Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2019
Ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation: neuromodulation of the suprascapular nerve and brachial plexus for postoperative analgesia following ambulatory rotator cuff repair. A proof-of-concept study.
Percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is an analgesic modality involving the insertion of a lead through an introducing needle followed by the delivery of electric current. This modality has been reported to treat chronic pain as well as postoperative pain following knee and foot surgery. However, it remains unknown if this analgesic technique may be used in ambulatory patients following upper extremity surgery. The purpose of this proof-of-concept study was to investigate various lead implantation locations and evaluate the feasibility of using percutaneous brachial plexus PNS to treat surgical pain following ambulatory rotator cuff repair in the immediate postoperative period. ⋯ This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that ultrasound-guided percutaneous PNS of the brachial plexus is feasible for ambulatory shoulder surgery, and although analgesia immediately following surgery does not appear to be as potent as local anesthetic-based peripheral nerve blocks, the study suggests that this modality may provide analgesia and decrease opioid requirements in the days following rotator cuff repair. Therefore, it suggests that a subsequent, large, randomized clinical trial with an adequate control group is warranted to further investigate this therapy in the management of surgical pain in the immediate postoperative period. However, multiple technical issues remain to be resolved, such as the optimal lead location, insertion technique, and stimulating protocol, as well as preventing lead dislodgment and fracture.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2019
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of dexmedetomidine and benzodiazepine for intraoperative sedation in elderly patients: a randomized clinical trial.
Elderly individuals have a greater sensitivity to sedation, and the most commonly used drugs for sedation are benzodiazepines, which exhibit some complication. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the use of dexmedetomidine and midazolam regarding proper sedation and postoperative complications in elderly individuals who require intraoperative sedation. ⋯ The use of DEX for sedation during surgery provides better control over the depth of sedation and produces fewer complications in elderly individuals.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2019
Acute postoperative pain is an independent predictor of chronic postsurgical pain following total knee arthroplasty at 6 months: a prospective cohort study.
Approximately 15% of patients report persistent knee pain despite surgical success following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to determine the association of acute-postsurgical pain (APSP) with chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) 6 months after TKA controlling for patient, surgical and psychological confounding factors. ⋯ APSP is a risk factor for CPSP following TKA even after adjusting for confounding variables such as pain catastrophizing, anxiety, depression and functional status. Studies are needed to determine if APSP is a modifiable risk factor for the development of CPSP.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2019
Implications of uninterrupted preoperative transdermal buprenorphine use on postoperative pain management.
Buprenorphine is a partial µ-receptor agonist resistant to displacement from receptors by conventional opioids, which can block the effect of conventional opioids and may interfere with postoperative pain management. We aimed to quantify perioperative opioid use in patients receiving transdermal buprenorphine (TdBUP). ⋯ Analgesic management for patients receiving TdBUP therapy must account for increased opioid needs, and greater preoperative doses of TdBUP were associated with greater postoperative opioid requirements.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2019
Perioperative impact of sleep apnea in a high-volume specialty practice with a strong focus on regional anesthesia: a database analysis.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for adverse postoperative outcome and perioperative professional societies recommend the use of regional anesthesia to minimize perioperative detriment. We studied the impact of OSA on postoperative complications in a high-volume orthopedic surgery practice, with a strong focus on regional anesthesia. ⋯ We showed that, even in a setting with almost universal regional anesthesia use, OSA was associated with increased odds for prolonged LOS, and pulmonary and gastrointestinal complications. This puts forward the question of how effective regional anesthesia is in mitigating postoperative complications in patients with OSA.