Introduction: The analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) has proven to be an important tool for the management of autonomous nerve system in both surgical and critically ill patients. We conducted this study to show the different spectral frequency and time domain parameters of HRV as a prospective predictor for critically ill patients, and in particular for COVID-19 patients who are on mechanical ventilation. The hypothesis is that most severely ill COVID-19 patients have a depletion of the sympathetic nervous system and a predominance of parasympathetic activity reflecting the remaining compensatory anti-inflammatory response. Materials and methods: A single-center, prospective, observational pilot study which included COVID-19 patients admitted to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit was conducted. The normalized high-frequency component (HFnu), i.e. ANIm, and the standard deviation of RR intervals (SDNN), i.e. Energy, were recorded using the analgesia nociception index monitor (ANI). To estimate the severity and mortality we used the SOFA score and the date of discharge or date of death. Results: A total of fourteen patients were finally included in the study. ANIm were higher in the non-survivor group (p = 0.003) and were correlated with higher IL-6 levels (p = 0.020). Energy was inversely correlated with SOFA (p = 0.039) and fewer survival days (p = 0.046). A limit value at 80 of ANIm, predicted mortalities with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 85.7%. In the case of Energy, a limit value of 0.41 ms predicted mortality with all predictive values of 71.4%. Conclusion: A low autonomic nervous system activity, i.e. low SDNN or Energy, and a predominance of the parasympathetic system, i.e. low HFnu or ANIm, due to the sympathetic depletion in COVID-19 patients are associated with a worse prognosis, higher mortality, and higher IL-6 levels.

Introduction The aim of this study is to verify if the shoulder anterior capsular block (SHAC), combined with other nerve blocks, is effective in relieving shoulder pain, avoiding motor block and allowing an early rehabilitation program. Methods Seventy-five consecutive patients with painful shoulder were treated with the SHAC, alone (30 patients) or in combination with a suprascapular nerve block (SSnb: 25 patients) or with pectoralis and serratus plane block (PECS-2: 20 patients). All blocks were performed with 0.2% ropivacaine plus 8 mg dexamethasone. All patients were treated with three-weekly physiotherapy sessions for the following 2 weeks and then with home exercises. Results The post-procedural analgesic effect was strong in all groups, with a mean change in numeric rating scale (NRS) values of −6.05 in group 1, −6.25 in group 2, and −6.19 in group 3 (p < .0001), allowing all patients to complete an immediate physiotherapy session. Only a few patients needed to repeat the procedure 1 week after the first treatment for the recurrence of pain. From the treatment to the end of the follow-up, we noted a further drop in mean pain NRS values of 1.90 in group 1 and 1.80 in groups 2 and 3. No difference in effect over time was observed among the different groups. No adverse event or motor block was recorded. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the SHAC, alone or in combination with other peripheral nerve blocks, is an attractive alternative for shoulder pain management, especially when physiotherapy is required to recover shoulder function.

Background: The rhomboid intercostal and subserratus plane (RISS) block is a new interfascial block technique that has shown promising results for abdominal and thoracic surgeries. Our objective was to describe the improved analgesia and dermatomal coverage in patients who received bilateral RISS blocks after a major abdominal surgery.Case: Twenty-one patients who underwent abdominal surgery received the rhomboid intercostal component of the block at the T5 to T6 levels, and the subserratus component block was performed at the T6 to T9 levels.The RISS blocks provided effective postoperative analgesia. There was a variation in the dermatomal coverage ranging from T3 to T12. Patients reported a high satisfaction rate from pain management. Conclusions: The RISS block in abdominal surgery seems to have an important role in perioperative pain management, complementing the multimodal analgesic regimen. To determine the efficacy of the RISS block for abdominal surgery, we need further randomized control trials.