Anesthesiology Commons^™

Anaesthetic Management Of An Infant With Epidermolysis Bullosa Undergoing Inguinal Hernia Repair, Khalid Maudood Siddiqui, Sobia Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

Epidermolysis bullosa is a group of inherited disorders characterized by blistering of the skin as a result of minor trauma. We managed an infant with epidermolysis bullosa undergoing inguinal hernia repair. Anaesthesia was induced with oxygen/nitrous oxide mixture and sevoflurane. Oral tracheal intubation was done with a lubricated laryngoscope blade with KY jelly using atracurium 0.5 mg/kg and fentanyl 0.1 microgm/kg. To avoid frictions on the skin, endotracheal tube was tied with ribbon gauze and fixed around the neck. Pulse-oximetry probe and electrocardiogram electrodes were placed, and then attached to the patient's skin covered with KY jelly. Peripheral venous access …

A National Survey Into Desirable Personality Traits In Anaesthesia Trainees In A Developing Country, Fauzia Anis Khan, Fauzia N. Minai

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To explore personality traits considered to be important in selection of trainees by consultant anaesthetists in a developing country.

METHODS: A questionnaire listing 28 traits was sent to 125 consultant anaesthetists. The raters were asked to mark each trait on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being least desirable and 10 as most desirable. Listing of five most desirable and one least desirable trait was also required.

RESULTS: The response rate was 79%. The most desirable trait was identified as reliability by 40%, followed by honesty 17%, functionality under stress 9%, punctuality 7%, and discipline 4%. The …

Standards For Labelling And Storage Of Anaesthetic Medications--An Audit, Muhammad Imran, Fauzia Anis Khan, Shemila Abbasi

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To check compliance of anaesthetist to current policies set for the use of medication within operation room and for induction room floor stock.

METHODS: The initial audit was conducted from 1st October to 31st November 2006 and reaudit after dissemination and sharing of results within the department repeated in July-August 2007. In each audit four operating rooms were visited twice a week. Syringes were checked for standard drug labelling for narcotic and non narcotic preparations. Drug trolley was checked for any expired drugs and whether the trolley was locked in case of operating room (OR) where list was ended …

How Early Do Antibiotics Have To Be To Impact Mortality In Severe Sepsis? A Prospective, Observational Study From An Emergency Department, Shahla Siddiqui, Nawal Salahuddin, Adeel Raza, Junaid Razzak

Department of Anaesthesia

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the promptness of antibiotic administration to patients presenting with sepsis and the effects on survival and length of hospitalization.

METHODS: Consecutive, adult patients presenting with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) to the emergency department of the Aga Khan University hospital were enrolled in a prospective, observational study over a period of 4 months. Univariate, multivariate regression modeling and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the effects of various variables on survival and for significant differences between timing of antibiotic administration and survival, two-sided p values < 0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS: One hundred and eleven patients …

Cancellation Of Surgery In Patients Attending The Preoperative Anaesthesia Assessment Clinic: A Prospective Audit, Tauseef Ahmed, Mueenullah Khan, Fauzia Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To find the causes of operating room cancellation in patients attending preoperative anaesthesia clinic and scheduled for surgery at our institution.

METHODS: This audit included all those patients who presented to the pre anaesthesia clinic with their surgeries planned in the main operating rooms of our hospital. The duration of this audit was two months. Cancelled cases were identified from the operating room lists and the reasons for cancellations were categorized into above mentioned four factors.

RESULTS: Fifty five (55) cancellations were identified; patient related factors (58%) were the most frequent cause followed by anaesthetic (22%), surgical (18.2%) and …

Anaesthesia At Remote Location: Use Of Modified Bain Circuit (Mapleson D) At Kunri Christian Hospital (Kch), Ehtesham Izhar Khan, Hameed Ullah, Rehana Kamal

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To develop a safe general anaesthesia technique for remote areas with lack of facilities.

METHODS: Four types of anaesthesia techniques using TIVA and modified Bain circuit were planned. Monitoring facility was limited to manual sphygmomanometer, palpation of radial pulse and monitoring of colour of skin and blood. Depth of anaesthesia was assessed using EVANs, RPST scoring system. Patients were asked in recovery room for awareness.

