Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparison of remifentanil and propofol infusions for sedation during regional anesthesia.
Patients treated with regional anesthesia often require concomitant medication for comfort and sedation. Propofol is widely used for this purpose. Remifentanil, a new ultra-short-acting opioid, exhibits at low doses distinct sedative properties that may be useful for supplementation of regional anesthesia. This study compared the effectiveness of remifentanil and propofol infusions for providing sedation during regional block placement and surgery. ⋯ When titrated to the same sedation level, remifentanil provided a smoother hemodynamic profile than propofol during regional anesthesia. The frequent occurrence of remifentanil-induced respiratory depression requires cautious administration of this agent. The incidence of adverse reactions seen with both agents during and after their administration makes the management of such sedative infusion techniques difficult.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialSensory block extension during combined spinal and epidural.
During a combined spinal and epidural technique, extension of sensory block by epidural injection of saline or bupivacaine has been demonstrated and attributed to a volume effect or to the combination of a volume effect with a local anesthetic effect. This two-part study was designed to evaluate the time dependency of the volume effect and the local anesthetic effect on the mechanism of spinal block extension. ⋯ During a combined spinal and epidural technique with the use of hyperbaric bupivacaine, the volume effect is time dependent and is seen when epidural top up is done soon after spinal injection. This volume effect is abolished when patients are left seated for 5 minutes after spinal injection. The local anesthetic effect is not demonstrated when high sensory block levels are achieved by spinal injection.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialEnhancement of analgesic effect of intrathecal neostigmine and clonidine on bupivacaine spinal anesthesia.
Intrathecal administration of neostigmine has been shown to produce analgesia in both animals and humans. The concurrent administration of intrathecal neostigmine and clonidine has been reported to produce no neurotoxicity in sheep. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combining intrathecal neostigmine and clonidine for the relief of pain in patients after cesarean delivery. ⋯ Our study showed that the combination of 150 microg i.t. clonidine and 50 microg neostigmine provided longer postsurgical analgesia than with either drug used alone. However, this combination also produced significantly more adverse effects of prolonged motor block and nausea and vomiting. A further study combining the two study drugs but using a lower dose of i.t. neostigmine (e.g., 25 microg) is recommended.
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The neurolytic celiac plexus block is an established, well-developed procedure and the most widely applicable of all the neurolytic pain blocks. It optimizes palliative treatment for cancer of the upper abdominal viscera. Several techniques have been proposed in an attempt to increase success rates, reduce morbidity, and enhance technical accuracy. However, the assessment of the results and effectiveness of the block have been controversial. ⋯ Neurolytic celiac plexus block alone is capable of providing complete pain relief until death in a few cases and, therefore, should be considered as an adjuvant treatment in the analgesic strategy. Combination palliative therapy is necessary in most cases. Failure of the block may be attributed to tumor metastasizing beyond the nerves that conduct pain via the celiac plexus and the component nerves that form it. Concomitant pain of somatic origin (frequently observed in upper gastrointestinal cancer because of significant peritoneal involvement) requires other therapeutic measures.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 1998
Intrathecal addition of morphine to bupivacaine is not the cause of postoperative nausea and vomiting.
Postoperative nausea and vomiting after anesthesia is an distressing side effect. This study was undertaken to determine to what extent spinal opioids contribute to postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and secondly to how effectively metoclopramide can reduce the incidence of PONV after intrathecal administration of morphine. ⋯ Administration of metoclopramide did not reduce the overall incidence of PONV. Our study shows no relationship between the use of intrathecal morphine and the incidence of PONV during the first 24 hours postoperative.