Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2024
Pilot epinephrine dose-finding study to counter epidural-related blood pressure reduction.
An unwanted side effect associated with epidural analgesia is the reduction in blood pressure (BP) due to the sympathetic blockade. This study evaluated the hemodynamic effects of adding different epinephrine concentrations to epidurally injected local anesthetic solution to counteract sympathectomy. We hypothesized that epinephrine could mitigate the decrease in BP possibly caused by the local anesthetic, specifically decreasing the incidence of hypotension. ⋯ Forty-seven patients completed the study, and 19 were withdrawn. Fifteen patients were in the control group, while 16 patients received 0.2% ropivacaine +2 µg/mL epinephrine, and 16 received 0.2% ropivacaine +5 µg/mL epinephrine. The overall rate of hypotension was 21.3% (10/47). There were no statistically significant differences in hypotension rates between the control group (33%) and groups receiving either +2 µg/mL (13%, p=0.165) or +5 µg/mL (19%, p=0.353) of epinephrine. In secondary analyses, respiratory rate showed greater decreases in control groups across the perioperative period compared with treatment groups (p=0.016) CONCLUSION: Adding epinephrine to the epidural local anesthetic did not significantly decrease the rate of hypotension. However, epinephrine mitigated decreases in respiratory rate across the perioperative period. Future studies will focus on increasing group size and higher epinephrine concentrations (10 µg/mL).
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2024
Association between chronic pain and risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity: a prospective cohort study.
Although chronic pain was deleteriously related to single cardiometabolic diseases, the relationship between chronic pain and cardiometabolic multimorbidity remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between chronic pain with the risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity. ⋯ Our findings suggested that there was an elevated risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity associated with an increased amount of chronic pain sites.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2024
Case ReportsProlonged administration of intrathecal baclofen in a patient with generalized grade 4 tetanus.
This case report presents the management of a 62-year-old woman with generalized grade 4 tetanus, focusing on the innovative use of intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy. The patient initially presented with a laceration and subsequently developed severe tetanic spasms, necessitating interventions beyond standard tetanus immunoglobulin and antibiotics due to the condition's progressive and life-threatening nature. The preference for ITB over oral baclofen is highlighted, considering ITB's enhanced bioavailability in the central nervous system and its efficacy in reducing spinal cord reflexes, which is critical for managing severe spasticity.On her return to the emergency department with symptoms of tetanus, the patient received ITB following the failure of oral baclofen to control the spasms. ITB administration necessitated a lumbar drain, which was later substituted with a tunneled intrathecal catheter due to the extended requirement for baclofen infusion and the unavailability of suitable infusion pumps. This scenario represented a significant application of a CADD-Solis external pump for continuous ITB infusion.Transitioning the patient from ITB to oral baclofen was a crucial management step to facilitate discharge and recovery, underscoring the importance of a careful approach to prevent withdrawal symptoms and maintain care continuity. Despite initial complications, including an infection signaled by leucocytosis and confirmed through cerebrospinal fluid culture, the patient was effectively treated and discharged. ⋯ This report contributes to the sparse literature on prolonged ITB use for generalized grade 4 tetanus treatment, underlining the need for interdisciplinary collaboration for the best patient outcomes. It showcases the potential of ITB in spasticity management, in reducing the need for sedation, and in shortening the duration of mechanical ventilation, advocating for a tailored approach that utilizes a full spectrum of pharmacological and supportive therapies.