Articles: analgesia.
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Thoracic epidural fentanyl has been used successfully for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Prior investigators have suggested that increasing the administered dosage and volume of lumbar epidural fentanyl may increase the spread of analgesia. The feasibility of injecting a high volume (20 mL) of fentanyl into the lumbar epidural space for post-thoracic surgery analgesia was studied in 17 patients undergoing elective thoracotomy or sternotomy. ⋯ All patients experienced pain relief within 15 minutes of injection. No significant respiratory depression or hypercarbia was noted. Lumbar epidural fentanyl is a safe and practical alternative to thoracic epidural analgesia in the post-thoracic surgical patient.
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The effects of intrathecal clonidine on spinal fentanyl analgesia were studied by the hot-plate test (52.0 degrees C) in rats. Clonidine (5 micrograms) and/or fentanyl (5 micrograms) were administered alone or combined in volume of 10 microliters through a chronically-implanted polyethylene catheter (PE-10) whose tip was near the lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord. Injections were done repeatedly every two or three days to determine the time course of thermal analgesia. ⋯ In this group, the tolerance developed in only three animals by the 9th injection. In conclusion, combined intrathecal administration of clonidine with fentanyl potentiated the analgesic effect of fentanyl and then definitely suppressed the tolerance formation even if a small dose of clonidine which produces no analgesic effect was used. These results suggest that intrathecal or epidural administration of clonidine with narcotics might be useful in managing intractable pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The influence of pH-adjusted 2-chloroprocaine on the quality and duration of subsequent epidural bupivacaine analgesia during labor: a randomized, double-blind study.
A randomized, double-blind study was performed to determine whether pH-adjustment of 2-chloroprocaine hastens the onset of epidural analgesia, and improves the quality and duration of subsequent epidural bupivacaine analgesia during labor. One milliliter of either 8.4% sodium bicarbonate or normal saline was added to a 30-ml vial of 2% 2-chloroprocaine. At 0, 5, and 7 min, each patient received 2, 5, and 3 ml of 2-chloroprocaine, respectively. ⋯ Two of 31 women in the bicarbonate group, versus 10 of 31 women in the saline-control group, required an additional 5 ml of 2-chloroprocaine at 22 min to achieve satisfactory analgesia (P = .01). There was no significant difference between groups in median duration of subsequent bupivacaine analgesia (60 min in each group) or mean (+/- SD) dosage of bupivacaine during the first stage of labor (64 +/- 43 versus 72 +/- 57 mg). Also, there was no significant difference between groups in pain scores over time.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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In an attempt to clarify the correlation between the spread of a local anesthetic and a radiographic contrast medium in the epidural space, a lumbar epidural catheter was inserted in 21 cancer patients. In group I, 10 patients, a single dose of bupivacaine 0.5%, 8 ml, was injected. The epidural block was evaluated by assessing loss of pin-prick sensation. ⋯ In group I there was no statistically significant correlation between the spread of contrast medium and the extension of the epidural block either in the cephalad or in the caudad direction. In group II there was a statistically significant correlation in both the cephalad and caudad direction. It is concluded that epidurography can provide an estimate of the epidural block, but cannot predict the exact segmental distribution of the block.