RESULTS: Surgeries done were cesarean sections, laparotomies, gynaecological, urological, hernia and burn contractures. Six patients had RPST score of 5 or more and three patients in recovery room complained of awareness. Cost per Anaesthesia …

Wound Infiltration With Bupivacaine Versus Ketorolac For Postoperative Pain Relief In Minor To Moderate Surgeries, Mohammad Irfan Akhtar, Mohammad Saleem, Jawad Zaheer

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesic efficacy of Bupivacaine 0.25% wound infiltration with Ketorolac incisional infiltration in relieving postoperative pain for first twenty-four hours.

METHODOLOGY: Analytical, interventional and comparative study was performed on seventy patients, of both sexes, with varied age groups. Patients underwent minor and moderate surgeries, confined to American Society of Anaesthesiologist ASA category 1-II. Patients were selected by convenience sampling and were divided into two groups i.e. Group I and Group II. Group-I comprised of thirty five patients and were infiltrated with Bupivacaine 0.25% at wound margins postoperatively. Group-II also comprised of thirty-five patients and were infiltrated with …

Frequency Of Preoperative Anxiety In Pakistani Surgical Patients, Mohammad Faisal Jafar, Fauzia Anis Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To measure the frequency of preoperative anxiety in patients coming to our hospital and to correlate Visual analogue scale (VAS) with State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire.

METHODS: This cross sectional study included 300 ASA I and II adult surgical in-patients admitted over a period of one year. STAI questionnaire and VAS was used as study tools. STAI score of > 44 or VAS score of > or = 50 were considered as significant anxiety. Enrolled patients were visited by primary investigator the day before surgery and patients were asked to fill the STAI questionnaire and VAS score.

RESULTS: Significant preoperative …

Haemodynamic Response To Induction, Laryngoscopy And Tracheal Intubation In Diabetic And Non-Diabetic Patients, Asif Ali Khan, Fauzia Anis Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: Presence of autonomic neuropathy in diabetic patients can alter the haemodynamic response to induction and tracheal intubation. This trial was conducted to compare this response in 30 non-diabetic (control group) and 30 diabetic patients including both insulin and non-insulin dependent.

METHODS: A prospective, age matched case controlled study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, for one year. After pre-medication with tablet midazolam 7.5 mgs orally, patients received pethidine 0.8 mg kg(-1), thiopentone sodium 4 to 5 mg kg(-1) for induction and vecuronium 0.1 mg kg(-1) to facilitate tracheal intubation. Following manual ventilation with isoflurane 0.8% in oxygen …

Use Of Anticonvulsants Drugs For Neuropathic Painful Conditions, Aziza Mohammad Hussain, Gauhar Afshan

Department of Anaesthesia

Neuropathic pain, a form of chronic pain initiated and sustained by an insult to the peripheral or central nervous system, is a challenge to clinicians as it does not respond well to traditional pain therapies. However exact pathophysiology is not known but considering similarities between epilepsy models and in neuropathic pain models justify the rationale for use of anticonvulsant drugs in the symptomatic management of neuropathic pain disorders. The role of anticonvulsant drugs in the treatment of neuropathic pain is evolving and various clinical trials have used these anticonvulsants and shown positive results in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, painful …

Effect Of Diclofenac Suppository On Tramadol Consumption In Posthysterectomy Pain, Aziza Mohammad Hussain, Fauzia A Khan, Lumaan Sheikh

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To determine reduction in dose of tramadol and side effects in posthysterectomy patients on addition of diclofenac on rectal suppository.

STUDY DESIGN: Randomized double blinded placebo controlled study.

PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from August 2004 to January 2006. Methodology: Seventy ASA I and II females, aged 20 and above, who underwent elective abdominal hysterectomy, were included in this study. Patients received identical looking suppository of either 100 mg diclofenac sodium or placebo after induction of anaesthesia and then 12 hourly for 24 hours. General anaesthesia was standardized and tramadol was given …

Role Of Psoas Compartment And Caudal Epidural Steroid Injection In Spinal Stenosis Patients Associated With Low Back Pain And Lower Limb Radiculopathy, Mueen Ullah Khan, S. Zaki Hussain

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy, safety and patient satisfaction of psoas compartment and caudal epidural steroid injection in patients with spinal stenosis and lumbosaccral radiculopathy.

METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of spinal stenosis and lumbosaccral radiculopathy having visual analogue score (VAS) less than five were included in the study. Bilateral psoas compartment and caudal epidural injection was given to all patients. In group-A patients haemodynamics and complications were examined immediately after injection. In group-B the same patients were examined through a questionnaire after eight weeks, for pain relief, duration of pain relief, reduction in painkillers and overall improvement in activities …

Anaesthetic Management Of A Pregnant Patient For Aortic Valve Replacement, Khalid M Siddiqui, Fazal Hameed Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

Cardiac disease can be encountered during pregnancy with the frequency being 1% to 2% of all pregnant women. Because of the high foetal and relative maternal mortality during surgery, medical management is the first line of treatment. Nevertheless, when medical treatment fails, cardiac surgery becomes necessary. We present the anaesthetic management of a case of Aortic valve disease in a pregnant woman undergoing surgery.

Anaesthetic Management Of Patient With Ellis Van Creveld Syndrome, Faisal Shamim, Fauzia N. Minai

Department of Anaesthesia

A known case of Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome was scheduled for emergency repair of obstructed paraumblical hernia. We describe the anaesthetic management of the case with special reference to the classic physical and physiological manifestations of this syndrome present in our patient.

Cardiac Tamponade After Removal Of Temporary Pace Maker In Multidiscipinary Intensive Care Unit, Muhammad Faisal Khan, Ali Bin Sarwar Zubairi

Department of Anaesthesia

Cardiac tamponade is a medical and surgical emergency, which needs early recognition and treatment. Myocardial perforation leading to cardiac tamponade is a rare complication after pace maker insertion. We are reporting a case of cardiac tamponade after removal of temporary pace maker in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit.

Practice Of Use Of Antiemetic In Patients For Laparoscopic Gynaecological Surgery And Its Impact On The Early (1st Two Hrs) Postoperative Period, Samina Ismail

Department of Anaesthesia

There is no agreed technique for minimizing PONV (Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting) although some techniques are associated with low rate. Best practice involves identifying high risk patients and surgeries and use of prophylactic antiemetic where appropriate. Laparoscopic gynaecological surgery has high incidence of PONV (54-92%). An audit on the practice of antiemetic use in diagnostic laparoscopic gynaecological surgery was done in the department of anaesthesia of Aga Khan University Hospital from 1st January to 30th June 2006. We included all the patients scheduled for this procedure lasting less than 90 minutes. Anaesthetist involved in the audit identified the patient falling …

Informed Consent And Some Of Its Problems In Pakistan, Robyna Irshad Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

Informed consent has become an essential element of human subject research. Certain components are essential for a well-understood informed consent. There are problems in procurement of a comprehensive and meaningful consent in the Pakistani research settings. The inefficient healthcare systems, low literacy rate with masses having no concept of individual rights, higher social status enjoyed by physicians inhibiting the patients from questioning them, and unwillingness to hear bad news are some of these factors. Establishing Bioethics education at all levels, encouraging the involvement of families in decision making, using improvisation in procurement of consent are suggested solutions. There needs to …

Sedation-Analgesia In Non Operative Locations: Practice Trends Of Anaesthetists, Fauzia Khan, Khalid Maudood Siddiqui, Rehan Qureshi

Department of Anaesthesia

Sedation/analgesia is a mode of anaesthesia which facilitates an uncomfortable or painful procedure, such as gastrointestinal endoscopy, in a rousable and cooperative patient. The objective of the study was to assess the practice trends for administering sedation analgesia in non operative locations in Aga Khan Hospital, Karachi by anaesthetists. It was a descriptive study which retrospective reviewed anaesthesia records. A total of 41 ASA I-IV cases were reviewed. Non invasive cardiorespiratory monitoring and clinical sedation monitoring were applied. Intravenous Propofol infusion and midazolam boluses were used, singly or in combination with fentanyl boluses. All our patients recovered uneventfully within 5 …

