{"title":"Comment on \"Opioid-based versus opioid-sparing patient-controlled analgesia using ketorolac and nefopam after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority trial\".","authors":"Cheng-Wei Lu","doi":"10.4097/kja.26250","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.26250","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"455"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439144/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147581667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Woo-Young Jo, Hyeonhoon Lee, Jayoun Kim, Won Ho Kim, Hee-Pyoung Park, Hyoun-Joong Kong, Hyung-Chul Lee
{"title":"The impact of preoperative comorbidity and intraoperative hypotension on postoperative acute kidney injury after non-cardiac surgery: a structural equation modeling-based mediation analysis.","authors":"Woo-Young Jo, Hyeonhoon Lee, Jayoun Kim, Won Ho Kim, Hee-Pyoung Park, Hyoun-Joong Kong, Hyung-Chul Lee","doi":"10.4097/kja.25765","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.25765","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Preoperative comorbidities are associated with postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI). However, whether this association is direct or mediated by intraoperative hypotension (IOH) is unclear. We hypothesized that IOH mediates the relationship between preoperative comorbidities and postoperative AKI.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data from adult patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia were analyzed. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was applied to achieve a balance between the exposure groups by reducing the baseline differences in the measured covariates. Structural equation modeling (SEM)-based mediation analysis was conducted using the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA-PS) classification ≥ 3 as an input and postoperative AKI as an outcome. IOH (duration of mean arterial pressure < 60 mmHg), along with albumin and hemoglobin levels, was considered a mediator. We also performed interaction analysis between patient sex and age.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After IPTW, 8643.9 (10.8%) patients had an ASA-PS of ≥ 3. AKI occurred more frequently (4.5% vs. 6.9%, P < 0.001) in patients with ASA-PS ≥ 3. ASA-PS ≥ 3 was associated with a total effect estimate of 0.02 on the log-odds of postoperative AKI (P < 0.001). Of the total effect of ASA-PS ≥ 3 on postoperative AKI, 48% was significantly mediated by IOH (26%) and hypoalbuminemia (26%), though anemia showed no significance. The effect of high ASA-PS scores on postoperative AKI was significantly modified by sex, but not by age.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>High ASA-PS scores increase AKI risk after non-cardiac surgery, a relationship partially mediated by statistically significant pathways involving IOH and hypoalbuminemia.</p>","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"426-433"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439145/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146219994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Akira Katayama, Ezeldeen Abuelkasem, Leon C Su, David W Wang
{"title":"Intraoperative hypotension during liver transplantation is associated with long-term mortality.","authors":"Akira Katayama, Ezeldeen Abuelkasem, Leon C Su, David W Wang","doi":"10.4097/kja.25965","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.25965","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Intraoperative hypotension (IOH) is common during liver transplantation (LT); however, its impact on long-term mortality remains unclear. We investigated the association between IOH and 1-year mortality using various mean arterial pressure (MAP) thresholds and exposure durations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective observational cohort study included 1063 patients who underwent LT. We defined IOH as an MAP < 65 mmHg and examined each threshold in 5 mmHg increments to < 40 mmHg. Our primary outcome was 1-year mortality after LT. Multivariate logistic regression was used to control for confounding variables while assessing the association between IOH and 1-year mortality.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The 1-year mortality after LT was 7.1%. Only moderate-to-severe IOH showed independent associations with 1-year mortality: MAP < 55 mmHg for ≥ 43 minutes (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.48, 95% CI [1.05-5.86], P = 0.038), MAP < 50 mmHg for ≥ 14 min (HR = 2.60, 95% CI [1.01-6.65], P = 0.047), MAP < 45 mmHg for ≥ 13 min (HR = 4.98, 95% CI [1.18-21.0], P = 0.029), and MAP < 40 mmHg for ≥ 5 min (HR = 6.72, 95% CI [1.56-28.9], P = 0.010), whereas longer exposure durations at MAP < 65 or < 60 mmHg were not independently associated with increased mortality. Furthermore, both a lower MAP and longer exposure duration for each threshold increased the predicted probability of 1-year mortality.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Moderate-to-severe hypotension was independently associated with increased 1-year mortality after LT. These findings underscore the importance of intraoperative blood pressure management in LT recipients.</p>","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"414-425"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439148/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147774934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When the usual spaces fail: the role of L5-S1 spinal anesthesia in the difficult spine.","authors":"Ji Seon Jeong","doi":"10.4097/kja.26684","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.26684","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"382-383"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439143/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148412309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From association to attribution: intraoperative hypotension and hypoalbuminemia as partial pathways linking comorbidity to postoperative kidney injury.","authors":"Ki Tae Jung","doi":"10.4097/kja.26638","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.26638","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"379-381"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439139/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148412246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Whitney N Kuwamoto, Grace C Eddy, Edward R Mariano, Eric S Schwenk
