Awake craniotomy is a gold standard of care for resection of brain tumors located within or close to the eloquent areas. Both asleep-awake-asleep technique and monitored anesthesia care have been used effectively for awake craniotomy and the choice of optimal anesthetic approach is primarily based on the preferences of the anesthesiologist and surgical team. Propofol, remifentanil, dexmedetomidine, and scalp nerve block provide the reliable conditions for intraoperative brain mapping. Appropriate patient selection, adequate perioperative psychological support, and proper anesthetic management for individual patients in each stage of surgery are crucial for procedural safety, success, and patient satisfaction.

The superiority of distinct anesthesia methods for geriatric hip fracture surgery remains unclear. We evaluated high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) with three different anesthesia methods in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. Routine blood test findings, postoperative morbidity, and mortality were assessed as secondary outcome. In total, 176 patients were randomized into desflurane (n = 60), propofol (n = 58), or spinal groups (n = 58) that received desflurane-based balanced anesthesia, propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA), or spinal anesthesia, respectively. The spinal group required less intraoperative vasopressors (p < 0.001) and fluids (p = 0.006). No significant differences in HMGB1 (p_group×time = 0.863) or IL-6 (p_group×time = 0.575) levels were noted at baseline, postoperative day (POD) 1, or POD2. Hemoglobin, albumin, creatinine, total lymphocyte count, potassium, troponin T, and C-reactive protein were comparable among groups at all time-points. No significant differences in postoperative hospital stay, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and ventilator use among groups were observed. Postoperative pulmonary, cardiac, and neurologic complications; and in-hospital, 30-day, and 90-day mortality were not significantly different among groups (p = 0.974). In conclusion, HMGB1 and IL-6, and all secondary outcomes, were not significantly different between desflurane anesthesia, propofol TIVA, and spinal anesthesia.

Park SJ, et al. Yonsei Med J. 2017 May;58(3):650-657. https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2017.58.3.650

Background: The efficacy of dexamethasone plus palonosetron for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) prophylaxis is not firmly established. This randomized, double-blind, controlled study evaluated whether the combination was superior to palonosetron alone in preventing PONV in patients receiving intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) after upper extremity surgery.

Background: The use of capnography monitoring devices has been shown to lower the rates of hypoxemia via early detection of respiratory depression, and facilitate more accurate titration of sedatives during procedures. The aim of the current meta-analysis was to compare the incidence of hypoxemia associated with standard monitoring alone during gastrointestinal endoscopy to that associated with standard monitoring with the addition of capnography. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials scientific databases were searched to identify relevant studies. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials undertaken up to January 2018 that met our predefined inclusion criteria. The study outcome measures were incidence of hypoxemia, severe hypoxemia, apnea, the use of assisted ventilation, the use of supplemental oxygen, and change in vital signs. Results: We included nine trials assessing a total of 3,088 patients who underwent gastrointestinal procedural sedation. Meta-analysis of study outcome revealed that capnography significantly reduced the incidence of hypoxemia (odds ratio 0.61, 95% CI 0.49–0.77) and severe hypoxemia (odds ratio 0.53, 95% CI 0.35–0.81). However, there were no significant differences in other outcomes including incidence of apnea, assisted ventilation, supplemental oxygen, and changes in vital signs. Early procedure termination and patient satisfaction-related outcomes did not differ significantly in the capnography group and the standard monitoring group. Conclusion: This study indicates that capnography monitoring is an important addition with regard to the detection of hypoxemia during gastrointestinal procedural sedation, and should be considered in routine monitoring during gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Background: This study investigated the ability of pulse pressure variation (PPV) and pleth variability index (PVI) to predict fluid responsiveness of patients undergoing spinal surgery in the prone position. Patients and methods: A total of 53 patients undergoing posterior lumbar spinal fusion in the prone position on a Jackson table were studied. PPV, PVI, and hemodynamic and respiratory variables were measured both before and after the administration of 6 mL/kg colloid in both the supine and prone positions. Fluid responsiveness was defined as a 15% or greater increase in stroke volume index, as assessed by esophageal Doppler monitor after fluid loading. Results: In the supine position, 40 patients were responders. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for PPV and PVI were 0.783 [95% CI 0.648–0.884, P<0.001] and 0.814 (95% CI 0.684–0.908, P<0.001), respectively. The optimal cut-off values of PPV and PVI were 10% (sensitivity 75%, specificity 62%) and 8% (sensitivity 78%, specificity 77%), respectively. In the prone position, 27 patients were responders. The areas under the ROC curves for PPV and PVI were 0.781 (95% CI 0.646–0.883, P<0.001) and 0.756 (95% CI 0.618–0.863, P<0.001), respectively. The optimal cut-off values of PPV and PVI were 7% (sensitivity 82%, specificity 62%) and 8% (sensitivity 67%, specificity 69%), respectively. Conclusion: Both PPV and PVI were able to predict fluid responsiveness; their predictive abilities were maintained in the prone position.