Considerations for the Use of Local Anesthesia in the Frail Elderly: Current Perspectives

The protective role of lidocaine in surgeries involving trigeminal nerve manipulation: a meta-analysis of trigeminocardiac reflex prevention

The trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) is activated when the trigeminal nerve is manipulated through mechanical pressure, traction, or irritation. This leads to a rapid increase in parasympathetic activity, resulting in a decrease in heart rate (HR) and blood pressure, which can potentially lead to bradycardia, and cardiac arrest, with a prevalence of 14.5% during neurointerventional procedures (8). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of lidocaine injection on preventing TCR during cranial surgeries. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL electronic databases for clinical trials comparing the use of lidocaine versus placebo, or no intervention for TCR prevention during cranial surgeries up until 20 May 2024. Meta-analyses were performed using fixed-effects models, and heterogeneity was assessed using I-squared and Chi-square tests. A total of five studies involving 421 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The incidence of TCR was significantly lower in the lidocaine group compared to the control group, with a risk ratio of 0.05 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.37, P = 0.003). Additionally, the lidocaine group had a relatively small change in HR, with a mean difference of -10.56 (95% CI -13.30 to -7.83 beat per minute, P = 0.00001). No statistically significant difference in mean arterial pressure was observed between the two groups (MD -5.15, 95% CI [-10.38 to 0.08 mmHg], P = 0.09). Our results suggest that lidocaine may be effective in preventing TCR and stabilizing HR. The use of lidocaine could be considered a prophylactic measure during cranial surgeries. Further studies are needed to investigate the optimal dose and timing of lidocaine administration.

Additive Effect of Multilevel Radiofrequency Ablation in Elderly Patients with Sleep Apnea

Elderly patients with Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) often struggle with positive airway therapy due to low adherence. This study explores Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as a treatment alongside weight loss and tongue-retaining device for OSA in older adults. Through a randomized trial, we compare RFA effectiveness to a control group, aiming to establish its potential role in managing OSA in this vulnerable population. The control group received only weight loss and tongue-retaining device recommendations. In the intervention group, these measures were supplemented with RFA of the soft palate and inferior turbinates. After three months, both groups were assessed for changes in sleep study parameters, BMI, and tongue-retaining device adherence. Twenty patients in the control group and 23 in the intervention group completed the trial. The average age was 60.25 years old (SD = 5.88) in the control group and 61.83 years old (SD = 5.21) in the RFA group. Both groups experienced significant BMI reductions, with the control group averaging a decrease of 1.5 kg/m² (SD = 2.4 kg/m²) and the RFA group averaging a decrease of 1.3 kg/m² (SD = 1.1 kg/m²). Tongue-retaining device adherence was 50% in the control group and 56.5% in the RFA group. The RFA group achieved a significantly greater proportionate reduction in AHI compared to the control group (p = 0.04, effect size=-0.38). This randomized controlled trial showed that RFA on the soft palate and inferior turbinate is a well-tolerated and potentially effective treatment option for elderly patients with OSA. Further research with larger samples and longer follow-ups is needed to confirm these findings and assess long-term durability.

Altieri modified Nesbit corporoplasty for the treatment of penile curvature: Comparison of local anesthesia vs loco-regional anesthesia on the clinical outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To compare the safety profile and clinical outcomes of Altieri-modified Nesbit corporoplasty using two different anesthesia methods including spinal anesthesia and local anesthesia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 40 patients with congenital penile curvature (CPC) and Peyronie's disease (PD) underwent Altieri-modified Nesbit corporoplasty. Group 1 (n = 20) received spinal anesthesia, and Group 2 (n = 20) received local anesthesia. The patients were categorized into age groups (< 30 years, 31-45 years, 46-60 years, and 61-75 years) for analysis. Clinical outcomes, post-operative complications, hospital stay, pain levels, and other parameters were assessed.

RESULTS

The results showed that 2 patients (10%) reported postoperative complications, including headache, arterial hypotension, and penile foreskin necrosis from the spinal anesthesia group. Whereas, in the local anesthesia group, 1 patient (5%) reported scar phimosis. Further, post-operative pain was predominantly very mild, with 16 patients (80%) in the spinal anesthesia group and 14 patients (70%) in the local anesthesia group experiencing minimal discomfort. Age did not significantly impact hospital stay, post-operative intestinal disorders, constipation, lower urinary tract symptoms, voiding burning, or dysuria.

