Articles: analgesia.
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In the last decade, nurses and physicians have increasingly recognized the importance of eliminating postoperative pain in speeding a patient's recovery after surgery. In an effort to improve postoperative pain management, many regional anesthetic techniques have been continued from the operating room to the recovery room, and into the intensive care and medical-surgical units. The methods have been shown to be superior to traditional modes of postoperative pain relief. ⋯ To provide optimum care, nurses must be well-versed in the different regional techniques employed and the drugs used with these techniques. They must recognize complications attributable to these procedures and the toxic potential of the local anesthetics and narcotics. Early detection of these complications is essential.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Intrapleural bupivacaine analgesia after thoraco-abdominal incision for oesophagectomy.
Intrapleural bupivacaine administration is said to produce good analgesia for the pain induced by a subcostal incision. However, reports of its efficacy after thoracotomy are conflicting. The goal of this study was to compare the analgesia produced by intrapleural administration of bupivacaine after oesophagectomy using a thoraco-abdominal incision with that obtained from intrapleural saline. ⋯ Plasma bupivacaine concentrations on Day 1 after the first intrapleural bupivacaine injection were less than 350 ng ml-1; on Day 4 after the last injection they were less than 1300 ng ml-1. In conclusion, intrapleural administration of bupivacaine produces effective analgesia after oesophagectomy performed with a thoracoabdominal incision. The technique is easy to perform and is safe.
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Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim · Mar 1991
Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial[Addition of fentanyl to mepivacaine in axillary brachial plexus block. Effects on the anesthetic and postoperative analgesic quality].
The possible potentiating effect of phentanyl on mepivacaine in brachial plexus blockade was evaluated, both for operative anesthesia and postoperative analgesia. Sixty ASA I patients, scheduled for upper limb surgery, were selected and distributed in 3 groups: 1) Mepivacaine 1% 40 ml (control group); 2) Mepivacaine 1% 40 ml + phentanyl 100 micrograms; 3) Mepivacaine 1% 40 ml + subcutaneous phentanyl 100 micrograms. The latency time and the quality of anesthesia were evaluated. ⋯ There were no significant differences between the 3 groups in the latency times of the development of blockade nor in the quality of surgical anesthesia. Also, there were no significant differences in the duration of postoperative analgesia (307, 316 and 326 minutes, respectively, in each group). It was concluded that the addition of phentanyl 100 micrograms to the local anesthetic in the axillary blockade of the brachial plexus does not change the anesthetic characteristics nor the time of postoperative analgesia.
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Regional anesthesia · Mar 1991
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialNalbuphine pretreatment in cesarean section patients receiving epidural morphine.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 60 patients post cesarean delivery was conducted to determine whether nalbuphine reverses the side effects of pruritus and respiratory depression associated with epidurally administered morphine. Patients randomly received either three doses of intravenous nalbuphine or the equivalent volume of saline. Vital signs, sedation, pain, pruritus and oxygen saturation were assessed hourly for 18 hours. ⋯ Five patients had respiratory depression (respiratory rate lower than 10 BPM or oxygen saturation less than 90%); three occurred in the nalbuphine group and two in the saline group. Although theoretically advantageous, nalbuphine, as administered in this study of obstetric patients, offered no prophylactic benefit against the pruritus associated with epidural morphine. Its benefit with regard to respiratory depression remains unclear.