Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2001
Biography Historical ArticleTwo surgeons who popularized spinal anesthesia.
Because of the significant mortality associated with general anesthesia in the early decades of the 20th century, two US surgeons--George Pitkin and Wayne Babcock--suggested suitable alternatives. Believing in the greater manageability and safety of regional and spinal anesthesia, each investigated these techniques, employing them for surgery and went on to popularize the rational use of regional anesthesia. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2001;26:278-282.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2001
Case ReportsLumbar sympathetic block for pain relief in two patients with interstitial cystitis.
Interstitial cystitis (IC) is characterized clinically by lower abdominal pain, pain during urination, and increased frequency of urination. Treatment of the symptoms in IC remains challenging. We report effective treatment using lumbar sympathetic block for 2 patients with IC. ⋯ Lumbar sympathetic block using a neurolytic agent produced long-lasting pain relief in 2 patients with IC. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2001;26:271-273.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialEffect of preemptive multimodal analgesia for arthroscopic knee ligament repair.
Administration of analgesic medication before surgery, rather than at the completion of the procedure, may reduce postoperative pain. Similarly, administration of multiple analgesics, with different mechanisms of action, may provide improved postoperative pain control and functional recovery. The purpose of our study was to compare pain scores and intravenous opioid consumption after outpatient anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in patients who received a multimodal drug combination (intravenous [IV] ketorolac, intra-articular morphine/ropivacaine/epinephrine, and femoral nerve block with ropivacaine) either before surgery or immediately at the completion of the surgical procedure. ⋯ Preemptive, multimodal administration of our 3-component analgesic drug combination resulted in lower pain scores during the initial stay in the PACU unit and lower consumption of IV PCA morphine in the PACU. However, pain scores were similar in both groups on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7; thus, there was no measurable long-term advantage associated with preemptive multimodal drug administration.