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OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of appropriate epidural catheter-incision congruency in adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgeries, as well as the frequency of ineffective postoperative analgesia with continuous epidural infusion, side effects, and complications of epidural insertion and epidural catheter infusion.
METHODS: Observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Anaesthesiology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from September to November 2022.
METHODS: All adult patients who underwent elective major abdominal surgery under general anaesthesia with epidural analgesia were included in this study. Data were collected by chart review of the patients enrolled in Acute Pain Service for the study period. Intraoperative anaesthesia form, epidural infusion form and all records of acute pain service for the postoperative period were reviewed and recorded.
RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-two patients were included in this study. The epidural catheter was inserted congruent to the surgical incision i.e. T10-T11 level or above in 43 (23.6%) patients only. In the postoperative period, overall effective epidural analgesia was observed in 79 (43.4%) of the patients. Motor block in lower limbs was observed in 66 (36.26%) of patients in the immediate postoperative period.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows appropriate epidural catheter-incision congruency in only 23.6% of the patients. This could be one of the common reasons for ineffective postoperative pain relief via epidural analgesia in 56.6% of patients.
BACKGROUND: Epidural catheter insertion site, Major abdominal surgeries, Postoperative analgesia.

BACKGROUND: In children with cloacal malformations, renal dysfunction is a constant concern, with reported incidence as high as 50%. Multiple factors exist that may impair renal function. Our institution follows a strict renal protection protocol in this population. Incidence of renal dysfunction in these patients is unknown.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate incidence of renal dysfunction while implementing this protocol in a cohort of children with cloacal malformation.
METHODS: We reviewed a prospectively collected database of children with cloacal malformations managed at a single institution since implementation of a renal protection protocol. This involves regular laboratory evaluation, appropriate selection of total urogenital mobilization or urogenital separation, proactive imaging in patients with signs of impending renal dysfunction or urinary retention, and early catheterization teaching and implementation if necessary. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated with the Schwartz formula and CKD grades assigned per standard definitions. Renal dysfunction was defined as CKD grade 3b or higher, need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) or transplantation. Descriptive statistics were computed.
RESULTS: A total of 105 children were managed under this protocol with a median follow-up of 4.2 years [IQR: 2.0-5.9]. Six children (5.7%) had renal dysfunction at most recent follow-up; of these children, only three (2.9%) progressed from normal renal function at initial evaluation to renal dysfunction (Table). No child with normal presenting renal function thus far has progressed to require dialysis or transplantation.
CONCLUSIONS: Previous literature estimated rates of renal dysfunction in cloaca patients as high as 50%; in contrast, we demonstrate a rate of progression to renal dysfunction of 2.9% in girls following a strict renal protection protocol. Most children who developed renal dysfunction had dysfunctional kidneys on presentation. This suggests that preservation of renal function may be possible in early childhood with a strict, multi-disciplinary renal protection protocol.
CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort of patients with cloacal malformations following a strict renal protection protocol, incidence of progressive renal dysfunction is low at 2.9%. Most who go on to renal dysfunction present with impaired renal function.

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Right heart failure is a common complication after cardiac surgery, and its mortality remains high. The medical management and veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has shown significant improvement in the majority of cases. However, a minority of patients may still require long-term mechanical circulatory support or heart transplantation. Balloon atrial septostomy is a new method for the prevention and treatment of right heart failure, which may avoid the patient\'s dependence on mechanical circulatory support. We used this method to try to treat patients with right heart failure after cardiac surgery, and all received good benefits. Therefore, we selected several representative cases to report, in order to guide other qualified cardiac surgeons to carry out relevant clinical practice.

National trends show rapid increases in the use of mechanical circulatory support devices (MCSD) over the last 20 years. While current literature has not proven a mortality benefit in cardiogenic shock as a complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI-CS) with percutaneous MCSD, these devices are vital to maximizing cardiopulmonary parameters for definitive therapy. To minimize complications, many different techniques have been described including a novel off-pump direct apical cannulation for venoarterial-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). This technique allows early ambulation and avoids peripheral artery access complications but has only been described in small case series. Our case series represents the largest summary of patients (50) using this technique and contains the only comparison data to date. Fifty-four percentage of our patients were Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) stage D and 22% were arrested before cannulation. We achieved flows on average >5 L/min and most patients required biventricular drainage (86%) and an oxygenator (92%). Thirty day survival was 56% and most survivors were bridged to heart transplant (30%). Our most common complication was bleeding (16%). This technique showed significant improvement in ejection fraction (EF), cardiac output/index (CO/CI), and pulmonary artery pressures. This case series demonstrates the safety and efficacy of this novel technique for central cannulation in cardiogenic shock at large scale within a single institution.

Measurement of hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) effectively mirrors the severity of portal hypertension (PH) and offers valuable insights into prognosis of liver disease, including the risk of decompensation and mortality. Additionally, HVPG offers crucial information about treatment response to nonselective beta-blockers and other medications, with its utility demonstrated in clinical trials in patients with PH. Despite the widespread dissemination and validation of noninvasive tests, HVPG still holds a significant role in hepatology. Physicians treating patients with liver diseases should comprehend the HVPG measurement procedure, its applications, and how to interpret the results and potential pitfalls.

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BACKGROUND: Ultrasound is used for peripheral intravenous (PIV) cannulation in patients with difficult landmark-guided IV access in the Emergency Department. Distal-to-proximal application of an Esmarch bandage on the target limb has been suggested as a method for increasing vein size and ease of cannulation.
METHODS: This study was a single-blinded crossover randomized controlled trial comparing basilic vein size under ultrasound with use of an Esmarch bandage in addition to standard IV tourniquet (\"tourniquet + Esmarch\") compared to use of a standard IV tourniquet alone. Participant discomfort with the tourniquet + Esmarch was also compared to that with standard IV tourniquet alone.
RESULTS: Twenty-two healthy volunteers were used to measure basilic vein size with and without the Esmarch bandage. There was no difference in basilic vein size between the two groups, with a mean diameter of 6.0 ± 1.5 mm in the tourniquet + Esmarch group and 6.0 ± 1.4 mm in the control group, p = 0.89. Discomfort score (from 0 to 10) was different between the groups, with a mean discomfort score of 2.1 in the tourniquet + Esmarch group and 1.1 in the standard IV tourniquet alone group (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the use of an Esmarch bandage does not increase basilic vein size in healthy volunteers but is associated with a mild increase in discomfort.