Articles: analgesia.
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Prevention of injury-induced functional alterations in the central nervous system by pre-emptive analgesia or other techniques is a fascinating working hypothesis based on substantial scientific evidence. Although experimental data may provide a rationale for this concept, translation into clinical practice has led to some debate, especially about interpretation of results from studies in postoperative patients (Katz et al. 1992a, 1993; Dahl et al 1992a, 1993b; Dahl & Kehlet 1993a). This may partly be due to a difference in experimental versus clinical benefits from pre-emptive analgesia and furthermore, clinicians may ask if preoperative administration of morphine or other opioids is really a "novel approach" (Katz 1993) to the management of postoperative pain. ⋯ Thus, the idea originates from experimental studies, often with anaesthetized or decerebrated animals, and with nociceptive stimuli which did not involve severe ongoing tissue damage. The various types of noxious stimuli (C-fiber stimulation, heat-, chemical-, inflammatory- and neuronal lesions) may differ from the surgical injury, and the time-scale of the experiments, and the profiles of analgesic effects and efficacy may differ from the clinical situation. In a study of patients undergoing gynaecological laparotomy, increased sensitivity to noxious electrical stimulation of the sural nerve was observed postoperatively, with a corresponding trend in the nociceptive flexion reflex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Regional anesthesia · Sep 1994
Case ReportsColonic resection with early discharge after combined subarachnoid-epidural analgesia, preoperative glucocorticoids, and early postoperative mobilization and feeding in a pulmonary high-risk patient.
A pulmonary high-risk patient undergoing right hemicolectomy for cancer was treated with a combination of intense afferent neural block with subarachnoid-epidural local anesthetics followed by continuous epidural analgesia, preoperative high-dose glucocorticoids, and early oral feeding and mobilization. ⋯ The technique of combined neural and humoral mediator block should be evaluated in other high-risk patients undergoing major surgical procedures, where minimal invasive techniques are not possible.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 1994
Comparative StudyComplications of labor analgesia: epidural versus combined spinal epidural techniques.
Both epidural and combined spinal epidural (CSE) analgesia can provide maternal pain relief during labor. Currently, there are few data comparing the risks and complications of these two techniques. We recorded the incidence and severity of anesthetic-related complications in 1022 laboring parturients. ⋯ The other two women had reportedly uncomplicated epidural and CSE analgesia. These data suggest either neuraxial analgesic technique can safely relieve the pain of labor. CSE analgesia is a safe alternative to epidural analgesia for labor and delivery.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 1994
Does postoperative epidural analgesia increase the risk of peroneal nerve palsy after total knee arthroplasty?
Peroneal nerve palsy is a rare complication of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Previous studies have investigated surgical variables contributing to the development of peroneal nerve palsy after TKA, but have ignored potential medical and anesthetic risk factors. The charts of all patients undergoing TKA over a 1-yr period were retrospectively studied to identify medical, surgical, and anesthetic risk factors contributing to the development of peroneal nerve palsy after TKA; 361 TKAs were performed on 292 patients. ⋯ However, all cases of peroneal nerve palsy with motor deficits and partial neurologic recovery occurred in patients receiving postoperative epidural analgesia and were diagnosed after discontinuation of the epidural infusion. Since diagnosis of peroneal nerve palsy may be delayed in patients with postoperative epidural analgesia, these patients must be monitored closely. A dilute local anesthetic or an opioid infusion is recommended for patients at increased risk, such as those with preexisting neuropathies.