in the study. However, only 17 patients agreed to be randomized to receive either general or epidural anesthesia for the procedure; the remaining 26 patients selected the type of anesthesia of their preference. Recorded data for all patients included: age; total surgical time; occurrence of nausea, vomiting, atelectasis, or cardiopulmonary complication; ability to arise out of bed on the day of surgery; and the total number of inpatient hospital days. Postoperative pain and satisfaction were assessed only in the randomized cohort. RESULTS: There were a total of 43 patients, with a mean age of 38.1 years. The patients undergoing epidural anesthesia were marginally older than those undergoing general anesthesia. The epidural and general anesthetic groups were not different with respect to surgical time, pain assessed with a linear visual analogue scale, hospital stay, or the likelihood of arising out of bed on the day of surgery. There were no major cardiopulmonary complications in either group. Patients with epidural anesthesia had significantly less nausea and vomiting. CONCLUSIONS: Epidural anesthesia as an alternative to general anesthesia has shown less postoperative nausea and vomiting in lumbar microdiscectomy. Nevertheless, given the small number of patients, this study should be considered as preliminary, showing small differences in minor potential complications.     

Comparison of combined spinal epidural anesthesia and epidural anesthesia for cesarean section

BACKGROUND: Epidural anesthesia (EA) is popular for cesarean section, but has some drawbacks such as incomplete block, inadequate muscle relaxation and delayed onset. Combined spinal epidural anesthesia (CSEA) has gained increasing interest as it combines the reliability of a spinal block and the flexibility of an epidural block. We investigated the efficacy of CSEA that combines the main spinal and the supporting epidural anesthesia, comparing with pH-adjusted EA, for cesarean section. METHODS: Sixty-four pregnant women at full term were divided into two groups. Patients in the CSEA group (n=32) were given 1.5-1.6 ml of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine intrathecally, followed by 10 ml of 0.25% plain bupivacaine through the epidural catheter 10 min later. Patients in the EA group (n=32) received 20-25 ml of 2% lidocaine which was already mixed with 0.1 ml of 0.1% epinephrine, 100 g of fentanyl and 1.5 ml of 8.4% sodium bicarbonate. The quality and side effects of surgical anesthesia, neonatal state, and postoperative course were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In the EA group, 22% (7 cases) complained of intraoperative pain but none in the CSEA group (P=0.011). Muscle relaxation and motor block were much better in the CSEA group (P<0.001 and P=0.011 each). Significantly more women in the EA group had shivering (P=0.001). They also had more nausea and vomiting but the differences were not significant. Not only the time to T4 block (9.7 vs. 18.3 min, mean, P<0.001) but also the stay in the postanesthesia care unit, recovery of sensory and motor block and start of postoperative pain were all significantly shorter in the CSEA group. No one in either group had postdural puncture headache (PDPH). CONCLUSION: We can conclude that, when combining the main spinal and the supporting epidural anesthesia, CSEA has greater efficacy and fewer side effects than the pH-adjusted EA in cesarean sections.     

Comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of epidural anesthesia with spontaneous respiration and general anesthesia in aorto-femoral bifurcation shunt

Results of aorto-femoral bifurcation shunts (AFBSh) were compared with special reference to the methods of anesthesia (general anesthesia--GA and epidural anesthesia--EA) with spontaneous respiration and minimum sedation. It was found that use of GA gave lethality 4 times as high as after EA. In addition, GA was followed by considerably greater incidence of pneumonias and atelectases, myocardial infarctions, enteropareses, acute renal insufficiency. The results obtained allow to think EA with spontaneous respiration to be the method of choice in operations on the abdominal aorta in patients with a severe concomitant pathology.     

