Articles: analgesia.
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Clinical Trial
Maximum tolerated dose of nalmefene in patients receiving epidural fentanyl and dilute bupivacaine for postoperative analgesia.
This study investigated the ability of the modified continual reassessment method (MCRM) to determine the maximum tolerated dose of the opioid antagonist nalmefene, which does not reverse analgesia in an acceptable number of postoperative patients receiving epidural fentanyl in 0.075% bupivacaine. ⋯ The modified continual reassessment method facilitated determination of the maximum tolerated dose ofnalmefene . Operating characteristics of the modified continual reassessment method suggest it may be an effective statistical tool for dose-finding in trials of selected analgesic or anesthetic agents.
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The practising midwife · Apr 2000
Review Comparative StudyEpidural versus non-epidural analgesia in labour.
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Intravenous (IV) opioid titration is an accepted method of relieving acute renal colic. Studies have shown that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are also effective in this setting. Our objective was to compare single-dose ketorolac and titrated meperidine, both administered intravenously, with respect to speed and degree of analgesia, adverse effects and functional status. Our primary hypothesis was that these agents provide equivalent analgesia within 60 minutes. Our secondary hypotheses were that ketorolac-treated patients would experience fewer adverse effects and would be better able to resume usual activity. ⋯ In the doses studied, single-dose IV ketorolac is as effective as titrated IV meperidine for the relief of acute renal colic and causes less functional impairment.
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The relationship between epidural analgesia and cesarean delivery remains controversial. Several studies have documented an association, although others have not. This inconsistency may result from an association between severe labor pain and dystocia. We hypothesized that dystocia causes severe labor pain, such that more epidural medication is required to maintain comfort. We examined the relationship between labor outcome and severe pain, defined by the number of supplemental epidural boluses. We retrospectively reviewed the anesthesia records of 4493 parturients who received small-dose labor epidural analgesia. An independent association was found between operative delivery and maternal age, body mass index, nulliparity, fetal weight, induction of labor, and the number of boluses required during labor. By using multivariate analysis, the odds ratio of cesarean delivery among women who required at least three boluses was 2.3 compared with those who required two boluses or less. No association was found between the concentration of bupivacaine in the epidural infusion and operative delivery. Because women with cesarean deliveries appeared to have more pain, degree of labor pain may be a confounding factor in studies examining epidural analgesia and outcome. ⋯ This is a retrospective observational study demonstrating an association between labor pain and cesarean delivery. Our results provide an alternative explanation of why epidural analgesia is associated with cesarean delivery.