Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2017
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialPsoas Versus Femoral Blocks: A Registry Analysis of Risks and Benefits.
Psoas blocks are an alternative to femoral nerve blocks and have the potential advantage of blocking the entire lumbar plexus. However, the psoas muscle is located deeply, making psoas blocks more difficult than femoral blocks. In contrast, while femoral blocks are generally easy to perform, the inguinal region is prone to infection. We thus tested the hypothesis that psoas blocks are associated with more insertion-related complications than femoral blocks but have fewer catheter-related infections. ⋯ ID NCT02846610.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2017
ReviewImpact of Regional Anesthesia on Recurrence, Metastasis, and Immune Response in Breast Cancer Surgery: A Systematic Review of the Literature.
The perioperative period is critical in the long-term prognosis of breast cancer patients. The use of regional anesthesia, such as paravertebral block (PVB), could be associated with improvements in long-term survival after breast cancer surgery by modulating the inflammatory and immune response associated with the surgical trauma, reducing opioid and general anesthetic consumption, and promoting cancer cells death by a direct effect of local anesthetics. ⋯ Our study indicates that there are no data to support or refute the use of PVB for reduction of cancer recurrence or improvement in cancer-related survival. However, PVB use is associated with lower levels of inflammation and a better immune response in comparison with general anesthesia and opioid-based analgesia.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2017
ReviewThe Efficacy of Peripheral Opioid Antagonists in Opioid-Induced Constipation and Postoperative Ileus: A Systematic Review of the Literature.
Opioid-induced constipation has a negative impact on quality of life for patients with chronic pain and can affect more than a third of patients. A related but separate entity is postoperative ileus, which is an abnormal pattern of gastrointestinal motility after surgery. Nonselective μ-opioid receptor antagonists reverse constipation and opioid-induced ileus but cross the blood-brain barrier and may reverse analgesia. ⋯ We reviewed the literature for randomized controlled trials that studied the efficacy of alvimopan, methylnaltrexone, and naloxegol in treating either opioid-induced constipation or postoperative ileus. Peripherally acting μ-opioid receptor antagonists may be effective in treating both opioid-induced bowel dysfunction and postoperative ileus, but definitive conclusions are not possible because of study inconsistency and the relatively low quality of evidence. Comparisons of agents are difficult because of heterogeneous end points and no head-to-head studies.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialInjection Volume and Anesthetic Effect in Serratus Plane Block.
Serratus plane block is performed for analgesia of the anterior chest wall. However, there has been no study concerning the appropriate volume for this block. This prospective randomized controlled study assesses the dermatomal spread and analgesic effects of serratus plane block. ⋯ UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (identifier UMIN000016549).
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2017
ReviewChronic Poststernotomy Pain: Incidence, Risk Factors, Treatment, Prevention, and the Anesthesiologist's Role.
Chronic pain following median sternotomy is common after cardiac surgery. If left untreated, chronic sternal pain can reduce quality of life, affecting sleep, mood, activity level, and overall satisfaction. This has a significant societal effect given the large number of cardiac surgeries annually. ⋯ Moreover, the treatment of chronic poststernotomy pain is often inadequate, relying on opioids and other medications that provide minimal benefit to the patient and have significant adverse effects. Indeed, little is known regarding the prevention of chronic pain development following sternotomy. This review aims to present the current, limited data regarding the incidence, risk factors, treatment, and prevention of chronic poststernotomy pain and to identify areas of future research to improve management of this common complaint following cardiac surgery.