Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of a preemptive femoral nerve block on cytokine release and hyperalgesia in experimentally inflamed skin of human volunteers.
Tissue injury is associated with the local release of inflammatory and nociceptive mediators and the development of hyperalgesia. It is unclear whether interrupting neuronal signaling using regional anesthetic techniques at the time of the injury modifies local nociceptive and inflammatory processes. The aim of this study was to determine whether a peripheral nerve block at the time of tissue injury could modify the development of wound hyperalgesia and the local release of inflammatory and nociceptive mediators. ⋯ These findings suggest that a preemptive, single-shot peripheral nerve block minimally affects wound hyperalgesia and inflammation. Continuous nerve block techniques may be better suited to alter nociceptive and inflammatory events in wounds beyond the duration of the block.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2010
Clinical TrialUltrasound-guided evaluation of the local anesthetic spread parameters required for a rapid surgical popliteal sciatic nerve block.
The ideal spread of local anesthetic (LA) solution around the sciatic nerve during a popliteal block remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that a circumferential spread of LA and/or intraneural injection could lead to rapid surgical block. ⋯ For popliteal sciatic nerve block, circumferential spread of LA, and separation of the nerve into its 2 components are associated with rapid surgical block.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2010
Letter Case ReportsUltrasound-assisted lumbar plexus block in a patient with scoliosis.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2010
Management of chronic upper abdominal pain in cancer: transdiscal blockade of the splanchnic nerves.
The use of celiac plexus block to relieve the intractable pain caused by upper abdominal malignancies is well established. However, its effects are inconsistent for many reasons, mainly because of structural anatomic distortion as a consequence for the malignancy. The splanchnic nerve blockade (SNB) seems to be a useful alternative to the celiac plexus block in upper abdominal pain relief. ⋯ Splanchnic nerve blockade via a transdiscal approach is a technique that provides analgesia and the alleviation of the secondary undesirable effects of analgesic drugs resulting from the decrease of morphine consumption in patients with upper abdominal malignancies. In experienced teams, the reliability of its analgesic effect is high, with a low rate of severe complications.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2010
Clinical TrialCan a single dose of 300 mg of pregabalin reach acute antihyperalgesic levels in the central nervous system?
Central spinal cord sensitization can occur during surgery and may lead to persistent pain after surgery. Pregabalin has been shown to decrease central sensitization in experimental pain paradigms, and so the same antihyperalgesic effect of pregabalin may occur during and immediately after surgery. Our study investigated whether a single 300-mg dose of pregabalin in patients has sufficient central nervous system bioavailability to be useful under acute conditions where brain or spinal cord excitability may lead to long-term disease, such as chronic pain. ⋯ Sufficient central nervous system drug concentrations are reached after oral administration of pregabalin, suggesting that postoperative pain hypersensitivity can be reduced. Decreasing this acute brain or spinal cord excitability may prevent chronic pain from developing after surgery.