Anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A double-blind randomised comparison of intravenous patient-controlled remifentanil with intramuscular pethidine for labour analgesia.
In a prospective, double-blind, randomised controlled trial, we compared the efficacy of patient-controlled analgesia using remifentanil (25-30 μg per bolus) with intramuscular pethidine (50-75 mg) for labour analgesia in 69 parturients. Parturients receiving patient-controlled analgesia reported less pain than those receiving intramuscular pethidine throughout the study period (p < 0.001), with maximal reduction in visual analogue pain score at 2 h after commencement of analgesia (mean (SD) 20 (17) in the patient-controlled analgesia group and 36 (22) in the intramuscular pethidine group. The median (95% CI) time to the first request for rescue analgesics was significantly longer with patient-controlled analgesia (8.0 (6.8-9.2) h) compared with intramuscular pethidine (4.9 (3.8-5.4) h, p < 0.001). ⋯ There was no report of sedation, aponea or oxygen desaturation in either group, and Apgar scores were similar between groups. We conclude that patient-controlled analgesia with remifentanil provides better labour analgesia and maternal satisfaction than intramuscular pethidine. At this dose, maternal and fetal side effects were uncommon.
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Anaemia is increasingly prevalent in the United Kingdom. Despite recommendations to the contrary, many patients undergo cardiac surgery with undiagnosed and untreated anaemia. According to the World Health Organization definition, 1463/2688 (54.4%) patients undergoing cardiac surgery between 2008 and 2009 in our institution were anaemic. ⋯ The cause of this excess is not clear. Pre-operative anaemia is a strong predictor of increased transfusion requirement, risk of ICU stay and death during cardiac surgery. The effect of increasing haemoglobin concentration therapeutically is not yet clear.
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The objective of this review was to determine the optimal type or class of intravenous fluid to be used during peri-operative patient optimisation guided by oesophageal Doppler monitoring and to identify future directions for research. We undertook a literature review of patients undergoing major (general, colorectal, orthopaedic and urological) surgery, whose fluid therapy was managed using peri-operative oesophageal Doppler monitoring. We identified 10 studies that included 891 randomised patients. ⋯ There is little evidence to support preferential use of any particular type of fluid during oesophageal Doppler guided optimisation; however, routine use of colloids is associated with significantly higher costs and may increase hospital stay. Furthermore, many of these fluids have not been evaluated in patient populations in whom optimisation is being applied or proposed, and the potential for harm cannot be excluded. Recommendations for future studies are provided, including adequate power for primary end points beyond hospital stay and adequate follow-up, and inclusion of a crystalloid comparison group.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A comparison of pudendal block vs dorsal penile nerve block for circumcision in children: a randomised controlled trial.
We compared the analgesic and anaesthetic efficacy of pudendal nerve block with that of dorsal penile nerve block in male patients aged 3-5 years of age, undergoing elective circumcision. Thirty patients had a nerve stimulator-guided pudendal nerve block with two separate injection points 1.5-2 cm from the centre of the anus, and thirty patients received a dorsal penile nerve block. ⋯ The pudendal nerve group showed significantly lower postoperative pain scores than the dorsal group (SD) (p < 0.05), and significantly fewer patients consumed analgesics in the pudendal group than the dorsal group: 0 vs 5 (17%) at 0 and 6 h, respectively. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of pudendal nerve block in comparison to the dorsal nerve block, with improved postoperative outcomes in children undergoing circumcision.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Addition of clonidine to a continuous patient-controlled epidural infusion of low-concentration levobupivacaine plus sufentanil in primiparous women during labour.
We studied the potentiation of analgesia for labour by the addition of clonidine to epidural low-concentration levobupivacaine with sufentanil in a randomised, double-blinded study. We enrolled primiparous women who were in spontaneous labour. The study solutions, made of 100 ml levobupivacaine 0.0625% plus sufentanil 0.45 μg.ml(-1) and either 150 μg clonidine or no clonidine, were used for induction of analgesia, and for its maintenance with self-administered boluses and a continuous background infusion. ⋯ Blood pressure was lower and the rate of instrumental delivery higher in the clonidine group. Clonidine (1.36 μg.ml(-1)) added to the epidural solution of low-concentration levobupivacaine improves the quality of analgesia. The relevance of the haemodynamic effects should be explored in larger validation studies.