Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology
-
Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2014
ReviewEvolution of the transversus abdominis plane block and its role in postoperative analgesia.
Since it was first described by Rafi in 2001, the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block can be best described as a peripheral nerve block to the anterior abdominal wall (T6 to L1). The TAP block is specifically a local anesthetic injection into the fascial plane superficial to the transversus abdominis muscle and deep to the internal oblique muscle. The TAP block has been a subject of controversy with regard to utility, to indications, and more fundamentally, how best to place the block and its precise mechanism of action. ⋯ The TAP block affords excellent analgesia for abdominal procedures. In summary, the TAP block affords effective analgesia with opioid sparing effects, technical simplicity, and long duration of action. Some disadvantages include the need for bilateral block for midline incisions and absence of effectiveness for visceral pain.
-
Despite an appreciation for many unwanted physiological effects from inadequate pain postoperative relief, moderate to severe postoperative pain remains commonplace. Though treatment options have evolved in recent years, including improvement in medications, multimodal regimens, and regional anesthetic techniques, including ultrasound and continuous catheters, outcomes data indicate that many of these strategies are associated with varying degrees of morbidity and mortality. This review focuses on the importance of effective postoperative analgesia and both short- and long-term effects associated with inadequate management. A careful literature review of emphasizing treatment options and potential pathogenesis associated with these strategies is emphasized in this review.
-
Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2014
ReviewGenetics and implications in perioperative analgesia.
The wide range of patient responses to surgical pain, opioids, and anesthetic agents has puzzled anesthesiologists for many years. Much of the variation has been attributed to differences in patient size, technique, or prior drug use. However, recent genetic testing has revealed exciting clues into the basis for these variances, allowing us to start to predict which patients may have difficulties and start to select medications more rationally. In this manuscript, we discuss genetics and pain perception, genetic predisposition to pain, drug metabolism interactions, ethnogenetics, opioid metabolism, opioid receptors, genetic-related peri-anesthetic toxicity, as well as a clinical approach and a discussion regarding the future of genetic testing and anesthesia.
-
Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2014
ReviewPsychiatric agents and implications for perioperative analgesia.
The use of antidepressants, anxiolytics, mood stabilizers, anticonvulsants, and major tranquilizers introduces neurochemical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional factors that increase the complexity of medical and surgical tasks. Increasingly, various classes of psychotropic medications are being prescribed in the perioperative setting for their analgesic properties in patients with or without a psychiatric diagnosis. ⋯ This review focuses on various classes of psychotropic agents, which are addressed individually, with particular focus on their analgesic properties. The latest published research is summarized, deficiencies in our current collective knowledge are discussed, and evidence-based recommendations are made for clinical practice.