Background: Following endotracheal intubation, postoperative sore throat (POST) is a recurrent complication and is regarded as a significant concern after surgery. Aim: To compare intravenous dexamethasone and lidocaine for the effectiveness in the prevention of POST. Patients and Method: A double-blind, randomized controlled, comparative study was conducted in the Private Nursing Home Hospital during the period from January to June 2025. A convenient sample of 150 pregnant women who were planned to undergo elective cesarean section under general anaesthesia was enrolled in the current study. Those patients were categorized into the dexamethasone group which involved 150 patients with intravenous dexamethasone (8 mg) ampule and the lidocaine group which involved 150 patients who received intravenous lidocaine with a dose of 1.5 mg/kg. Results: The higher incidence of POST was stated in the lidocaine group at 21.3% compared to the incidence in the dexamethasone group at 12.7%, this difference was significant with a P-value of 0.046. On the other hand, no significant difference was obtained between lidocaine and dexamethasone groups regarding the severity of POST (P-value=0.170). Conclusion: Dexamethasone use seemed to be more effective than lidocaine use in reducing the incidence of POST. It is recommended to use dexamethasone regularly to help lower the occurrence of POST.

Background: Dextrocardia is a rare congenital cardiac positional anomaly in which the heart is situated in the right hemithorax, with its apex directed toward the right side. When associated with situs inversus totalis, all thoracoabdominal organs are arranged in a mirror-image pattern. The incidence is approximately 1 in 10,000 live births, and most individuals remain asymptomatic until incidentally diagnosed during evaluation for unrelated conditions. Case Presentation: A 55-year-old hypertensive postmenopausal woman presented with complaints of bleeding per vaginum for two days. She was scheduled for hysteroscopic polypectomy and endometrial biopsy. During pre-anaesthetic assessment, dextrocardia was suspected on physical examination and confirmed by electrocardiography and chest radiography. Further evaluation with echocardiography and ultrasonography revealed dextrocardia with situs inversus totalis and normal cardiac function (EF 66%). The procedure was performed under spinal anaesthesia with appropriate monitoring and reversed ECG lead placement. The surgery and postoperative recovery were uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the first postoperative day. Conclusion: This case highlights the importance of thorough pre-anaesthetic evaluation, as dextrocardia may remain undiagnosed until incidentally discovered. Anaesthetic management of such patients requires special considerations including reversal of ECG leads, careful positioning of defibrillator paddles, and vigilance for potential associated anomalies. Awareness and appropriate perioperative planning ensure safe anaesthetic management in patients with dextrocardia and situs inversus totalis.

Background: Postoperative pain management is a critical aspect of recovery after cesarean section, impacting maternal comfort, early mobilization, and breastfeeding. The ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block has been proposed as a regional anesthesia technique to reduce postoperative pain. However, its efficacy remains under investigation, with conflicting evidence regarding its benefits. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block in controlling postoperative pain in women undergoing cesarean section. Method and Materials: This clinical trial study was conducted in 2025 on 66 pregnant mothers who were candidates for cesarean section. The samples were selected by convenience sampling and randomly divided into two equal groups. After antagonizing the neuromuscular block with intravenous neostigmine 0.04 mg/kg and atropine 0.02 mg/kg, before extubation, a II-IH nerve block was performed in group I (II-IH block), and patients received a sham block with saline solution at the corresponding puncture site in group II (sham block). The patient's vital signs (such as blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature), complications, and postoperative pain intensity were measured in the patients. Results: The study demonstrated that intraoperative vital signs such as heart rate and oxygen saturation did not differ significantly between the nerve block and sham groups, nor across different age and BMI subgroups, underscoring the safety of the procedure during surgery. Postoperative pain assessments revealed that pain scores increased over time, with the highest severity observed at 6 hours post-surgery, where nearly half of the patients experienced moderate pain (score of 5). The distribution of pain scores suggests that the nerve block did not significantly alter the pain trajectory compared to the control group. Adverse effects were frequently observed, with bleeding being the most common complication (about 41%), followed by nausea (17%), hypotension, and headache. The incidence of bradycardia remained low, around 10%. Analgesic use was predominantly with Tramadol, and the groups were evenly balanced in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics, supporting the validity of the comparison. Conclusion: Overall, the results indicate that while the nerve block is safe, its efficacy in reducing postoperative pain remains inconclusive in this study.