British journal of anaesthesia
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Review Meta Analysis
Prevention of postdural puncture headache after accidental dural puncture: a quantitative systematic review.
No clear consensus exists on how to best prevent severe headache from occurring after accidental dural puncture. We conducted a quantitative systematic review to identify all available evidence for the prevention of postdural puncture headache (PDPH) and included 17 studies with 1264 patients investigating prophylactic epidural blood patch (PEBP), epidural morphine, intrathecal catheters, and epidural or intrathecal saline. The relative risk (RR) for headache after PEBP was 0.48 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.23-0.99] in five non-randomized controlled trials (non-RCTs) and 0.32 (0.10-1.03) in four randomized controlled trials (RCTs). ⋯ All other interventions were based on non-RCTs and failed statistical significance, including long-term intrathecal catheters with an RR of 0.21 (0.02-2.65). There are a number of promising options to prevent PDPH, yet heterogeneity between the studies and publication bias towards small non-RCTs with positive results limits the available evidence. Thus, a large multicentre RCT is needed to determine the best preventative practices.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Duloxetine reduces morphine requirements after knee replacement surgery.
Multimodal analgesia is advocated for perioperative pain management to reduce opioid use and its associated adverse effects. Serotonin and norepinephrine are involved in the modulation of endogenous analgesic mechanisms via descending inhibitory pain pathways in the brain and spinal cord. An increase in serotonin and norepinephrine may increase inhibition of nociceptive input and improve pain relief. Duloxetine, a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, has demonstrated efficacy in chronic pain conditions such as painful diabetic neuropathy and post-herpetic neuralgia. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of duloxetine in reducing morphine requirements in patients after knee replacement surgery. ⋯ Perioperative administration of duloxetine reduced postoperative morphine requirements during the first 48 h after knee replacement surgery, without significant adverse effects.
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Letter Case Reports
Anaesthesia for a paediatric patient with Rosai-Dorfman disease.