Cahiers d'anesthésiologie
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Wound infiltration with a local anaesthetic may be used either to provide anaesthesia for superficial surgery or for postoperative pain relief. In the latter situation, its efficacy is real but remains moderate and usually requires a combination with other analgesics. Ilio-iguinal and ilio-hypogastric block has been shown to have an analgesic efficacy close to that obtained with a wound infiltration but the duration of analgesia may be longer. These blocks remain unfrequently used in adults.
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The placental transfer of local anaesthetics (LA) depends on maternal, placental and fetal factors. The assessment of effects of LA and epidural anaesthesia (EA) on the fetus is based on the monitoring of fetal heart rate (FHR) and the measurement of the fetal pH. Apgar score and neurobehavioral tests allow an evaluation of the neonatal effects of the drugs used. ⋯ Neurobehavioral scores are better after EA than after GA. For emergency caesarean section, the percentage of newborns with an Apgar score < 4 or necessitating a respiratory assistance is more important after GA than after EA. However, the perinatal mortality is not more important after GA than after EA.
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Postoperative pain after shoulder surgery is known to be intense and requires usually opioid administration. The recent use of regional anaesthesia for this type of surgery has contributed to the relief of acute postoperative pain occurring in the recovery room since the analgesic effects of block persist for several hours after surgery depending upon the selected drug. Moreover, the development of less invasive surgery (arthroscopy) and experience with regional blocks have permitted to perform minor shoulder surgery on an outpatient basis. ⋯ However, for more invasive surgery, regional anaesthesia should be associated to a light general anaesthesia as well as the insertion of a supraclavicular catheter for postoperative analgesia. A diaphragmatic paresis secondary to a blockade of the phrenic nerve is constant radiologically after interscalenic block but remains symptomless. However, in case of severe preoperative chronic respiratory insufficiency, decompensation may occur rapidly after performance of the interscalenic block.
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Cahiers d'anesthésiologie · Jan 1995
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial[Comparative study of sufentanil and fentanyl in urologic surgery in adults].
Sufentanil is compared with fentanyl as a supplement to N2O isoflurane anaesthesia in a double blind study of 30 elderly patients undergoing major urological surgery. Comparison is made with respect to 1) haemodynamic (heart rate, blood pressure) responses during surgery and recovery; 2) time to extubation after the end of surgery; 3) Postoperative analgesia. No difference is observed between the two groups with respect to demographic data, duration of surgery, and total doses of muscle relaxants. ⋯ Times between end of surgery and extubation are different: 77 +/- 13 min the sufentanil group versus 57 +/- 22 min the fentanyl group (p < 0.05). Use of analgesia is significantly delayed in the sufentanil group. It is suggested that sufentanil, in elderly patients, provides a better haemodynamic stability and a greater residual analgesia than fentanyl in the immediate postoperative period.