Tremor and epidural anesthesia

To evaluate the influence of temperature of the injected anesthetic solution on the development of tremor during epidural anesthesia, 66 patients divided in three homogeneous groups were evaluated: group I (n = 22; bupivacaine 4 degrees C), group II (n = 24; bupivacaine 20 degrees C), and group III (n = 24; bupivacaine 37 degrees C). The incidence of tremor was 20% (4 patients) in group I, 9% (2 patients) in group II and 12.5% (3 patients) in group III. No significant differences were found between the groups. The overall incidence was 13.6%. The epidural injection of 5 ml of saline at 37 degrees C achieved the attenuation and/or disappearance of tremor in three (3/4) group I patients (4 degrees C) and in one (1/3) group III patient (37 degrees C), whereas it was ineffective in one patient from group I and one from group III. In the two patients from group II (20 degrees C) and in one from group III (37 degrees C), tremor was self-limited. We conclude that the incidence of tremor during epidural anesthesia is not correlated with the temperature of anesthetic solutions, and that the epidural injection of saline at 37 degrees C may give some therapeutic benefit.     

Comparison of hypotensive epidural anesthesia and hypotensive total intravenous anesthesia on intraoperative blood loss during total hip replacement

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare hypotensive epidural anesthesia (HEA) and hypotensive total intravenous anesthesia (HTIVA) with propofol and remifentanil on blood loss during primary total hip replacement. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized clinical study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: Forty ASA physical status I, II, and III patients presenting for primary total hip replacement. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received either HEA with bupivacaine (HEA group, n = 20) or HTIVA with propofol and remifentanil (HTIVA group, n = 20) to maintain mean arterial pressure between 50 and 60 mm Hg. MEASUREMENTS: Duration of hypotension, blood loss, blood transfusions, hemodynamics, and coagulation studies were recorded in both groups. MAIN RESULTS: Intraoperative blood loss, percentage of patients receiving blood substitution, and total packed red blood cells transfused were less in those patients receiving HEA than those receiving HTIVA (P = .001, .04, and .015, respectively). Mean central venous pressure was lower in the HEA group than in the HTIVA group intraoperatively (P = .019). Mean hemoglobin concentrations and coagulation studies were similar between the groups. Neurologic examinations of all patients were intact in the postoperative period. CONCLUSIONS: In spite the similar mean arterial pressure levels noted between groups, HEA results in less intraoperative blood loss than HTIVA during primary total hip replacement. This outcome may be associated with non-positive pressure ventilation, distribution of blood flow, and lower mean intraoperative central venous pressure in the HEA group.     

Posterior epidural space depth: safety of the loss of resistance and hanging drop techniques

We have compared skin to epidural space distance (SED) and tip to tip distance (TTD), a measure of posterior epidural space depth (PESD), in 40 patients with a 27-gauge Whitacre needle after identification of the epidural space using the hanging drop (HD) or loss of resistance (LOR) to air technique. After the LOR technique, TTD was found to be 2 mm greater than that after the HD technique, whereas SED was the same. We conclude that identification of the epidural space can be performed successfully with both techniques, but with a diminished risk of dural damage after LOR compared with the HD technique.      

An observational pilot study of a novel loss of resistance syringe for locating the epidural space

BackgroundThe EpiFaith® syringe is a novel loss-of-resistance syringe that utilizes a spring-loaded plunger that automatically moves forward within the syringe when there is a loss of resistance. We evaluated the syringe in a clinical setting among a cohort of pregnant women receiving neuraxial labor analgesia.MethodsIn a non-randomized observational study, four anesthesiologists used the EpiFaith® syringe 10 times each while placing epidural catheters for labor analgesia. The anesthesiologists scored each placement on an 11-point Likert scale (−5 = absolutely worse, 0 = the same, and 5 = absolutely better than using their regular loss-of-resistance syringe technique).ResultsAll 40 neuraxial placements correctly located the epidural space. Air was used in the syringe in 35 of the 40 cases. In 50%, 27.5% and 22.5% of cases the anesthesiologists reported that using the EpiFaith® syringe was better than, the same as, or worse than using their regular syringe, respectively. There were no inadvertent dural punctures.ConclusionsThis feasibility study found that three of the four anesthesiologists scored the EpiFaith® syringe as better or the same as using their regular loss-of-resistance syringe. More extensive studies are required to determine if the EpiFaith® syringe reduces adverse outcomes such as unintentional dural punctures.     

