Articles: analgesia.
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Pediatric emergency care · Oct 1998
Prehospital fentanyl analgesia in air-transported pediatric trauma patients.
To review the 5.5-year safety record of a protocol guiding fentanyl administration to pediatric trauma patients undergoing aeromedical transport. ⋯ Retrospective review of more than five years of prehospital fentanyl administration revealed no untoward events. Although prospective definitive demonstration of fentanyl's field use is pending, it is reasonable to continue discretionary fentanyl administration to injured pediatric children in pain.
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Recent advances in the application of regional anesthesia to the care of patients undergoing shoulder surgery are discussed. New techniques for the management of postoperative pain are highlighted, with an emphasis on interscalene patient-controlled analgesia and suprascapular block. ⋯ Intraoperative hypotension and bradycardia caused by activation of the Bezold-Jarisch reflex is considered. The ongoing debate regarding the use of paresthesia versus nerve-stimulator techniques is examined.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Oct 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparison of patient-controlled epidural analgesia with and without background infusion after gastrectomy.
To assess the analgesic efficacy and side effects of concurrent infusion in patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) after upper abdominal surgery, 40 patients undergoing elective gastrectomy under general anesthesia were allocated to two groups in this randomized, double-blind study: one received a 2.5-mL incremental bolus in a solution of 0.2% bupivacaine and 10 microg/mL fentanyl, and the other received the same bolus dose plus a 2.5-mL/h infusion of the same solution. The number of demands was smaller (P < 0.001) in the PCEA plus infusion group than in the PCEA alone group during the 48-h postoperative period. The average hourly fentanyl and bupivacaine doses were larger (P < 0.0001) in the PCEA plus infusion group than in the PCEA alone group. Visual analog scale pain scores on coughing in the PCEA plus infusion group were lower than in the PCEA alone group (P < 0.05). There was a greater incidence of pruritus in the PCEA plus infusion group (P < 0.05), but no serious side effects were observed in either group. In conclusion, a background infusion in PCEA with a mixture of fentanyl and bupivacaine decreases the incidence of postoperative pain and reduces the degree of pain associated with coughing without serious side effects after gastrectomy. ⋯ A background infusion in patient-controlled epidural analgesia with a mixture of fentanyl and bupivacaine decreased the incidence of postoperative pain and reduced the degree of the pain associated with coughing without serious side effects in this randomized, double-blind study after gastrectomy.