Ambulatory surgery has now becoming increasingly popular and it is generally well accepted. Major complications following ambulatory surgery are very rare but certain postoperative symptoms can be very unpleasant and distressing to the patients. Follow-up phone calls regarding their well being at home following the surgery may give us the clue and allow us to identify certain problems that can be sorted out immediately or as a reference for a better service in future. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of common postoperative symptoms and their subsequent effects within 24 hours after ambulatory surgery by follow-up phone calls. We prospectively studied 199 ASA I and II patients, but only 187 patients were analyzed. Patients had undergone general surgery, orthopaedic, urology, gynaecology or ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery. Pain was scored based on Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). Majority of patients (70.8%) had only mild pain prior to discharge home. At 24 hours postoperatively, pain was the commonest symptom reported (92.5%) followed by sleepiness (72.2%), dizziness (49.7%), sore throat (17.1%), nausea and vomiting (7.5%) and headache (7%). Sleep was mildly affected in nearly 50% of the patients. Fifty seven percent of patients did not need assistance in performing daily activities during the 24 hours, post surgery. Majority of patients were satisfied (81.3%) with ambulatory surgery. In conclusion, pain was the commonest postoperative symptom encountered following the surgery. Sleep was mildly affected by the postoperative symptoms. Most of the patients did not need assistance in performing their daily activities following surgery. All patients were able to return to at least more than 50% of their normal daily activities at 24 hours after the surgery. Overall satisfaction towards ambulatory surgery was good.
This randomised single-blinded study was conducted to evaluate if there was any difference between spinal anaesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% and intrathecal morphine 0.2mg and combined-spinal epidural using hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% with epidural infusion of bupivacaine 0.1% plus fentanyl 2.0μg/ml for 24 hours, postoperative analgesia following hip and knee arthroplasty, in terms of pain score and side effects (nausea, vomiting, pruritus and respiratory depression). Eighty patients ASA I or ASA II, aged between 18 to 75 years who underwent knee and hip arthroplasty of approximately 3-4 hours, duration were recruited. They were randomly allocated to one of two groups by using computer generated randomised numbers. The pain score during the postoperative period was evaluated using Visual Analogue Score (VAS pain score) and the side effects were documented and treated accordingly. Results showed that patients in Group 1 and Group 2 were comparable in terms of age, gender, height, weight and race. There was no statistical difference in VAS pain score between the two groups at all times intervals. However, patients in Group 1 had a higher incidence of nausea and pruritus than patients in Group 2. None of the patients in either group, experienced respiratory depression. Thus, it was concluded that both intrathecal morphine 0.2mg and epidural infusion of bupivacaine 0.1% plus fentanyl 2.0μg/ml were comparable in providing postoperative analgesia up to 24 hours following hip and knee arthroplasty. Nevertheless, the use of spinal morphine led to a higher incidence of side effects namely nausea and pruritus.
This was a prospective randomised study comparing carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations between low-flow anaesthesia (fresh gas flow 1.0 L/min) and minimal-flow anaesthesia (0.5 L/min) using desflurane. Sixty (ASA 1 or 2) adult patients undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia were randomly allocated to receive either low-flow (Group 1) or minimal flow anaesthesia (Group 2). Venous blood samples for carboxyhaemoglobin levels were taken at baseline and at 10 mins intervals for 40 mins. Both groups showed significant increase in carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations within the first 10 mins when fresh gas flow of 4.0 L/min was used. Reduction in carboxyhemoglobin levels was seen after 20 mins of minimal or low flow anaesthesia. However, there was no significant difference in the magnitude of reduction of carboxyhemoglobin concentrations between the groups. The fractional inspired of oxygen (FiO2) showed no significant changes in either group. In conclusion, desflurane usage in anaesthesia with either low-flow or minimal-flow was not associated with increased carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations.
This is our first experience in providing general anaesthesia for robotic-assisted thyroidectomy (RAT). It is rather a
new experience for our anaesthetic team and few issues should be addressed. The conduct of RAT must be fully
understood and familiarized as it may present with few challenges for the anaesthesiologists. The key point of
success during this learning curve period is the importance of teamwork between the anaesthesiologists and the
operating surgeons. The specific anaesthetic challenges include limited access to the patient post-docking of the
robot, the need of extra precautions of the anaesthetic circuit and IV line connections, a vigilant anaesthesiologists
and options for postoperative pain relief.