Application of Safety Protocols for International Cleft Outreach Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Global Smile Foundation Precaution Guidelines and Implications

Background Since COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March of 2020, foundation-based cleft outreach programs to Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) were halted considering global public health challenges, scarcity of capacity and resources, and travel restrictions. This led to an increase in the backlog of untreated patients with cleft lip and/or palate, with new challenges to providing comprehensive care in those regions. Resumption of international outreach programs requires an updated course of action to incorporate necessary safety measures in the face of the ongoing pandemic. In this manuscript, the authors outline safety protocols, guidelines, and recommendations implemented in Global Smile Foundation's (GSF) most recent outreach trip to Beirut, Lebanon. Methods COVID-19 safety protocols for outreach cleft care and an Action Response Plan were developed by the GSF team based on the published literature and recommendations from leading international organizations. Results GSF conducted a 1-week surgical outreach program in Beirut, Lebanon, performing 13 primary cleft lip repairs, 7 cleft palate repairs, and 1 alveolar bone grafting procedure. Safety protocols were implemented at all stages of the outreach program, including patient preselection and education, hospital admission and screening, intraoperative care, and postoperative monitoring and follow-up. Conclusions Organizing outreach programs in the setting of infectious diseases outbreaks should prioritize the safety and welfare of patients and team members within the program's local community. The COVID-19 protocols and guidelines described may represent a reproducible framework for planning future similar outreach initiatives in high-risk conditions.

Giant occipital encephalocele: a case report, surgical and anesthetic challenge and review of literature

Background An encephalocele is a congenital neural tube defect characterized by herniation of cranial contents through a defect in the cranium and is caused by failure of the closure of the cranial part of the developing neural tube. An encephalocele is termed as “giant encephalocele” when the size of encephalocele is larger than the size of the head. They depend on size of the sac, percentage of neural tissue content, hydrocephalus, infection, and other associated pathologies for a favorable neurological outcome. Case presentation We report a case of a four-month-old boy with a giant occipital encephalocele measuring 21 × 15 × 19 cm in size, which was a surgical and anesthetic challenge for us. Intubation was achieved in lateral position. Part of occipital and cerebellar parenchyma was present in the sac and bony defect was approximately 2.5 cm in occipital bone in midline. We performed surgical excision and repair with a good overall outcome. Conclusion Perioperative management of a giant occipital encephalocele is a challenge for both anesthesiologists and neurosurgeons. Managing such a case demands a search for other congenital abnormalities, expertise in handling airway, and proper intraoperative care. Careful planning and perioperative management are essential for a successful outcome.

Oxford Handbook of Anaesthesia

The Oxford Handbook of Anaesthesia is a comprehensive, authoritative and practical guide to the whole field of anaesthetic practice. It encompasses all ages, from neonates to the elderly, and all surgical specialties including cardiac surgery, interventional radiology and weight-reduction surgery. Local, regional and neuraxial techniques are described, including ultrasound guidance. The entire patient journey is covered, from pre-operative assessment and investigation, through informed consent and intraoperative care, to post-operative analgesia. There are substantial sections dealing with acute pain and the management of intra-operative emergencies. A brief drug formulary is provided. The fifth edition is a complete overhaul of the layout and content of the previous edition, with significant new content added.

Pain management and bupivacaine

Background: Pain is an unpleasant experience associated with tissue damage. Peripheral tissue injury results in functional disturbances in the nervous system. Modern anaesthesiologists are not only concerned about preoperative and intraoperative care of the patient but also with postoperative welfare of the patient.Methods: In present study we have compared the efficacy of injection bupivacaine 0.25% infiltration preoperatively versus postoperatively on duration of postoperative analgesia, VAS (visual analogue scale) at the onset of pain, total analgesia requirement in 24 hours. 150 patients belonging to ASA (American society of anesthesiologists) class I and II between the age of 15 and 75 who underwent lower abdominal surgeries belonging to either sex were included in the study. The patients were randomly allocated to three groups. Control group (C) received 20 ml normal saline, preoperative group (A) received 0.25% bupivacaine before incision, postoperative group (B) received 0.25% bupivacaine before closure.Results: Duration of analgesia, VAS score at the time of first request of analgesia and total doses of analgesia over 24 hours were recorded. The total analgesia requirement was reduced over 24 hours in the group B in which the infiltration was done postoperatively.Conclusions: The postoperative infiltration with 0.25% bupivacaine produces longer duration and better quality of analgesia as compared to preoperative infiltration.

Penerapan Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) pada Bedah Saraf

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a multidisciplinary standardized perioperative treatment protocol in surgical patients that aims to minimize perioperative stress and result in better outcomes. The ERAS protocol is composed of various components of care that have been shown to support recovery and/or avoid postoperative complications. These components include surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists who are involved in patient care to provide better improvements. The ERAS protocol is composed of various components of preoperative care (counseling, nutrition, lifestyle management, thromboprophylaxis, preparation of the surgical area and antimicrobial prophylaxis), intraoperative care (anesthetic technique, anesthesia management, analgesia, fluid management, temperature regulation, surgical technique) and postoperative care (PONV management, urinary drainage, nutritional intake, early mobilization). Implementation of ERAS is applicable and shows good results along with the benefits for patients undergoing neurosurgery. However, ERAS in neurosurgery is still very limited and requires further research following different types of procedures / operations and different patient conditions.