{"title":"An update on the role of multimodal analgesia in perioperative pain management.","authors":"Whitney N Kuwamoto, Grace C Eddy, Edward R Mariano, Eric S Schwenk","doi":"10.4097/kja.26304","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.26304","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Multimodal analgesia has become a foundational principle of acute perioperative pain management and enhanced recovery and involves the application of nonpharmacologic, pharmacologic, and/or interventional techniques. The overall goal of this approach is to apply a combination of different modalities that target discrete points along the pain pathway and thereby avoid the overreliance on opioids and associated side effects. Since our review in 2018, there have been significant developments that have prompted an updated review of multimodal analgesia. In this article, we identify and summarize important trends that influence the current approach to acute perioperative pain management as well as provide an updated clinical guide on multimodal analgesia with an emphasis on novel therapies. While a continued emphasis on multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia remains, additional evidence, newer regional techniques, and novel agents such as suzetrigine have emerged since our last review and have expanded options for perioperative pain management. In addition, special situations require specific recommendations, such as when designing a perioperative pain management plan for surgical patients who have opioid tolerance or live with opioid use disorder. These complex patients are at a higher risk for poor postoperative pain control and other adverse outcomes. This review includes suggested guidance on tailoring multimodal analgesia in this population with patient-specific therapies that can be added for appropriate indications and are supported by available evidence and guidelines.</p>","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"384-394"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439149/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148031899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comment on \"Association between preoperative hyperglycemia and adverse cardiac events after non-cardiac surgery: a multicenter cohort study\".","authors":"Sang Gyu Kwak","doi":"10.4097/kja.26225","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.26225","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"457"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439141/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147973393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hyun Jeong Kwak, Jung Ju Choi, Dongchul Lee, Youn Yi Jo
{"title":"Blamed but not at fault: anti-obesity medication adverse effects misidentified as perioperative complications - a comprehensive review and medicolegal warning for anesthesiologists.","authors":"Hyun Jeong Kwak, Jung Ju Choi, Dongchul Lee, Youn Yi Jo","doi":"10.4097/kja.26375","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.26375","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rapid proliferation of anti-obesity medications (AOMs), including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), the dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/GLP-1 agonist tirzepatide, and non-incretin agents, including orlistat, phentermine, and bupropion/naltrexone, has created an underappreciated perioperative patient safety hazard. Existing guidelines have focused narrowly on GLP-1 RAs and aspiration risk, leaving some critical gaps unaddressed: (1) the misidentification trap, whereby drug-induced adverse effects, including acute pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, sudden visual loss, and neuropsychiatric dysfunction, are clinically and radiographically indistinguishable from surgical or anesthetic complications, exposing clinicians to unwarranted blame, and (2) the full perioperative risk profile of non-GLP-1 AOM classes. This narrative review synthesizes the current pharmacovigilance evidence, consensus guidelines, and clinical case data to address these gaps. Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) from semaglutide (hazard ratio [HR] = 7.64; World Health Organization safety alert 2025) may be attributed to anesthetic corneal injury, emotional lability may be misinterpreted as emergence delirium, drug-induced pancreatitis from GLP-1 RAs (adjusted HR = 9.09 vs. comparator) may be misattributed to the operating surgeon, and bowel obstruction from premature postoperative GLP-1 RA resumption has prompted unnecessary re-laparotomy. Structured preoperative AOM documentation, explicit postoperative hold orders, and the inclusion of drug etiology in postoperative differentials constitute the defensible standard of care in the era of pharmacological obesity management.</p>","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"395-404"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439146/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147774794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Extrafascial out-of-plane continuous interscalene block using the C6 transverse process as a bony landmark -A case series.","authors":"Keisuke Nakazawa, Panramon Vanichvithya, Genki Iwama, Takefumi Kamiya, Osamu Kitajima, Shunichi Takagi, Kazuyoshi Nakanishi, Takahiro Suzuki","doi":"10.4097/kja.26278","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.26278","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Background: Extrafascial interscalene block has been proposed to reduce phrenic nerve involvement while maintaining analgesic efficacy for shoulder surgery. However, a reproducible continuous catheter technique using a clear anatomical landmark has not been well described.</p><p><strong>Case: </strong>We describe a case series of six patients undergoing shoulder surgery who received a continuous extrafascial interscalene block using the C6 transverse process as a bony landmark. Under ultrasound guidance, an 18-gauge Tuohy needle was advanced in a cranial-to-caudal out-of-plane trajectory toward the posterior tubercle of C6, and a catheter was placed within the middle scalene muscle. Continuous levobupivacaine infusion was maintained for 24 hours as part of multimodal analgesia.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Conclusions: This technique was associated with favorable postoperative analgesic profiles within a standardized multimodal regimen, without clinically apparent respiratory compromise. Given the absence of a control group, findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating. The C6 bony endpoint may improve reproducibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"446-454"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439140/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148412341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Response to \"Comment on Opioid-based versus opioid-sparing patient-controlled analgesia using ketorolac and nefopam after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority trial\".","authors":"Jiwon Han, Seihee Min","doi":"10.4097/kja.26298","DOIUrl":"10.4097/kja.26298","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17855,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Anesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"456"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439137/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148412305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}