Spinal infusions of either fentanyl or sufentanil have been reported in international reports, articles, and scientific events worldwide. This study aimed to determine whether intrathecal fentanyl or sufentanil offers safety in mortality and perioperative adverse events. MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, CENTRAL (Cochrane library databases), gray literature, hand-searching, and clinicaltrials.gov were systematically searched. Randomized controlled trials with no language, data, or status restrictions were included, comparing the effectiveness and safety of adding spinal lipophilic opioid to local anesthetics (LAs). Data were pooled using the random-effects models or fixed-effect models based on heterogeneity. The initial search retrieved 4469 records; 3241 records were eligible, and 3152 articles were excluded after reading titles and abstracts, with a high agreement rate (98.6%). After reading the full texts, 76 articles remained. Spinal fentanyl and sufentanil significantly reduced postoperative pain and opioid consumption, increased analgesia and pruritus. Fentanyl, but not sufentanil, significantly reduced both postoperative nausea and vomiting, and postoperative shivering; compared to LAs alone. The analyzed studies did not report any case of in-hospital mortality related to spinal lipophilic opioids. The rate of respiratory depression was 0.7% and 0.8% when spinal fentanyl or sufentanil was added and when it was not, respectively. Episodes of respiratory depression were rare, uneventful, occurred intraoperatively, and were easily manageable. There is moderate to high quality certainty that there is evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of adding lipophilic opioids to LAs in spinal anesthesia.

In cardiac surgery, poststernotomy pain is a significant issue, peaking within 48 h and requiring proper analgesia for both acute relief and avoidance of chronicization. Opioids are commonly used for pain management postsurgery but pose risks such as adverse effects and dependency. Post-cardiac surgery pain can stem from various sources—somatic, visceral, and neuropathic—making opioid reliance a concern. Multimodal analgesia, which combines different medications and regional anesthesia techniques, is increasingly recommended to decrease opioid use and its related problems. Strategies include acetaminophen, gabapentinoids, NMDA antagonists, alpha-2 agonists, intravenous lidocaine, anti-inflammatory drugs, and regional anesthesia. These approaches can enhance pain control, reduce opioid reliance, and improve cardiac surgery outcomes. The ERAS^® Cardiac Society strongly advocates for an opioid-sparing multimodal approach to improve patient recovery by reducing complications and increasing patient satisfaction. This review aims to consolidate current evidence to assist healthcare providers in customizing pain management for patients post-cardiac surgery, emphasizing reduced opioid use and optimizing the recovery process.

In the present study the frequencies of immunity against hepatitis B (HB) and of potentially contaminating accidents among medical students of a Brazilian public university were evaluated. Of all the 400 students who should have been immunized, 303 (75.7%), 66.3% of whom were women, answered an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. Serum anti-HBs were determined in 205 of them and titers > 10 UI/L were considered to be protective. A total of 86.8% of students had received three doses of HB vaccine. The frequency of immunity among women (96.4%) was higher (p = 0.04) than that among men (87.7%). Among those who did not have immunity, 12/13 (92.3%) had been vaccinated before entering medical school. Only 11% of the students with complete vaccination had previously verified serological response to the vaccine. A total of 23.6% reported having been somehow exposed to blood or secretions. Among final-year students, this frequency was 45.0%, being similar among men (47.8%) and women (43.2%). Of all these accidents, 57.7% were due to body fluids coming in contact with mucosa and 42.3% due to cut and puncture accidents. The results from this study show that: 1) the frequency of immunity against HB is high among the evaluated medical students, although verification of response to vaccination is not a concern for them; 2) anti-HBs titers should be verified after complete vaccination and on a regular basis, especially by men; and 3) the frequency of potentially contaminating accidents is high.

SummaryBackground and objectivesBrachial plexus block is used for upper limbs anesthesia. The use of ultrasound-guided (USG) technique for blockade has become popular in recent years, facilitating its execution by providing real-time images of the plexus and surrounding structures while minimizing complications. The purpose of this report is to describe a case of pneumothorax following ultrasound-guided interscalene block.Case ReportMale patient, 49 years old, weight 62kg and height 1.72m, slender, smoker, asymptomatic, ASA II E. The patient underwent surgical repair of right ulna open fracture through USG-guided interscalene brachial plexus block with axillary supplementation. After sedation and antisepsis, the linear probe of the USG apparatus was placed perpendicular to the interscalene groove (12 Hz), and stimucath A50 introduced in plane. After visualization of nerve trunks, 20mL of ropivacaine 0.5% was administered with axillary block suplementation (same volume and concentration of anesthetic). At the end of surgery, the patient complained of respiratory-dependent chest pain associated with dyspnea and decreased pulse oximetry (91% in room air), but hemodynamic stable (BP=130/70 and HR=84 bpm). Although pulmonary auscultation was normal, chest X-ray showed the presence of right pneumothorax. Water seal chest drainage was performed, after which the patient reported improvement of symptoms and was discharged from hospital in good general condition after 8 days.ConclusionDespite the dynamic visualization of cervical structures with USG, interscalene block may result in pneumothorax. An unusual higher pleural dome due to the hyperinflated lung (smoking) probably facilitated the accidental pleural puncture