Giant Occipital Encephalocele: A Case Report, Surgical & Anesthetic Challenge

Background: An encephalocele is a congenital neural tube defect characterized by herniation of cranial contents through a defect in the cranium and is caused by failure of the closure of the cranial part of the developing neural tube. An encephalocele is termed as “giant encephalocele” when the size of encephalocele is larger than the size of the head. They depend on size of the sac, percentage of neural tissue content, hydrocephalus, infection, and other associated pathologies for a favorable neurological outcome.Case Presentation: We report a case of a four month old boy with a Giant Occipital Encephalocele about 21 x 15 x 19 cm in size, who was a surgical and anesthetic challenge for us. Intubation was achieved in lateral position. Part of occipital and cerebellar parenchyma was present in the sac and bony defect was approximately 2.5 cm in occipital bone in midline. We did Surgical Excision and Repair with a good overall outcome.Conclusion: Perioperative management of a Giant Occipital Encephalocele is a challenge for both anesthesiologist and neurosurgeon. Managing such a case demands search for other congenital abnormalities, expertise in handling airway and proper intraoperative care. Careful planning and perioperative management are essential for a successful outcome.

Ocular Clinical Spectrum of Pseudoexfoliation in Cataract Patients at a Tertiary Eye Care Centre in Rural Maharashtra – A Cross Sectional Study

BACKGROUND Pseudoexfoliation (PEX) is a systemic microfibrillopathy characterised by accumulation of gray-white fibrogranular extracellular material over the lens, pupil or cornea. Different clinical variants of PEX in cataract patients are known to occur. We wanted to study the different clinical variants of PEX in cataract patients, the intraoperative and postoperative complications and the visual prognosis of cataract surgery. METHODS A total of 100 patients with PEX in cataract were subjected to detailed examination and necessary investigations. Cataract surgery was performed in all patients using the manual small incision cataract surgery (SICS). Vision before and after surgery was recorded. Refraction was done and documented. Best corrected visual acuity was noted and was followed-up postoperatively for 2 – 4 weeks. RESULTS Maximum prevalence of PEX (57 %) was seen in 51 - 60 years of age and 64 % were males and 36 % were females. The involvement was bilateral in 53 % and unilateral in 47 % cases. The range of intraocular pressure (IOP) was 12.4 mm Hg to 23.1 mm Hg. 67 % patients had insufficient mydriasis and 81 % cases were found to have PEX material deposited on the peripheral zone and 19 % cases on both peripheral zone and central zone. A total of 27 % cases had mature cataract and 7 % had hypermature cataract. CONCLUSIONS PEX requires a thorough preoperative planning along with a proper intraoperative care to ensure an uneventful surgery and a successful postoperative result. KEYWORDS Pseudoexfoliation, Mydriasis, Cataract

Daring discourse: should acute pain medicine be a stand-alone service?

Acute pain medicine (APM) has been incorporated into healthcare systems in varied manners with some practices implementing a stand-alone acute pain service (APS) staffed by consultants who are not simultaneously providing care in the operating room (OR). In contrast, other practices have developed a concurrent OR-APS model where there is no independent team beyond the intraoperative care providers. There are theoretical advantages of each approach primarily with respect to patient outcomes and financial cost, and there is little evidence to instruct best practice. In this daring discourse, we present two opposing perspectives on whether or not APM should be a stand-alone service. While evidence to guide best practice is limited, our goal is to encourage discussion of the varied APS practice models and research into their impact on outcomes and costs.

Disciplinary law and neurosurgery: a 10-year analysis of cases in the Netherlands

OBJECTIVENeurosurgery is historically seen as a high-risk medical specialty, with a large percentage of neurosurgeons facing complaints during their careers. The Dutch medicolegal system is characterized by a strong emphasis on informal mediation, which can be accompanied or followed by disciplinary actions. To determine if this system is associated with a low overall risk for medical litigation through disciplinary law, the authors conducted a review of disciplinary cases involving neurosurgeons in the Netherlands.METHODSThe authors reviewed legal cases that had been filed against consultant neurosurgeons and neurosurgical residents under the Dutch disciplinary law for medical professions between 2009 and 2019.RESULTSA total of 1322 neurosurgical care–related cases from 2009 to 2019 were reviewed. Fifty-seven (4.3%) cases were filed against neurosurgeons (40 first-instance cases, 17 appeal cases). In total, 123 complaints were filed in the 40 first-instance cases. Most of these cases were related to spine surgery (62.5%), followed by cranial surgery (27.5%), peripheral nerve surgery (7.5%), and pediatric neurosurgery (2.5%). Complaints were filed in all stages of care but were mostly related to preoperative and intraoperative care.CONCLUSIONSThe risk for medically related litigation in neurosurgery in the Netherlands through disciplinary law is low but not negligible. Although the absolute number of cases is low, spinal neurosurgery was found to be a risk factor for complaints. The relatively high number of cases that involved the sharing of information suggests that specific improvements—focusing on communication—can be made in order to lower the risk for future litigation.