Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialProphylactically-administered rectal acetaminophen does not reduce postoperative opioid requirements in infants and small children undergoing elective cleft palate repair.
Rectal acetaminophen (Ac) is often administered prophylactically at anesthesia induction for postoperative pain management in small children and is thought to have an opioid-sparing effect. We assessed in this double-blinded, prospective, randomized study early opioid requirements after three doses of Ac (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg versus placebo) in 80 children (ASA physical status I, age 11.4 +/- 9.9 mo) undergoing cleft palate repair. Single Ac plasma concentrations were measured. Pain scores assessed in the postanesthesia care unit of > or = 4 of 10 resulted in the IV administration of 25 microg/kg piritramide, a popular European mu receptor agonist (lockout time, 10 min; maximum 0.125 mg/kg). There were no significant differences between groups with regard to the early postoperative pain scores and the overall cumulative IV opioid requirements. Maximal plasma concentrations achieved were only subtherapeutic (Ac 10 mg/kg: 8 microg/mL; Ac 20 mg/kg: 13 microg/mL; Ac 40 mg/kg: 21 microg/mL after 122, 122, and 121 min, respectively). We conclude that rectal Ac up to 40 mg/kg has no opioid-sparing effect, does not result in analgesic Ac plasma concentrations, and lacks proof of its efficacy in infants and small children undergoing cleft palate repair, whereas titrated IV opioid boluses produced rapid and reliable pain relief. ⋯ Acetaminophen is widely used prophylactically for postoperative analgesia in children and is thought to have an opioid-sparing effect. We showed that rectal acetaminophen up to 40 mg/kg administered at anesthesia induction lacked proof of efficacy, whereas IV opioid boluses resulted in reliable pain relief in children undergoing cleft palate repair.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe effect of bispectral index monitoring on anesthetic use and recovery in children anesthetized with sevoflurane in nitrous oxide.
The utility of bispectral index (BIS) monitoring to guide anesthetic administration has been demonstrated in adults. This prospective, randomized observer-blinded study was designed to evaluate the effect of BIS monitoring on anesthetic use and recovery characteristics in pediatric patients. After data collection in 38 historical controls, 202 patients age 0-18 yr were randomized into one of two groups: standard practice (SP) and BIS guided (BIS). Patients age 0-3 yr undergoing inguinal hernia repair (IH) and patients age 3-18 yr undergoing tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy (TA) were selected. All patients were anesthetized with sevoflurane in 60% N(2)O/O(2). Hernia patients also received a caudal epidural anesthetic before surgery. In the BIS group, anesthetic delivery was adjusted in an effort to achieve a target BIS of 45-60 during maintenance and 60-70 during the last 15 min of the procedure. BIS was recorded throughout surgery in all patients, but data were unavailable to the anesthesiologist in the SP group. In the TA patients, BIS monitoring was associated with a significant reduction in end-tidal sevoflurane concentration during maintenance (2.4 +/- 0.6%, SP and 1.8 +/- 0.4% BIS, mean +/- SD) and during the last 15 min of the procedure (2.1 +/- 0.7, SP and 1.6 +/- 0.6, BIS). There was a 25%-40% decrease in measured recovery times. In the patients 0-6 mo of age undergoing IH, sevoflurane concentrations during maintenance (2.0 +/- 0.4% SP, 0.9 +/- 0.8 BIS), during the last 15 min (1.6 +/- 0.4% SP, 0.6 +/- 0.6% BIS), and at the end of the procedure (1.1 +/- 0.6% SP, 0.3 +/- 0.3% BIS) were smaller in the BIS group. Emergence and recovery measures were unaffected by BIS titration. In the children 6 mo-3 yr of age, there were no significant differences between the SP and BIS groups in anesthetic use or recovery measures. ⋯ Bispectral index monitoring in children results in less anesthetic use and faster recovery than standard practice.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe effect of insulin cardioplegia on atrial fibrillation after high-risk coronary bypass surgery: a double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial.
