The phase of the menstrual cycle was demonstrated to have an influence on the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after gynecologic laparoscopic surgery, but little was known for breast surgery, which was shown to have relatively higher incidence of PONV, >60%. We performed this study to investigate the influence of the phase of menstrual cycle on PONV after breast cancer surgery.

A total of 103 patients, who were scheduled for breast cancer surgery under general anesthesia, were recruited, and patients with irregular menstrual cycles, history of previous history of PONV were excluded. Groups were divided in two ways as follows: 1) gynecologic classification: premenstrual and menstrual (days 25 to 6), follicular (days 8 to 12), ovulation (days 13 to 15), and luteal phase (days 20 to 24); 2) menstrual classification: menstrual (days 1 to 8) and non-menstrual (days 9 to 28). PONV were recorded using Rhodes index of nausea, vomiting and retching at postoperative 6 and 24 hours.

The overall incidence of PONV during postoperative 24 hours was 35.4%. At the menstrual classification, the incidence of PONV at postoperative 24 hours was higher in the menstrual group than that in the non-menstrual group (16.7% vs. 4.2%, P=0.057). The severity of PONV, measured with Rhodes index of nausea, vomiting and retching was significantly different between menstrual and non-menstrual groups (P=0.034).

The duration and severity of the PONV after breast cancer surgery were demonstrated to be prolonged and aggravated during menstruation, respectively. Therefore, consideration of menstrual cycle for scheduling breast cancer surgery could effectively prevent the PONV and reduce medical cost.

The insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBP) regulate the bioavailability and bioactivity of insulin-like growth factor. We aimed to evaluate whether the IGFBP-3 level undergo major changes during perioperative periods according to the different kind of anesthetic agents.

Eighteen adults scheduled for elective total abdominal hysterectomy were enrolled. The patients were randomly assigned to have either propofol or isoflurane for maintenance of general anesthesia. A venous sample was taken for analysis of IGFBP-3 at the following time points: before induction, at the time of peritoneal closure, 1 hour after extubation at recovery room, and 2 and 5 postoperative days. The samples were analyzed by enzyme linked immunosolvent assay.

Demographic data were similar between groups. In the both groups, the IGFBP-3 concentration decreased after anesthesia induction, reaching a nadir at the time of peritoneal closure without a significant difference between groups. In analysis between groups, the IGFBP-3 concentration in the isoflurane group on the postoperative 5th day was recovered to preoperative value and significantly higher than that in the propofol group (P<0.05).

This is the first study to show that the anesthetics used for general anesthesia affect the IGFBP-3 level during perioperative periods. The decrease of IGFBP-3 level following anesthesia induction in the isoflurane group was recovered to preoperative value, whereas that observed in the propofol group was not recovered on the postoperative 5th day. Further study is needed to establish the definitive effect of general anesthetics on IGFBP-3 and provide a comprehensive interpretation.

Liver transplantation (LT) is the only treatment for end stage of liver failure. In Korea, annually it has been performed 1,300 cases. Most of LTs are performed in large volumes centers. More than half of centers performing LT in Korea are low volume hospital and started a LT program recently. We present our four-year experiences and outcomes of anesthesia for LT since 2013.

Anesthetic and surgical outcomes of 49 consecutive patients who received LT (living donor LT, 21 cases; deceased donor LT, 28 cases) between April 2013 and April 2017 were analyzed retrospectively.

All patients were adult, with the mean age of 53.5±9.2 years. The most common cause of original liver diseases was hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis (40.8%). The mean MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease) score was 18.8±10.7. Postreperfusion syndrome was observed in 34.7%, which were all controlled by calcium, norepinephrine, ephedrine and epinephrine. The mean postoperative intensive care unit stay of deceased donor LT recipients (13.6±9.0 days) was significantly longer than that of living donor LT recipients (8.0±3.3 days). There was no intraoperative mortality in patients receiving LT. Thirty-day post-transplant survival rate was 93.8% and 3-year survival rate was 88.6 %. The most common postoperative complication was pneumonia.

We have started LT successfully with multidisciplinary team's steady effort. Adaptation and setting up LT protocol, adequate equipment, proper training at established transplant centers are essential to begin a successful LT program.