Revista brasileira de anestesiologia
-
Rev Bras Anestesiol · Sep 2002
[Comparison of intravenous and epidural morphine analgesia after thoracotomy.].
Patients undergoing thoracotomy experience severe postoperative pain. This study aimed at evaluating postoperative analgesia with the association of intravenous and epidural morphine as compared to a single route. ⋯ There has been a better analgesic effect with intravenous morphine or the association of intravenous and epidural morphine, with lower drug doses. This difference was significant when lower analgesic doses were used in these groups and represented an effective postoperative analgesic method for thoracotomy, with lower respiratory depression and emetic effects.
-
Restricted sympathetic block during spinal anesthesia may minimize hemodynamic changes. In theory, the use of non-isobaric local anesthetics may induce unilateral anesthesia and limit sympathetic blockade to one side of the body. The local anesthetic dose and the time patients need to remain in the lateral position for achieving unilateral spinal anesthesia are not known. This prospective study investigated the incidence of unilateral spinal anesthesia following injection through a 27G Quincke needle of 0.15% hypobaric bupivacaine, prepared with 1.5 ml standard isobaric bupivacaine plus fentanyl (25 microg), in patients in the lateral position with the limb to be operated upwards. ⋯ Hypobaric 0.15% bupivacaine (7.5 mg) associated to fentanyl provided a predominantly unilateral block after twenty minutes in the lateral position. Major advantages of unilateral spinal anesthesia were hemodynamic stability, patient satisfaction and the absence of post-dural puncture headache.
-
Rev Bras Anestesiol · Sep 2002
[Association of fentanyl or sufentanil an 0.5% isobaric bupivacaine in spinal anesthesia: a comparative study.].
Since the discovery of opioid receptors and the increase in spinal cord neuropharma- cological knowledge as to transmission and inhibition of nociceptive stimulations, there has been an increased interest in spinal drugs for anesthesiology and pain relief. This study aimed at prospectively evaluating the clinical efficacy of fentanyl (25 microg) and sufentanil (5 microg) with isobaric bupivacaine (10 mg), in patients submitted to spinal anesthesia for varicose vein surgery. ⋯ The addition of fentanyl (25 microg) and sufentanil (5 microg) to isobaric bupivacaine (10 mg) in spinal anesthesia affects sensory block levels.
-
Rev Bras Anestesiol · Sep 2002
[Dexmedetomidine and sufentanil as intraoperative analgesics: comparative study.].
The use of alpha2-agonists to control heart rate and blood pressure, to attenuate hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation and extubation and to reduce anesthetics requirement are already well established in the literature since clonidine introduction for therapeutic use. Dexmedetomidine, recently approved for clinical use, presents more alpha2-adrenergic receptors selectively, and therefore less adverse effects combined with marked analgesic and sedative properties. This has raised the interest in using it to replace opioids, known for their potent analgesic and sedative properties. This study aimed at comparing dexmedetomidine and sufentanil analgesias during continuous infusion for ENT, head and neck procedures. ⋯ Dexmedetomidine as intraoperative analgesic was more effective as compared to sufentanil in the procedures selected for this study regarding hemodynamic stability, emergence and anesthetic recovery conditions.
-
Chronic pain is a challenge for modern medicine. New methods and drugs have been proposed to control pain. Intrathecal administration is a feasible and safe option, but still requires further investigations. This study aimed at reviewing available and well established drugs as well as new promising alternatives for the daily practice. ⋯ Several advances were achieved in controlling pain with intrathecal administration of the above-mentioned drugs. Certainly some will be used, thus enriching therapeutic armamentarium, and others will be temporarily or permanently abandoned. However, several clinical and experimental studies will still be needed for knew knowledge to be incorporated and safely used by professionals dealing with chronic pain.