The effect of epidural anesthesia on reducing blood loss during upper abdominal surgery

We examined the advantage of the combined epidural anesthesia with general anesthesia for the upper abdominal surgery One hundred and thirty-five gastric cancer patients were subjected to the study. They were divided into four groups. Group A (n = 46) and B (n = 44) received distal gastrectomy, and group C (n = 27) and D (n = 18) received total gastrectomy. In group A and C, anesthesia was maintained with combined epidural and general anesthesia. In group B and D, only general anesthesia was administered. We compared group A versus B and groups C versus D. The parameters for the comparisons were intraoperative blood loss, averaged mean blood pressure, surgical operation time, etc. The patient background was not different between group A and B, and also between group C and D. The blood loss and mean blood pressure were significantly lower in groups A and C than in groups B and D. But there was no correlation between the blood loss and mean blood pressure. The results suggest that the fall of the mean blood pressure is one of the causes of reduced blood loss, but the causes may include other complicated parameters. We conclude that the combined use of epidural anesthesia with general anesthesia is useful for reducing the amount of blood loss for upper abdominal surgery.     

Ultrasound imaging improves learning curves in obstetric epidural anesthesia: a preliminary study

PURPOSE: Epidural anesthesia may be difficult in pregnancy. We intended to evaluate the teaching possibilities of ultrasonography as a diagnostic approach to the epidural region. METHODS: Two groups of residents performed their first 60 obstetric epidurals under supervision. One proceeded in the conventional way using the loss of resistance technique (control group = CG). The other group proceeded in the same way but was supported by prepuncture ultrasound imaging, giving them information about the optimal puncture point, depth and angle (ultrasound group = UG). Success was defined as adequate epidural anesthesia requiring a maximum of three attempts, reaching a visual analogue scale score of less than 1, while neither changing the anesthesia technique, nor starting at another vertebral level. In addition, intervention by the supervisor was defined as failure. RESULTS: In the CG we observed a success rate of 60% +/- 16% after the first ten attempts followed by a nearly continuous rise of the learning curve. Within the next 50 epidurals the rate of success increased to 84%. In the UG the rate of success started at 86% +/- 15%. Within 50 epidural insertions it rose up to a level of 94%. The difference between the two groups remained significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Using ultrasound imaging for teaching epidural anesthesia in obstetrics we found a higher rate of success during the first 60 attempts compared to conventional teaching. We believe this shows the possible value of ultrasound imaging for teaching and learning obstetric regional anesthesia.     

High thoracic epidural anesthesia in coronary artery bypass surgery: a propensity-matched study

OBJECTIVES: To assess if 2 different anesthesia strategies, high-thoracic epidural anesthesia (HTEA) plus inhalation anesthesia and total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with sufentanil/propofol had different influence on outcomes of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery patients. DESIGN: Retrospective comparison of outcomes between HTEA and TIVA patients using propensity score pair-wise matching of patients. SETTING: A university teaching hospital. Participants: A study of 1,473 consecutive patients undergoing elective CABG surgery; of these, 476 (32%) received HTEA combined with inhalation anesthesia, whereas 997 (68%) underwent TIVA alone. INTERVENTIONS: The patients undergoing CABG surgery were offered the epidural-inhalation anesthetic approach. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Propensity matching yielded 389 pairs of patients. Patients were well matched in preoperative and operative features. Postoperative mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, acute renal failure rates, and intensive care unit (ICU) stay were not statistically different in HTEA and TIVA groups. On the other hand, patients treated with HTEA had shorter ventilation times (5.8 +/- 3.11 v 6.9 +/- 5.0 hours, HTEA and TIVA, respectively, p < 0.001); in addition, vasoconstrictors were more frequently used in cases of HTEA, whereas vasodilators were mainly used with TIVA both intra- and postoperatively. No neurologic complications related to the use of HTEA were observed. CONCLUSIONS: HTEA and TIVA provided similar early outcomes after CABG surgery, and there were no major differences between these 2 strategies in the average risk CABG patient populations. Although HTEA did not cause neurologic problems and yielded a significant reduction in time to extubation, a consistent benefit over standard techniques could not be shown.