European journal of anaesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Intra-articular clonidine analgesia after knee arthroscopy.
Recently, it was suggested that peripherally-mediated analgesia can be accomplished by the intra-articular delivery of the mu-opioid morphine or of the a2-agonist clonidine. This clinical study assesses the potential peripheral analgesic effect of the combination of morphine and clonidine after intra-articular administration. Sixty patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists status I or II) undergoing arthroscopic repair of the knee during general anaesthesia were randomized to receive after operation, in a double-blind manner, either 1 mg morphine intra-articularly (group 1); 150 microg clonidine intra-articularly (group 2); or 1 mg morphine + 150 microg clonidine intra-articularly (group 3); or normal saline intra-articularly (group 4) in a volume of 30 mL, respectively. ⋯ There was a tendency towards a lower need for supplementary rescue analgesia and towards a more prolonged analgesia in group 3 (211 min +/- 224 min SD) compared with group 1 (173 min +/- 197 min SD) and group 4 (91 min +/- 21 min SD). More patients were very satisfied with the postoperative analgesic regimen receiving the combination of morphine and clonidine (group 3) at 24 h postoperatively. Thus we conclude, that the peripheral co-delivery of an opioid and an a2-agonist will result in improved postoperative pain relief, when compared with each single agent given alone.
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We prospectively evaluated the effects of pneumoperitoneum and reverse Trendelenburg position on cardiopulmonary function in 20 ASA physical status II-III morbidly obese patients (body mass index > 35 kg m(-2)) undergoing laparoscopic gastric banding. After general anaesthesia was induced, patients' lungs were ventilated using intermittent positive pressure ventilation (at measurement times, the following parameters were used: tidal volume 12 mL kg(-1) ideal body weight, respiratory rate of 12 bpm, an inspiratory to expiratory time ratio of 1:2). Haemodynamic variables, blood gas parameters, and lung/chest compliance were recorded: in the supine position, after induction of general anaesthesia (T0, baseline) and induction of pneumoperitoneum (T1); after placing the patient in a 25 degree reverse Trendelenburg position (T2); during the surgical time (T3); before deflating the abdomen (T4); after pneumoperitoneum resolution (T5), and before the end of anaesthesia, with the patient supine (T6). ⋯ After the pneumoperitoneum had been resolved, lung/chest compliance but not oxygenation parameters returned to baseline values. The arterial to end-tidal CO2 tension difference progressively increased from 0.38+/-0.3 kPa (2.85+/-2.25 mmHg) (T0) to 0.63+/-0.3 kPa (4.73+/-2.25 mmHg) (T6). In morbidly obese patients, undergoing laparoscopic gastric banding, a CO2 pneumoperitoneum markedly affected gas exchange and lung/chest compliance, while positioning the patient in a 25 degree reverse Trendelenburg position had no beneficial effects.
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We describe the satisfactory use of combined spinal epidural (CSE) anaesthesia in the management of a 29-year-old paraplegic woman, with a spinal cord lesion at the T7 level, suffering from episodes of autonomic hyper-reflexia, during elective Caesarean section.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of pre-emptive analgesia on self-reported and biological measures of pain after tonsillectomy.
This prospective, double-blind, randomized study assessed effect of pre-emptive peritonsillar block in 30 ASA-I children, aged 6-12 years, of both sexes, scheduled for tonsillectomy. Patients were divided into three groups: those in group I received a sham block, whereas peritonsillar blocks with bupivacaine 0.25% were given to the children before tonsillectomy (group II) or immediately after surgery had been completed (group III). Constant pain, pain on swallowing, blood glucose, serum epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were measured immediately after surgery and 4h after operation. ⋯ The pain experienced when water was swallowed was similar to that of the constant pain. The rise of serum norepinephrine concentration in group II was significantly less (P< 0.05) compared to groups I and III. We found both pre-emptive and postoperative block to be equally effective in treating postoperative pain, with pre-emptive block being more effective in preventing the rise in norepinephrine concentration.
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Good measures for self-report of pain in children are important, particularly as other informants tend to underestimate children's pain. This paper describes the development of a new computer-assisted approach to assessment of pain in children. The child can represent a range of different types of pains on body maps, and use two scales to indicate the size of the pain and the 'throb' or intensity. ⋯ The child can also report on different experiences and give retrospective accounts. Potential applications are suggested, for example in facilitating communication with children who find it difficult to give a clear verbal account of their pain, due to emotional difficulties, language or disability. Research directions are outlined.