Articles: anesthetics.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Oct 2023
Meta AnalysisScalp Nerve Block, Local Anesthetic Infiltration, and Postoperative Pain After Craniotomy: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials.
The most efficacious methods for controlling postoperative pain in craniotomy remain unknown. A systematic review and network meta-analysis were performed to compare the efficacies of different strategies of scalp nerve block (SNB), scalp infiltration (SI), and control in patients undergoing craniotomy. MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were searched for randomized controlled trials. ⋯ SNB using bupivacaine, lidocaine, and epinephrine combined, and SNB using ropivacaine, were likely the most efficacious methods for opioid consumption reduction (SUCRA, 88% and 80%, respectively). In summary, different methods of SNB / SI seem to have different efficacies after craniotomy. SNB using ropivacaine may be superior to other methods for postcraniotomy pain control; however, the overall quality of evidence was low.
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Moderate-to-severe pain is common and remains a significant problem. Compared with opioid analgesia alone, single-shot peripheral nerve blockade has been associated with improved pain relief and the potential of decreased side effects. Single-shot nerve blockade, however, is limited by its relatively short duration of action. In this review, we aim to summarize the evidence related to local anaesthetic adjuncts for peripheral nerve blockade. ⋯ Intravenous dexamethasone is the local anaesthetic adjunct of choice, increasing the duration of sensory and motor blockade as well as the duration of analgesia by 477, 289 and 478 min, respectively. In view of this, we recommend consideration of the intravenous administration of dexamethasone at a dose of 0.1-0.2 mg/kg for all patients undergoing surgery whatever the level of postoperative pain, mild, moderate or severe. Further research should focus on the potential synergism of action between intravenous dexamethasone and perineural dexmedetomidine.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2023
ReviewContinuous peripheral nerve blocks for analgesia following painful ambulatory surgery: a review with focus on recent developments in infusion technology.
Continuous peripheral nerve blocks (cPNB) decrease pain scores and opioid consumption while improving patient satisfaction following ambulatory surgery. This review focuses on the history and evolution of ambulatory cPNBs, recent developments in infusion technology that may prolong the duration of analgesia, optimal choice of cPNB for various surgical procedures, and novel analgesic modalities that may prove to be alternatives or supplements to cPNBs. ⋯ Patients undergoing painful ambulatory surgery are likely to have less pain and require fewer opioid analgesics when receiving a cPNB for postoperative analgesia. Advances in electronic pumps used for cPNBs may increase the duration of these benefits.
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J Clin Monit Comput · Oct 2023
ReviewLinear thinking does not reflect the newer 21st-century anesthesia concepts. A narrative review.
The brain constitutes a good example of a chaotic, nonlinear biological system where large neuronal networks operate chaotically with random connectivity. This critical state is significantly affected by the anesthetic loss of consciousness induced by drugs whose pharmacological behavior has been classically based on linear kinetics and dynamics. Recent developments in pharmacology and brain monitoring during anesthesia suggest a different view that we tried to explore in this article. The concepts of effect-site for hypnotic drugs modeling a maximum effect, electroencephalographic dynamics during induction, maintenance, and recovery from anesthesia are discussed, integrated into this alternative view, and how it may be applied in daily clinical practice.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2023
ReviewModulating anesthetic emergence with pathway-selective dopamine signaling.
To summarize the recent preclinical findings investigating dopaminergic circuits for their involvement in reversing anesthetic-induced unconsciousness. ⋯ Potential avenues for accelerating anesthetic emergence may be found through targeting specific arousal-promoting pathways in the brain. Accumulating evidence from rodent studies manipulating cell type- and circuit-specific signaling pathways have identified dopamine as a potent modulator of general anesthesia. Specifically, dopamine signaling along the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways plays a fundamental role in regulating consciousness.