Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyContinuous lumbar plexus block provides improved analgesia with fewer side effects compared with systemic opioids after hip arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial.
A single injection lumbar plexus block for acute pain management after hip surgery is usually limited to the immediate postoperative period. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of a continuous lumbar plexus block on perioperative opioid requirements and pain intensity. ⋯ Continuous lumbar plexus block combined with PCA is superior to PCA alone for postoperative pain management following hip replacement. It reduces opioid requirements, opioid related side effects, and enhances patient satisfaction. However, additional research is required to determine its safety in light of the neurologic injury observed.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of gabapentin on experimental somatic pain and temporal summation.
Gabapentin is used for treatment of neuropathic pain, but its effect on different somatic pain modalities and integrative mechanisms are not completely understood. The aim of this double-blind, placebo-controlled experimental pain study, conducted on 20 healthy volunteers, was to examine the effect of a single dose of 1200 mg gabapentin on multi-modal experimental cutaneous and muscle pain models. ⋯ Gabapentin reduces temporal summation of skin stimuli at pain threshold intensities; this may have potential as a biomarker for drugs with efficacy on neurogenic pain. The data also suggest that tonic muscle pain is responsive to gabapentin treatment and suggest further clinical studies.