Atrial fibrillation after coronary bypass (CABG) surgery is an important cause of morbidity and increased resource utilization. Insulin-enhanced cardioplegia may reduce postoperative arrhythmias by improving aerobic myocardial metabolism and mitigating the deleterious effects of ischemia. We performed a double-blinded, randomized, controlled clinical trial to determine if insulin-enhanced cardioplegia decreases the risk of post-CABG atrial fibrillation in a high-risk patient population. We randomized 501 patients undergoing urgent CABG to receive insulin-enhanced (Humulin R 10 IU/L, Insulin group, n = 243) or standard (Control group, n = 258) blood cardioplegia during cardiopulmonary bypass. Patients were monitored by using continuous electrocardiography for a minimum of 3 days postoperatively. All standard cardiac medications, including beta-adrenergic blockers, were continued postoperatively. Insulin-enhanced cardioplegia did not result in a significant reduction in postoperative atrial fibrillation. Furthermore, we failed to detect a difference in the incidence of conduction defects, ventricular tachycardia, or pacemaker requirements between insulin and placebo patients. Atrial fibrillation was the most common arrhythmia, occurring in 31% of all patients. Independent predictors of atrial fibrillation were elderly age, preoperative atrial fibrillation, and renal insufficiency. Right bundle branch block was the most common conduction abnormality. Predictors of right bundle branch block were elderly age, female sex, and circumflex coronary artery disease. The incidence of postoperative ventricular tachycardia, left bundle branch block, and permanent pacemaker requirement was small. We conclude that insulin-enhanced cardioplegia does not reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in high-risk CABG patients. ⋯ We conducted a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of insulin-enhanced cardioplegia in 501 patients undergoing urgent coronary bypass surgery. Insulin did not decrease the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation when compared with placebo. We also failed to demonstrate a difference in the incidence of other postoperative arrhythmias between the two groups of patients.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialSensory stimuli and anxiety in children undergoing surgery: a randomized, controlled trial.
We assessed the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention aimed at reducing the anxiety of children undergoing anesthesia and surgery. The intervention consisted of dimmed operating room (OR) lights (200 Lx) and soft background music (Bach's "Air on a G String," 50-60 dB). Only one person, the attending anesthesiologist, interacted with the child during the induction of anesthesia. Children undergoing anesthesia and surgery were randomly assigned either to a low sensory stimulation group (LSSG, n = 33) or to control group (n = 37). By using validated behavioral measures of anxiety (mYPAS) and compliance (ICC), children were evaluated at the preoperative holding area and during the induction of anesthesia. On postoperative Days 1, 2, 3, 7, and 14, the behavioral recovery of the children was assessed by using the Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire. We found that the LSSG was significantly less anxious compared with the control group on entrance to the OR (P = 0.03) and on the introduction of the anesthesia mask (P = 0.003). Also, the compliance during the induction of anesthesia was significantly better in children assigned to the LSSG (P = 0.02). The incidence of postoperative behavioral changes, however, did not differ significantly between the two groups (P = ns). We conclude that children who are exposed to low-level sensory stimuli during the induction of anesthesia and who are exposed to background music exhibit lower levels of anxiety and increased compliance. ⋯ Children are less anxious and show increased compliance during induction when exposed to a single care-provider in a dimmed, quiet operating room with background music.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialIntravenous ketoprofen in thyroid and parathyroid surgery.
We compared the ketoprofen-propacetamol combination relative to propacetamol alone in thyroid and parathyroid surgery in terms of postoperative analgesic efficacy, bleeding, and incidence of nausea and vomiting to determine whether ketoprofen results in any benefit in this type of surgery. Patients were distributed in two parallel groups to be managed by anesthesiologists habitually prescribing (Ketoprofen group) or not prescribing (Control group) ketoprofen in this situation. The same anesthetic technique was used for all patients. Postoperative analgesia consisted of 2 g of propacetamol every 6 h and morphine boluses if the pain score measured by the numerical rating scale pain exceeded 40 (3 mg IV every 10 min in the recovery room, then 5 mg SC every 4 h in the ward). The Ketoprofen group received 100 mg of ketoprofen IV during surgery (starting on resection of specimen) and 8 h later. In the recovery room, patients received oxygen if the SpO(2) while they were breathing room air was < 95% on admission and at 1 and 2 h. Pain scores, opioid consumption, the volume of the cervical draining fluid, and the concentration and mass of hemoglobin in this fluid collected over 24 h were recorded. The 214 patients were distributed into two groups (n = 107 in each group) that were comparable in terms of age, weight, sex, duration of surgery, type of endocrinopathy, surgeon involvement, and the intraoperative dose of sufentanil (P > 0.2). The Ketoprofen group had lower numerical rating scale (P < 0.05), received less morphine during the first 24 h after surgery (7.4 +/- 5 vs 11.7 +/- 6 mg, P < 0.05), had fewer nausea and vomiting episodes (21 vs 38, P < 0.05), and were less likely to require oxygen breathing after 1 h in the recovery room (33 vs 59 patients, P < 0.05). The two groups had the same 24-h volume of cervical draining fluid (72.5 +/- 43 vs 70 +/- 42 mL, P > 0.2) and the same concentration (5.9 +/- 3.4 vs 6.4 +/- 2.8 g per 100 mL, P > 0.1) and mass of hemoglobin (3.9 +/- 2.8 vs 4.2 +/- 2.5 g, P > 0.2) in this collected fluid. Two cervical hematomas necessitating reintervention occurred in the Control group, compared with none in the Ketoprofen group. Ketoprofen reduces the pain score after thyroid and parathyroid surgery, as well as morphine requirements and related adverse effects, without increasing the risk of cervical bleeding. ⋯ In a prospective open study, ketoprofen reduced the pain score after thyroid and parathyroid surgery, as well as morphine requirements and related adverse effects, without increasing the risk of cervical bleeding.