The British journal of surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized clinical trial of epidural, spinal or patient-controlled analgesia for patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
Epidural analgesia is considered fundamental in enhanced recovery protocols (ERPs). However, its value in laparoscopic colorectal surgery is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of different analgesic regimens on outcomes following laparoscopic colorectal surgery in fluid-optimized patients treated within an ERP. ⋯ Many of the outcomes in the epidural analgesia group were significantly worse than those in the spinal analgesia and PCA groups, suggesting that either of these two modalities could replace epidural analgesia.
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The feasibility of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in liver surgery using a single-component clinical endpoint is low as such endpoints require large sample sizes owing to their low incidence. A liver surgery-specific composite endpoint (CEP) could solve this problem. The aim of this study was to develop a liver surgery-specific CEP with well-defined components. ⋯ The proposed liver surgery-specific CEP consists of ascites, postresectional liver failure, bile leakage, intra-abdominal haemorrhage, intra-abdominal abscess and operative mortality. It has a considerably higher event rate than any of its components. Its use as the primary endpoint will increase the feasibility and comparability of RCTs in liver surgery.
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Sacral and posterior tibial nerve stimulation may be used to treat faecal incontinence; however, the mechanism of action is unknown. The aim of this study was to establish whether sensory activation of the cerebral cortex by anal canal stimulation was increased by peripheral neuromodulation. ⋯ Brief sacral neuromodulation induces profound changes in anal canal representation on the primary somatosensory cortex, providing a plausible hypothesis concerning the mechanism of action of neuromodulation in the treatment of faecal incontinence.