Articles: analgesia.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The post-operative analgesic action of midazolam following epidural administration.
To study post-operative analgesia with epidural midazolam, 30 patients who had undergone upper abdominal surgery were divided into two equal groups. When patients complained of pain, they were given either 6 microliters 0.25% bupivacaine (control group) or 6 microliters 0.25% bupivacaine + 0.05 mg kg-1 midazolam (midazolam group) epidurally at a single level between T7 and T12. Blood pressure and heart rate were similar in the two groups. ⋯ The area of analgesia was significantly larger in the midazolam group 10 and 30 min after administration and involved the entire spinal area and the head and face 10 min after administration in six patients. Amnesia was observed in 14 patients in the midazolam group but in only one in the control group. Epidural midazolam together with bupivacaine adds central analgesic, sedative, and amnesic effects to spinal analgesia and is useful for managing post-operative pain.
-
Letter Case Reports
Respiratory arrest after second dose of intrathecal sufentanil.
-
Int J Obstet Anesth · Jul 1995
Serious complications associated with epidural/spinal blockade in obstetrics: a two-year prospective study.
A prospective study of complications associated with epidural and spinal blockade in obstetrics was carried out during the years 1990 and 1991. 79 obstetric units in the United Kingdom took part. These units had a total of 467 491 deliveries during the two years. 108 133 mothers received epidural blockade and 14856 received spinal blockade. 22% of all mothers received epidural analgesia in labour, and 50% of caesarean sections were performed under either epidural or spinal anaesthesia. 128 complications (not including post dural puncture headache) were reported. Of these, 46 were neuropathies involving a single spinal or peripheral nerve. 26 unexpectedly high blockades were encountered. ⋯ Although resuscitation restored normal cardiac function in both cases, one patient was decerebrate and died some days later. Postmortem examination revealed evidence of amniotic fluid embolus. 20 reports were classified as 'miscellaneous' and presented individual clinical diagnoses. The overall complication rate (excluding post dural puncture headache) was approximately 1 per thousand.
-
Postoperative pain therapy often appears to be inadequate in children. The present study was a retrospective investigation of the administration of analgesics given to 133 children and adults following surgery for funnel chest between 1983 and 1994. ⋯ Children received smaller quantities of narcotics than adults when postoperative analgesia was performed with PRN administration. PCA led to delivery of larger quantities of narcotic drugs than PRN medication in children.
-
When local anesthetic is used to produce epidural anesthesia intraoperatively, epidural catheter placement is confirmed. However, when epidural catheters are placed intraoperatively only to provide postoperative opioid analgesia, correct catheter placement may not be confirmed by administration of a local anesthetic. The current study tests the hypothesis that the extent of sensory blockade produced by a 10-ml dose of 1.5% lidocaine can be used to predict the adequacy of epidural opioid analgesia. ⋯ Extensive sensory block from 10 ml 1.5% lidocaine was associated with excellent epidural opioid analgesia. Extent of analgesia after a 10-ml test dose of 1.5% lidocaine can be used to predict the adequacy of analgesia resulting from an epidural opioid infusion. The failure of a local anesthetic dose to produce sensory blockade does not necessarily predict a failure to produce analgesia from an epidural opioid infusion, as indicated by the presence of analgesia in several patients without detectable sensory block.