Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2006
ReviewMorphine-6-glucuronide: morphine's successor for postoperative pain relief?
In searching for an analgesic with fewer side effects than morphine, examination of morphine's active metabolite, morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G), suggests that M6G is possibly such a drug. In contrast to morphine, M6G is not metabolized but excreted via the kidneys and exhibits enterohepatic cycling, as it is a substrate for multidrug resistance transporter proteins in the liver and intestines. M6G exhibits a delay in its analgesic effect (blood-effect site equilibration half-life 4-8 h), which is partly related to slow passage through the blood-brain barrier and distribution within the brain compartment. ⋯ At analgesic doses, M6G causes similar reduction of the ventilatory response to CO2 as an equianalgesic dose of morphine but significantly less depression of the hypoxic ventilatory response. Preliminary data indicate that M6G is associated less than morphine with nausea and vomiting, causing 50% and 75% less nausea in postoperative and experimental settings, respectively. Although the data from the literature are very promising, we believe that more studies are necessary before we may conclude that M6G is superior to morphine for postoperative analgesia.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialDevelopment of acute opioid tolerance during infusion of remifentanil for pediatric scoliosis surgery.
We tested the hypothesis that continuous intraoperative infusion of remifentanil is associated with the development of clinically relevant acute opioid tolerance in adolescents undergoing scoliosis surgery. Thirty adolescents were randomly assigned to receive an intraoperative analgesic regimen consisting of continuous remifentanil infusion or intermittent morphine alone. Postoperative analgesic consumption was assessed with a patient-controlled analgesia device that was used to self-administer morphine. ⋯ At 24 h after surgery, cumulative morphine consumption was 30% greater in the remifentanil group (1.65 +/- 0.41 mg/kg) than in the morphine group (1.27 +/- 0.32 mg/kg) (95% confidence interval for the difference, 0.11 to 0.65 mg/kg). Differences in pain and sedation scores were not statistically significant. These data suggest that intraoperative infusion of remifentanil is associated with the development of clinically relevant acute opioid tolerance in adolescents undergoing scoliosis surgery.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialAutoregulation of human jejunal mucosal perfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass.
Animal studies have suggested that autoregulation of intestinal blood flow is severely impaired during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We investigated the jejunal mucosal capacity to autoregulate perfusion during nonpulsatile CPB (34 degrees C) in 10 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. Changes in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) were induced by altering the CPB flow rate randomly for periods of 3 min from 2.4 L/min/m2 to either 1.8 or 3.0 L/min/m2. ⋯ IV injections of prostacyclin (10 microg, Flolan) blunted vasomotion and increased JMP from 192 +/- 53 to 277 +/- 70 (P < 0.05) perfusion units despite a reduction in MAP from 59 +/- 12 to 45 +/- 10 mm Hg (P < 0.05). Prostacyclin-induced vasodilation resulted in loss of mucosal autoregulation (pressure-dependent perfusion). We conclude that autoregulation of intestinal mucosal perfusion is maintained during CPB in humans.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyA comparison between double-injection axillary brachial plexus block and midhumeral block for emergency upper limb surgery.
In this prospective and randomized study, we compared a double-injection axillary (median and radial nerves) block with a midhumeral block in 90 patients undergoing emergency upper limb surgery. Time to perform the block, success rate, and patient tolerance were evaluated. ⋯ Patient tolerance was better in the axillary group. Double-injection axillary brachial plexus block is superior to midhumeral block for emergency hand surgery.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2006
Comparative StudyBolus configuration affects dose requirements of intracarotid propofol for electroencephalographic silence.
We hypothesized that an intracarotid bolus injection of propofol to produce electroencephalographic (EEG) silence would require a smaller dose of the drug compared with the continuous infusion of the drug. Furthermore, the bolus propofol dose will be a function of the bolus characteristics in each bolus (mass/volume). We compared the dose requirements of intracarotid propofol needed to maintain EEG silence when delivered as bolus injections to continuous infusions in rabbits. ⋯ We found that the infusion rate of propofol required to sustain EEG silence was three-fold larger than the dose required by bolus injections, 22.8 +/- 11.9 vs 6.2 +/- 2.9 mL/h for infusion versus bolus, respectively (n = 7, P < 0.004). Furthermore, during bolus injection, the doses of propofol required to produce EEG silence were a direct function of the bolus volume and the mass of drug in each bolus, total dose = 3.6 + 29 x mg/bolus, n = 32, r = 0.85. For maximum regional effects of the bolus intracarotid drug injection, the bolus characteristics (volume and drug concentration) have to be optimized.