CONCLUSIONS

Spinal anesthesia may lead to more post-operative complications and longer hospital stays compared to local anesthesia. Age does not significantly affect most clinical outcomes but can influence post-operative pain in patients receiving local anesthesia.

Assessing the safety and tolerability of rhinologic surgery under local anesthetic: an 8-year retrospective analysis

PURPOSE

Office-based rhinologic procedures (OBRP) have become widely available in North America due to technological advances and appropriate patient selection. Nevertheless, the literature exploring the safety of these procedures remains limited. The objective of this study was to further evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of these procedures with a more robust sample size to allow for capture of rare events.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent OBRP from May 2015 to March 2023. Information regarding patient demographics, the indication for surgery, wait time, tolerability, intra- and postoperative complications, need for revisions, and type of revision (if applicable) was recorded.

RESULTS

1208 patients underwent OBRP during the study period. No patients were excluded. These included turbinoplasties (35%), endoscopic sinus surgeries (ESS) (26%), septoplasties (15%), nasal fracture reductions (7%), and a variety of other procedures. For ESS procedures, the anterior ethmoids and the maxillary sinuses were the most common sinuses treated. 1.1% of procedures were aborted prior to completion. The post-operative complication rate was 3.2%, with 2 major complications (significant bleeding and sepsis) encountered. The mean follow-up overall was 11 months and for ESS it was 15.8 months.

CONCLUSION

Office-based rhinologic procedures are well tolerated and safe for the appropriate patient and associated with shorter wait-times as well as avoidance of general anesthesia. The complication rates are similar to or lower than previously reported rates for rhinologic surgeries done in the operating room. The low rates of revision surgery also demonstrate the efficacy of these procedures.

Regional anesthesia for geriatric population

Advancements in modern health care over 20 years have substantially increased the average lifespan in developed countries, and the fastest growing population is the elderly population. The proportion of people in Saudi Arabia aged 60 or more is predicted to be 25 percent of the total population of 40 million by the end of 2050. Moreover, the number of people aged 80 or more is expected to reach 1.6 million or 4 percent of the total population in the same period. Improvements in surgical techniques, anesthesia, and intensive care units make surgical interventions in older and sicker patients possible. It is estimated that over half of the population older than 65 years will require surgical intervention at least once during the remainder of their lives. Therefore, elderly patients are becoming an even larger part of anesthetic practice. Regional anesthesia (RA) is frequently used in elderly patients, especially during orthopedic surgery, genitourologic and gynecologic procedures, and hernia repair. Although age can no longer be considered a contraindication to anesthesia and surgery, anesthesia-related morbidity and mortality remain higher among elderly than among young adult surgical patients. Undoubtedly, peripheral nerve (PN) blocks improve analgesia and reduce opioid consumption and their associated side effects. This is beneficial in the perioperative care of elderly patients who may have less physiologic reserve to withstand the side effects of general anesthesia (GA).

Anesthesia and perioperative pain relief in the frail elderly patient

Demand for anesthesia and analgesia for the frail elderly is continuously increasing as the likelihood of encountering very elderly, very vulnerable, and very compromised patients has, ever so subtly, increased over the last three decades. The anesthesiologist has, increasingly, been obliged to offer professional services to frail patients. Fortunately, there has been a dramatic improvement in medications, methods of drug delivery, critical monitoring, and anesthesia techniques. Specific methodologies peculiar to the frail are now taught and practiced across all anesthesia subspecialties. However, administering anesthesia for the frail elderly is vastly different to giving an anesthetic to the older patient. Frail patients are increasingly cared for in specialized units-geriatric intensive therapy units, post-acute care services, palliative, hospices, and supportive care and aged care facilities. Several medications (e.g., morphine-sparing analgesics) more suited to the frail have become universally available in most centers worldwide so that best-practice, evidence-based anesthesia combinations of drugs and techniques are now increasingly employed. Every anesthetic and pain management techniques in the frail elderly patient are going to be discussed in this review.