Catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) due to an indwelling urinary catheter causes postoperative distress. Dexmedetomidine is used as an anaesthetic adjuvant during general anaesthesia and has an antimuscarinic effect, which may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of CRBD. To determine the effect of intraoperative dexmedetomidine administration on the incidence of CRBD. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised study. A tertiary care teaching hospital. One-hundred and nine patients undergoing transurethral bladder tumour excision (TURB). Patients were randomly allocated to two groups: control group (n = 55) received placebo and dexmedetomidine group (n = 54) received intraoperative dexmedetomidine (1 μg kg(-1) loading dose followed by 0.5 μg kg(-1) h(-1) continuous infusion). The incidence and severity (mild, moderate, severe) of CRBD assessed at 0, 1, 6 and 24 h postoperatively. The incidence of CRBD was significantly higher in the control group at 0 (78 vs. 50%; P = 0.004), 1 (86 vs. 57%; P = 0.002) and 6 h (82 vs. 63%; P = 0.047) postoperatively. The incidence of moderate to severe CRBD was higher in the control group at 0 (38 vs. 11%; P = 0.002) and 1 h (29 vs. 7%; P = 0.006) postoperatively. The number of patients having CRBD treated with tramadol was higher in the control group (24 vs. 12; P = 0.006). The mean end-tidal desflurane concentration during the surgery was higher in the control group (4.5 vs. 3.9%; P = 0.04). The postoperative pain score (numerical rating scale: 0 to 10) was higher in the control group at 0 (4.6 vs. 2.7; P = 0.002), and 1 h (3.8 vs. 2.7; P = 0.041). The number of patients treated with opioids was higher in the control group (21 vs. 8; P = 0.011). Intraoperative dexmedetomidine administration decreased the incidence and severity of early postoperative CRBD as well as intraoperative desflurane and postoperative opioid requirements in patients undergoing TURB. NCT01991223 (www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Objective: To investigate the incidence and risk factors for emergence agitation in the postanaesthetic care unit (PACU), in adult patients undergoing urological surgery. Methods: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative variables were evaluated. Emergence agitation was defined as a Riker sedation–agitation score ≥5. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent risk factors for emergence agitation. Results: Emergence agitation was observed in 48/488 (9.8%) patients. Chronic lung disease (odds ratio [OR] 2.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03, 7.17), duration of surgery (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00, 1.01), history of social drinking (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.25, 4.93), postoperative pain score (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.14, 1.53), voiding urgency (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.01, 4.77) and presence of gastric tube (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.07, 7.54) were independent risk factors for emergence agitation. Conclusions: Adequate postoperative pain management and prevention of catheter-related bladder discomfort may be helpful in reducing the incidence of emergence agitation in urology patients.

Three-phase bone scintigraphy (TPBS) is an established objective diagnostic method for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), but its validity remains controversial. The aims of this study were: (i) to re-evaluate the diagnostic performance of TPBS, and (ii) to suggest new TPBS criteria based on the proposed research criteria for CPRS in Budapest (the 2003 Budapest research criteria). The medical records of 228 consecutive patients, evaluated using the Budapest research criteria, were retrospectively analysed. Of these, 116 patients were included in the present study, and 69 of 116 were diagnosed to have CRPS based on these criteria. The diagnostic performance of TPBS was assessed by determining its sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios, and new criteria for TPBS were identified by pattern analysis using the Budapest research criteria. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of TPBS for the diagnosis of CRPS according to the Budapest research criteria were 40.0, 76.5, 1.73, and 0.78, respectively. Furthermore, D-D-D, D-D-S, and D-D-I patterns [i.e. according to decreased (D), symmetrical (S), or increased (I) tracer uptake during Phases I, II, and III] of TPBS were found to be positively predictive for CRPS. The diagnostic value of a positive TPBS for CRPS is low from the view point of the Budapest research criteria. Our findings suggest that a diagnosis of CRPS using the Budapest research criteria should be considered when decreased patterns of TPBS are observed during Phases I and II.

Catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) due to an indwelling urinary catheter can cause postoperative distress, and the mechanism underlying CRBD is linked to the activation of muscarinic receptors. Inhalation of anesthetic agents, such as sevoflurane and desflurane, has differential inhibitory effects on muscarinic receptors. We aimed to compare the effect of intraoperative sevoflurane vs desflurane inhalation on postoperative CRBD. Eighty-nine patients undergoing transurethral resection of a bladder tumour (TURBT) were randomly allocated to two groups. The sevoflurane group (n = 45) and the desflurane group (n = 44) received the respective inhalational agents for maintenance of general anesthesia. The incidence and severity (mild/moderate/severe) of CRBD were assessed at zero, one, six, and 24 hr postoperatively. Catheter-related bladder discomfort during the first 24 hr postoperatively occurred in 34/45 (76%) patients receiving sevoflurane compared with 41/44 (93%) patients receiving desflurane [absolute difference 18%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2 to 33; P = 0.039]. The differences in the rate of CRBD between the sevoflurane and desflurane groups at zero, one, and six hours postoperatively were 24% (95% CI, 7 to 40; P = 0.012), 33% (95% CI, 15 to 49; P = 0.001), and 26% (95% CI, 6 to 43; P = 0.019), respectively. The incidence of moderate to severe CRBD and the number of patients treated with tramadol for CRBD were comparable between the two groups. As a maintenance agent of general anesthesia, sevoflurane reduced the incidence of early postoperative CRBD in patients undergoing TURBT when compared with desflurane. The protocol for this clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02096224).