Anesthesiology
-
The number of fluctuations of skin conductance per second (NFSC) has been shown to correlate with induced pain and self-report pain scales. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and feasibility of NFSC as an objective measurement of nociception intensity in school-aged children after surgery. ⋯ NFSC measurement is feasible in a perioperative setting but was not specific for postoperative pain intensity and was unable to identify analgesia requirements when compared with self-report measures.
-
Respiratory-induced arterial and plethysmographic (pulse oximetry) waveform changes were shown to be good predictors of cardiac output response to increased preload. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of arterial and plethysmographic waveform variables in patients with mild hypovolemia. ⋯ Arterial and pulse oximetry respiratory-induced changes in waveform variables are reliable indicators of mild hypovolemia in anesthetized patients. The pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveforms accurately reflect arterial waveforms during more progressive hypovolemia.
-
Animal studies suggest that regional anesthesia and optimal postoperative analgesia independently reduce cancer metastasis. Retrospective clinical studies suggest reductions in recurrence of several cancer types in patients receiving perioperative neuraxial analgesia. Thus, the authors determined the association between perioperative epidural analgesia and cancer recurrence in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. ⋯ In contrast to previous retrospective studies in the colon, breast, and prostate cancer surgery, the authors found that the use of epidural analgesia for perioperative pain control during colorectal cancer surgery was not associated with a decreased cancer recurrence; however, a potential benefit was observed in older patients. The benefit of regional anesthesia on cancer recurrence may thus depend on the specific tumor type.
-
Systemic ketamine can trigger apoptosis in the brain of rodents and primates during susceptible developmental periods. Clinically, spinally administered ketamine may improve the duration or quality of analgesia in children. Ketamine-induced spinal cord toxicity has been reported in adult animals but has not been systematically studied in early development. ⋯ Because acute pathology and long-term behavioral change occurred in the same dose range as antihyperalgesic effects, the therapeutic ratio of intrathecal ketamine is less than one in the neonatal rat. This measure facilitates comparison of the relative safety of spinally administered analgesic agents.
-
Ca is the dominant second messenger in primary sensory neurons. In addition, disrupted Ca signaling is a prominent feature in pain models involving peripheral nerve injury. Standard cytoplasmic Ca recording techniques use high K or field stimulation and dissociated neurons. To compare findings in intact dorsal root ganglia, we used a method of simultaneous electrophysiologic and microfluorimetric recording. ⋯ Refined observation of Ca signaling is possible through natural activation by conducted APs in undissociated sensory neurons and reveals features distinct to neuronal types and injury state.