European journal of anaesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Does the β-receptor antagonist esmolol have analgesic effects? A randomised placebo-controlled cross-over study on healthy volunteers undergoing the cold pressor test.
Esmolol may attenuate the sympathetic response to pain and reduce postoperative opioid consumption. It is not clear whether esmolol has an analgesic effect per se. ⋯ No direct analgesic effect of esmolol could be demonstrated in the present study. The postoperative opioid-sparing effect demonstrated in previous studies, could therefore be secondary to other factors such as avoidance of opioid-induced hyperalgesia, synergy with coadministered opioids or altered pharmacokinetics of those drugs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of pectoral nerve block on postoperative pain and quality of recovery in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery: A randomised controlled trial.
In recent years, thoracic wall nerve blocks, such as the pectoral nerve (PECS) block and the serratus plane block have become popular for peri-operative pain control in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. The effect of PECS block on quality of recovery (QoR) after breast cancer surgery has not been evaluated. ⋯ In patients undergoing breast cancer surgery, PECS block combined with general anaesthesia reduced the requirement for propofol but not that for remifentanil, due to the inability of the PECS block to reach the internal mammary area. Further, PECS block improved postoperative pain but not the postoperative QoR-40 score due to the factors that cannot be measured by analgesia immediately after surgery, such as rebound pain.
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Propofol is widely used in routine clinical practice for the induction and maintenance of anaesthesia. Although propofol is regarded as a well tolerated anaesthetic, its effect on intact or damaged endothelial cells has not yet been elucidated. ⋯ Propofol does not damage intact endothelial cells, but increases permeability of an endothelial cell monolayer at high concentrations and inhibits wound closure in vitro. Further experimental and clinical in vivo research should be performed to clarify the influence of propofol on endothelial wound healing.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Standardised noxious stimulation-guided individual adjustment of remifentanil target-controlled infusion to prevent haemodynamic responses to laryngoscopy and surgical incision: A randomised controlled trial.
The surgical plethysmographic index (SPI) is one of the available indexes of the nociception-antinociception (NAN) balance. Individually adjusting the NAN balance to prevent somatic responses to noxious stimulation remains a challenge. ⋯ Further research is needed to define the best NANCAL stimulus and the best remifentanil correcting scheme to help individualised tailoring of antinociception for each specific subpopulation of surgical patients.