Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialAdministration of local anesthetic through the epidural needle before catheter insertion improves the quality of anesthesia and reduces catheter-related complications.
Epidural catheter placement offers flexibility in block management. However, during epidural catheter insertion, complications such as paresthesia and venous and subarachnoid cannulation may occur, and suboptimal catheter placement can affect the quality of anesthesia. We performed this prospective, randomized, double-blind study to assess the effect of a single-injection dose of local anesthetic (20 mL of 2% lidocaine) through the epidural needle as a priming solution into the epidural space before catheter insertion. ⋯ IV catheterization occurred in 8.2% versus 2% of patients in the catheter and needle groups, respectively (P = 0.048). More patients in the needle group had excellent surgical conditions than the catheter group (89.6% versus 72.9; P < 0.003). We conclude that giving a single-injection dose via the epidural needle before catheter placement improves the quality of epidural anesthesia and reduces catheter-related complications.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialMultimodal analgesia with gabapentin and local anesthetics prevents acute and chronic pain after breast surgery for cancer.
We evaluated the effect of multimodal analgesia on acute and chronic pain after breast surgery for cancer. Fifty patients scheduled for breast cancer surgery were blindly randomized to receive gabapentin, eutectic mixture of local anesthetics cream, and ropivacaine in the wound or three placebos. Pain (visual analog scale) and analgesics were recorded in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) 3, 6, and 9 h and 8 days after surgery. ⋯ The treatment group consumed less paracetamol in the PACU (469 versus 991 mg; P < 0.002) and less Lonalgal (1.0 versus 4.4 tablets; P = 0.003) than the controls, exhibited lower visual analog scale scores at rest in the PACU (P = 0.001) and on postoperative Days 1, 3, and 5 (P = 0.040, P = 0.015, and P = 0.045, respectively), and after movement in the PACU (P = 0.001) and on postoperative Days 2, 4, and 8 (P = 0.028, P = 0.007, and P = 0.032, respectively). Three and 6 mo after surgery, 18 of 22 (82%) and 12 of 21 (57%) of the controls reported chronic pain versus 10 of 22 (45%) and 6 of 20 (30%) in the treatment group (P = 0.028 and P = 0.424, respectively); 5 of 22 and 4 of 21 of the controls required analgesics versus 0 of 22 and 0 of 20 of those treated (P = 0.048 and P = 0.107, respectively). Multimodal analgesia reduced acute and chronic pain after breast surgery for cancer.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2005
ReviewEmerging techniques in the management of acute pain: epidural analgesia.
Epidural analgesia, often using opioids intraoperatively and postoperatively, is widely accepted as a valuable modality for perioperative pain management. In this review I present data from meta-analyses and recently published trials that evaluate the perioperative use of opioids administered epidurally or parenterally (as-needed or by patient-controlled analgesia) and their effect on outcome. ⋯ A new treatment option, a single epidural injection of morphine for continuous perioperative analgesia (DepoDur; Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc, Chadds Ford, PA), may reduce some of these problems. Data from recent clinical studies are presented.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialSmall-dose bupivacaine-sufentanil prevents cardiac output modifications after spinal anesthesia.
Spinal injection of small-dose (SD) bupivacaine decreases the likelihood of hypotension compared with large-dose (LD) bupivacaine. We assumed that a SD of bupivacaine could also prevent the decrease in cardiac output (CO). Patients undergoing elective urologic, lower abdominal, or lower limb surgery under spinal anesthesia were included in this prospective randomized study. ⋯ CO was higher in the SD group as compared with the LD group from 2 min to 30 min after spinal anesthesia. Moreover, CO increased at 2 min in the SD group and decreased at 10 and 30 min in the LD group compared with baseline value. In conclusion, SD bupivacaine provides successful anesthesia and gives better CO stability than LD.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2005
ReviewThe role of intrathecal drugs in the treatment of acute pain.
Intrathecal opioids are widely used as useful adjuncts in the treatment of acute and chronic pain, and a number of non-opioid drugs show promise as analgesic drugs with spinal selectivity. In this review we examine the historical development and current use of intrathecal opioids and other drugs that show promise for treating pain in the perioperative period. ⋯ Available data on the use of non-opioid drugs that have been tested intrathecally for use as analgesics are also reviewed. Evidence-based guidelines for dosing of intrathecal drugs for specific surgical procedures and for the treatment of the most common side effects associated with these drugs are presented.