Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA comparison of continuous epidural infusion and intermittent intravenous bolus doses of morphine in children undergoing selective dorsal rhizotomy.
Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is associated with moderale to severe postoperative pain. Although the efficacy of epidural analgesia in this population has been demonstrated, it has not been compared with conventional intravenous (i.v.) analgesia. This prospective study compared the effects of epidural and i.v. morphine regarding postoperative analgesia, side effects, and outcomes in children following SDR. ⋯ Both techniques provided effective postoperative analgesia with a similar incidence of side effects; however, our findings suggest that continuous infusions of epidural morphine improved overall comfort with lower pain scores, fewer muscle spasms, and improved tolerance of activity during the initial postoperative period.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 1999
Historical ArticleContinuous spinal anesthesia: a continuous history?
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialEnhancement of axillary brachial plexus block anesthesia by coadministration of neostigmine.
The acetylcholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine has shown peripherally mediated analgesic action in recent preclinical and clinical studies. The present study investigates the effectiveness of adding neostigmine to a local anesthetic, mepivacaine, in patients receiving axillary brachial plexus block for upper extremity surgery. ⋯ Peripherally administered neostigmine improves postoperative analgesia in axillary brachial plexus block.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialEfficacy of simulated intravenous test dose in the elderly during general anesthesia.
Reliability of detecting unintentional intravascular injection of the epinephrine-containing test dose is improved by decreasing the heart rate (HR) threshold to 10 beats/min during combined epidural and general anesthesia. We have tested whether this modified HR criterion is still applicable in the anesthetized elderly patients. ⋯ Our results indicate that the efficacy of the modified HR criterion using epinephrine-containing test dose is clinically applicable in most elderly patients, and the combination of the SBP and the modified HR criteria is reliable in detecting intravascular injection during combined epidural and general anesthesia.