Anaesthetic Management Of Tracheal Reconstruction Using Jet Ventilation, Khalid, Samad, Faisal Shamim, Muhammad Sohail Awan, Muhammad Qamarul Hoda

Department of Anaesthesia

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Single Dose Magnesium On Arrhythmias In Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, M Hamid, Rs Kamal, Sa Sami, F Atiq, A Shafquat, Hi Naqvi, Fazal Hameed Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and role of prophylactic administration of magnesium in preventing arrhythmias.
METHOD: This double blind randomized placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital on coronary artery bypass surgery patients. All patients were connected to holter monitor before induction of anaesthesia and this monitoring continued for 24 hours. Study drug containing either 2-grams of magnesium or normal saline was given after intubation. Levels of serum magnesium was checked preoperatively and then in ICU at 0, 6, 12, and 24 hours. Independent t-test and chi square test were used for analysis. Statistical significance was …

Laryngeal Mask Airway Insertion Anaesthesia And Insertion Techniques, Abdul Monem, Fauzia A. Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

Laryngeal Mask Airway has gained wide acceptance for routine airway management, difficult airway and in emergency situations. The classical method of insertion was recommended by Dr Brain. Over the years various induction and insertion techniques have been described with variable results. Combination of induction agents with narcotics, with or without small dose muscle relaxants has been found to be very effective. There is less also lesser incidence of mucosal trauma with partially inflated cuff. Insertion with cuff facing laterally or backwards and rotating it forwards into position has also been described. A review of various options and their advantages and …

Epidural Anaesthesia During Labour For A Patient With Congenital Complete Heart Block: A Case Report, Abdul Monem, Ursula Chohan, Mohammed Ali

Department of Anaesthesia

We report labour pain management in a full-term pregnant patient with Congenital Complete Heart Block. She delivered uneventfully under routine monitoring with facilities for pacing at hand. She previously had an uneventful normal delivery and a D&E, both outside our hospital. Only findings were a low heart rate of 45-50 beats per minute. She never had syncopal attacks. She had a good effort tolerance on ETT. Her ejection fraction was 60% on Echocardiogram. She was given a single shot low dose spinal with fentanyl followed by epidural insertion. She successfully delivered through mid-cavity forceps in about 2.5 hours. The only …

Audit Of An Acute Pain Service In A Tertiary Care Hospital In A Developing Country, Muhammad Qamarul Hoda, Mohammad Hamid, Fauzia Anis Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

The first anaesthesia based acute pain service (APS) was introduced in Pakistan at the Aga Khan University Hospital in July 2001, with the aim of patient safety and satisfaction. The American Society of Anesthesiologist task force guidelines were used for the introduction of APS. APS has managed 6810 patients during four and half years period. Common analgesic techniques used, were intravenous infusion (50%), patient controlled intravenous analgesia (18%) and epidural infusions (30%). Common reported side effects were nausea and vomiting with intravenous infusion (10%) and PCIA (10%) while motor block was noticed with epidural infusion (29%). This article aims to …

Comparison Of Two Sedation Techniques In Patients Undergoing Surgical Procedures Under Regional Anaesthesia, Aliya Ahmed, Fauzia Anis Khan, Aziza Hussain

Department of Anaesthesia

Objective: Intraoperative comfort and patient satisfaction during surgical procedures under regional anaesthesia can be improved with the use of supplemental intravenous sedation. The authors conducted a study to compare two sedation techniques for surgical procedures performed under regional anaesthesia, i.e., midazolam and pethidine combination compared with midazolam and tramadol combination.Methods: Forty adult American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade 1-111 patients, aged between 40-65 years undergoing surgery under regional anaesthesia (sub-arachnoid block) were included. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. All patients received standardized premedication, intraoperative monitoring and oxygen therapy. Group A patients received midazolam 0.03 mg/kg followed by …

Arterial To End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide Difference In Neurosurgical Patients Undergoing Craniotomy: A Review Of Practice, Fauzia Anis Khan, Mueenullah Khan, Shemila Abbasi

