Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyPerioperative interscalene block versus intra-articular injection of local anesthetics for postoperative analgesia in shoulder surgery.
Up to 70% of patients report moderate to severe pain after shoulder surgery, which can compromise early rehabilitation and functional recuperation. Postoperative shoulder pain control is improved with both interscalene block and intra-articular local anesthetic injection. The present study hypothesized that perioperative interscalene analgesia would offer pain control superior to perioperative intra-articular local anesthetics over the first 24 hours after surgery. ⋯ PACU measurements of immediate postoperative pain and narcotic consumption favor perioperative interscalene analgesia over intra-articular analgesia. This benefit does not translate into lower overall pain for the first 24 hours after surgery.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyEffect of a continuous peripheral nerve block on the inflammatory response in knee arthroplasty.
Experimental nerve block in animals inhibits the inflammatory response. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent a 48-hour local anesthetic block of all afferent and efferent nerve fibers of the knee area has an impact on postoperative inflammatory response. ⋯ Continuous lumbar plexus and sciatic nerve blocks with ropivacaine contribute to the attenuation of the postoperative inflammatory response.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialUse of a topical anesthetic cream (EMLA) to reduce pain after hemorrhoidectomy.
Hemorrhoidectomy usually leads to severe postoperative pain that often causes urinary retention. Topical EMLA cream (lidocaine 2.5% and prilocaine 2.5%) has been used extensively in the clinical setting. This prospective study tested the effectiveness of EMLA cream for postoperative pain control after hemorrhoidectomy. ⋯ Topical EMLA cream decreased pain intensity and meperidine requests, reduced the frequency of single catheterizations, and improved patient satisfaction with postoperative pain management after hemorrhoidectomy in adults.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of the hemodynamic effects of a single 5 mg/kg dose of lidocaine with or without epinephrine for thoracic paravertebral block.
Epinephrine is often added to local anesthetic solutions to minimize and slow the systemic absorption of local anesthetics, and thus reduce the possibility of adverse effects of these drugs. In an earlier study we found that the injection of 5 mg/kg of lidocaine via the paravertebral route depressed myocardial contractility by up to 30%, with practically no changes in heart rate or blood pressure. In the present study we investigated whether these alterations are due to systemic absorption of the local anesthetic, and whether such absorption can be minimized by adding epinephrine to the local anesthetic solution. ⋯ Addition of epinephrine to lidocaine when performing thoracic paravertebral block, attenuates the cardiodepressive effects associated with the systemic absorption of lidocaine and also, as a result of the beta-adrenergic consequences of epinephrine, systemic absorption from the paravertebral space.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyEffects of using the posterior or anterior approaches to the lumbar plexus on the minimum effective anesthetic concentration (MEAC) of mepivacaine required to block the femoral nerve: a prospective, randomized, up-and-down study.
To evaluate if psoas compartment block requires a larger concentration of mepivacaine to block the femoral nerve than does an anterior 3-in-1 femoral nerve block. ⋯ Using a posterior psoas compartment approach to the lumbar plexus does not increase the minimum effective anesthetic concentration of mepivacaine required to block the femoral nerve as compared with the anterior 3-in-1 approach, and provides better quality of intraoperative anesthesia due to the more reliable block of the lateral femoral cutaneous and obturator nerves.