Anesthesia and analgesia
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2014
Curcumin Treatment Attenuates Pain and Enhances Functional Recovery after Incision.
Acute pain after surgery remains moderate to severe for 20% to 30% of patients despite advancements in the use of opioids, adjuvant drugs, and regional anesthesia. Depending on the type of surgery, 10% to 50% of patients experience persistent pain postoperatively, and there are no established methods for its prevention. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is one of the phenolic constituents of turmeric that has been used in Eastern traditional medicine as an antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic agent. It may be effective for treating postoperative pain. ⋯ Our studies suggest that curcumin treatment is effective in alleviating incision-induced inflammation, nociceptive sensitization, spontaneous pain, and functional gait abnormalities. Augmented transforming growth factor-β production provides one possible mechanism. These preclinical findings demonstrate curcumin's potential as a preventative strategy in postoperative pain treatment.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2014
Intrathecal Injection of the Peptide Myr-NR2B9c Attenuates Bone Cancer Pain Via Perturbing N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor-PSD-95 Protein Interactions in Mice.
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDARs)-dependent central sensitization plays an important role in cancer pain. Binding of NMDAR subunit 2B (NR2B) by postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) can couple NMDAR activity to intracellular enzymes, such as neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), facilitate downstream signaling pathways, and modulate NMDAR stability, contributing to synaptic plasticity. In this study, we investigated whether perturbing the specific interaction between spinal NR2B-containing NMDAR and PSD-95, using a peptide-mimetic strategy, could attenuate bone cancer-related pain behaviors. ⋯ Intrathecal administration of Myr-NR2B9c reduced bone cancer pain. Internalization of spinal NR2B and dissociation NR2B-containing NMDARs activation from downstream nNOS signaling may contribute to the analgesic effects of Myr-NR2B9c. This approach may circumvent the negative consequences associated with blocking NMDARs, and may be a novel strategy for the treatment of bone cancer pain.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2014
Comparative StudyOdds of Transfusion for Older Adults Compared to Younger Adults Undergoing Surgery.
Recent randomized controlled trials have shown no benefit for transfusion to a hemoglobin >10 g/dL compared with lower hemoglobin thresholds in the perioperative period, even among older adults. Nevertheless, physicians may choose to transfuse older adults more liberally than younger adults. It is unclear whether older patients have higher odds than younger patients of being transfused in the perioperative period. Our objective in this study was to determine whether the odds of transfusion are higher in older patients than in younger patients in the perioperative period. ⋯ Older adults have greater odds of receiving red blood cell transfusion in the perioperative period than do younger patients, despite the lack of evidence supporting higher hemoglobin triggers in elderly patients. Further research is needed to determine whether transfusion practice in the elderly is an opportunity for education to improve blood management.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialContinuous ultrasound-guided adductor canal block for total knee arthroplasty: a randomized, double-blind trial.
Adductor canal blocks have shown promise in reducing postoperative pain in total knee arthroplasty patients. No randomized, controlled studies, however, evaluate the opioid-sparing benefits of a continuous 0.2% ropivacaine infusion at the adductor canal. We hypothesized that a continuous adductor canal block would decrease postoperative opioid consumption. ⋯ A continuous adductor canal block for total knee arthroplasty reduces opioid consumption compared with that of placebo in the first 48 hours after surgery. Other outcomes including quadriceps strength, distance ambulated, and pain scores all show benefit from an adductor canal catheter after total knee arthroplasty but require further study before being interpreted as conclusive.