Department of Anaesthesia

Objective: To see if PETCO2 reflects PaCO2 with acceptable accuracy.Methods: In this audit the.anaesthetic chart of fifty consecutive patients, age 12 years and above undergoing craniotomy for intracranial pathology, were reviewed.Results: The difference between end tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) value corresponding to the time of taking the arterial sample and the PaCO2 was calculated. The mean end tidal CO2 was 29.3 +/- 2.8 and the mean PaCO2 was 32.63 +/- 4.5. The mean difference between the two values was calculated as 4.09 +/- 3.0. The regression coefficient was 0.496, which showed a moderate association. A wide variability was observed in …

Role Of Stellate Ganglion Block In Post Cabg Sympathetically Mediated Chest Pain, Mueen Ullah Khan, Imtiaz Ahmed

Department of Anaesthesia

Acute chest pain is a common presentation in emergency. After clinical assessment undiagnosed chest pain can become a difficult problem. Sympathetically mediated chest pain is a rare presentation, as it is similar to that of secondary hyperalgesia in the intact skin surrounding an injury site. We are reporting a case of a 62 years old man who presented with atypical chest pain four months after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). On investigation no new change was noticed than previous evaluation. On chronic pain assessment he was having hyperalgesia to light touch in addition to the spontaneous chest pain. He was …

Severe Anaphylactic Reaction At Induction Of Anaesthesia, Aliya Ahmed, Anand Kumar

Department of Anaesthesia

Anaphylaxis is an IgE mediated severe allergic reaction causing release of vasoactive substances from mast cells and basophils after re-exposure to an antigen. Signs and symptoms include flushing, urticaria, hypotension, tachycardia, bronchospasm, cardio-respiratory arrest etc. It can occur at induction of anaesthesia when multiple drugs are being administered, but prompt diagnosis with correct management is the key to a successful outcome. This case report describes a patient who developed severe bronchospasm with difficulty in inflating the lungs and dropping oxygen saturations, alongwith hypotension, tachycardia and widespread flushing, at induction of anaesthesia for elective breast surgery. She was promptly managed and …

Adequacy Of Postoperative Pain Relief After Discharge, Samina Ismail, Aziza M. Hussain

Department of Anaesthesia

Day care surgery has shown a remarkable development over the last two decades, comprising approximately 60-70% of all surgical procedures. Therefore major proportions of surgical patients are recovering at home and have little or no assessment of the adequacy of their pain relief. The aim of our audit was to compare suggested postoperative pain indicators with targets for best practice. This audit was done at the Aga Khan University Hospital day care unit for a period of three months. On the day of surgery patients having the contact numbers were informed about the telephone call 24 hrs after the surgery …

Customer Focused Incident Monitoring In Anaesthesia, F A. Khan, S Khimani

Department of Anaesthesia

The database of incident forms relating to anaesthesia services in an institutional risk management programme were reviewed for 2003-2005, the aim being to identify any recurring patterns. Incidents were prospectively categorised as relating to attitude/behaviour, communication breakdown, delay in service, or were related to care, cost, environment, equipment, security, administrative process, quality of service or miscellaneous. The total number of anaesthesia-related incidents reported during the period was 287, which related to 0.44% of the total number of anaesthetics administered during the time period. In all, 170 incidents were reported by the department, 96 by internal customers and 21 by external …

Intraoperative Analgesia For Day-Care Surgery: Practice Trends, Aliya Ahmed, Shemila Abbasi, Chandar Prakash, Subhash Chandar

Department of Anaesthesia

Our objective was to determine the trends of providing intraoperative analgesia for day-care surgery among the various anaesthesiologists at our university hospital. All patients having surgical procedures under general anaesthesia in the Surgical Day Care Unit (SDC) of the Hospital were included. The study was done over two months and 142 patients were enrolled during the study period. Of these 45% received pethidine for intraoperative analgesia, 24% pethidine and ketorolac, 6% pethidine and paracetamol suppositories, 18% received fentanyl, 2% tramadol and 5% received other analgesic combinations. Of the 22% patients who received pethidine intraoperatively needed rescue analgesia in recovery room, …