Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Is sciatic nerve block advantageous when combined with femoral nerve block for postoperative analgesia following total knee arthroplasty? a meta-analysis.
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with moderate-to-severe postoperative pain despite the use of femoral nerve block (FNB). The analgesic benefits of adding sciatic nerve block (SNB) to FNB following TKA are unclear. The aim of this meta-analysis was to quantify the analgesic effects of adding SNB to FNB following TKA. ⋯ The available evidence supporting the analgesic benefits of adding SNB to FNB following TKA is marked by significant heterogeneity. With this challenge in mind, our meta-analysis suggests that SNB can significantly reduce postoperative opioid consumption and diminish knee pain following TKA compared to no SNB in the setting of FNB.
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Postoperative epidural analgesia for major upper abdominal and thoracic surgery can provide significant benefits, including superior analgesia and reduced pulmonary dysfunction. Nevertheless, epidural analgesia may also be associated with decreased muscle strength, sympathetic tone, and proprioception that could possibly contribute to falls. The purpose of this retrospective case-control study was to search a large national database in order to investigate the possible relationship between postoperative epidural analgesia and the rate of inpatient falls. ⋯ Our study suggests that postoperative epidural analgesia for patients undergoing major upper abdominal and thoracic surgery is not associated with an increased risk of inpatient falls.
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Case Reports
Failed caudal block due to physiologic changes associated with a cerebrospinal fluid leak: a case report.
The sum of the volumes of brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and intracranial blood remain constant. This tenet of the Monroe-Kellie hypothesis is most often considered in the setting of intracranial hypertension, but it can also be applied in the setting of CSF volume depletion. We used this hypothesis to explain a case of failed caudal block in a patient with an iatrogenic CSF leak. ⋯ The possible mechanism of this failed caudal block was high systemic absorption of anesthetic given the epidural venous plexus engorgement thus leaving less anesthetic acting within the CSF and on the exiting spinal nerves. Decreased CSF flow in the thecal sac might also have contributed, as might dilution of the remaining local anesthetic caused by large amounts of leaking CSF within the epidural space.