Articles: analgesia.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Epidural analgesia for labour using a continuous infusion of bupivacaine and alfentanil.
Seventy women who requested epidural pain relief in labour received a continuous epidural infusion at 8 ml h-1, which contained either 0.25% bupivacaine (n = 29), or a mixture of 0.125% bupivacaine and 0.005% alfentanil (n = 31), assigned randomly. Increments of 4 ml 0.25% bupivacaine were given on demand to prevent residual pain from uterine contractions. ⋯ One of the women receiving the mixture and eight of the women receiving bupivacaine alone had almost complete motor block. There were no differences in the mode of delivery or in the neonatal Apgar scores.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A comparative study of patient-controlled epidural fentanyl and single dose epidural morphine for post-caesarean analgesia.
In a prospective, randomized, double-blinded study, 23 patients who had undergone Caesarean delivery under epidural anaesthesia were assessed to evaluate the effectiveness of patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) with fentanyl compared with a single dose of epidural morphine for postoperative analgesia. Group A (n = 11) received epidural fentanyl 100 micrograms intraoperatively then self-administered a maximum of two epidural fentanyl boluses 50 micrograms (10 micrograms.ml-1) with a lockout period of five minutes for a maximum of two doses per hour. Group B (n = 11) received a single bolus of epidural morphine 3 mg (0.5 mg.ml-1) intraoperatively and received the same instructions as Group A but had their PCA devices filled with 0.9% NaCl. ⋯ Pruritus was less common in Group A patients at the 8 and 24 hr observation periods (P < 0.0125). Both groups experienced the same degree of nausea and clinically unimportant respiratory depression. We conclude that PCEA with fentanyl provides analgesia equal to a single dose of epidural morphine and may be suitable for patients who have experienced considerable pruritus after epidural morphine administration.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison between patient-controlled analgesia and intramuscular meperidine after thoracotomy.
A prospective randomized controlled study was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) in patients undergoing thoracotomy. This method was compared with a conventional pain management technique consisting of regularly scheduled im injections of analgesics. Forty adult patients were randomly assigned to receive intravenous PCA or im meperidine treatment over a 48-hr period after surgery. ⋯ Meperidine intake was similar in both groups but considerable interpatient variation was seen. In conclusion, PCA is a safe, effective and individualized treatment method for controlling pain after thoracotomy. There appears to be some clinical advantages of PCA over im dosing regimens for analgesia after thoracotomy.