Efficacy of thoracic epidural analgesia for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Introduction Postoperative pain is a commonly observed phenomenon after laparoscopic procedures. The use of new low-solubility inhalation anaesthetics leads to faster induction and recovery, but the effect of analgesics on pain when used with them is not sufficiently known. Optimally, analgesic therapy should be started in sufficient time as to be effective at the point of emergence from anaesthesia. We compared the effectiveness of intravenous and epidural analgesia in patients undergoing general anaesthesia with sevoflurane for laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the early postoperative period. Methods Thirty adult patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I–II, scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, were enrolled in this study. The patients in the intravenous group (n=15) received general anaesthesia with sevoflurane and intravenous infusion of 1.5 μg/ml/kg/h fentanyl analgesia followed by postoperative intravenous infusion of 1.0 μg/ml/kg/h fentanyl, supplied by a programmed continuous analgesia pump. The patients in the epidural group (n=15) had combined epidural analgesia with 0.125% bupivacaine plus 50 μg fentanyl and general anaesthesia with sevoflurane, followed by continuous epidural infusion of 4 ml/h bupivacaine 0.125% plus 50 μg fentanyl. Visual analogue scores and the patients’ needs for analgesics and were recorded.     

Relative analgesic potency of fentanyl and sufentanil during intermediate-term infusions in patients after long-term opioid treatment for chronic pain

Sufentanil, a potent mu-opioid agonist, historically has not been been given systemically to treat chronic pain. An implantable, fixed-rate osmotic pump that delivers sufentanil subcutaneously is being developed for this purpose. In that transdermal fentanyl may be a useful intermediary to estimate the appropriate sufentanil dose before implant, accurate information is needed about the relative analgesic potency of sufentanil and fentanyl during continuous infusion. To determine this relative potency, we administered these drugs to opioid-treated chronic pain patients using a target-controlled infusion (TCI). Sixty-three patients with stable chronic pain and daily oral opioid requirements equivalent to 100-1000 mg of morphine received TCI of fentanyl and sufentanil, each for a minimum of 16 h. Drug administration was double-blind and the order of administration was randomly assigned. Target concentration was changed until the patient reported that analgesia was adequate (defined as a pain level equal to or better than baseline). Seven patients did not complete the infusion and protocol violations invalidated data for 15 patients. For the remaining 41 patients, target concentrations associated with adequate analgesia were achieved for both sufentanil and fentanyl. The median value for the equianalgesic concentration ratio (steady-state fentanyl infusion to steady-state sufentanil infusion) was 7.5; mean potency ratio was 7.44 (95% confidence interval 6.8-8.2). During titrated, intermediate-term infusions in patients previously treated with opioids for chronic pain, sufentanil is approximately 7.5 times as potent as fentanyl.     

小剂量氯胺酮静脉自控镇痛对严重烧伤休克期患者细胞因子平衡的影响

目的 探讨严重烧伤休克期患者静脉注射小剂量氯胺酮或联合芬太尼静脉自控镇痛（PCIA）对细胞因子平衡的影响。方法 45例严重烧伤患者于伤后24h内入院，随机分为传统镇痛（CAT）、静脉注射氯胺酮自控镇痛（PCIKA）和静脉注射芬太尼加氯胺酮自控镇痛（PCIKFA）3组，每组15例。在积极抗休克的同时，CAT组患者根据需要肌肉注射哌替啶50mg和异丙嗪25mg，PCIKA组给予氯胺酮20g／L＋氟哌利多50mg／L，PCIKFA组给予氯胺酮10g／L＋芬太尼5mg／L＋氟哌利多50mg／L，PCIA负荷量均为1ml，PCIA用量为1ml，锁定时间30min，持续输入量1．5ml／h。检测镇痛前和镇痛后1、8、24和48h血清中白细胞介素-1（IL-1）、IL-6、肿瘤坏北因子-α（TNF-α）的浓度。结果 PCIKA、PCIKFA两组患者镇痛效果明显优于CAT组（P均〈0．01）。镇痛评分较镇痛前及CAT组明显降低（P均〈0．01）各组患者无恶心、呕吐、幻觉及呼吸抑制等不良反应。两组PCIA患者镇痛开始后IL-1、TNF-α与镇痛前比较无明显变化（P均〉0．05），而TL-6镇痛开始后24h与镇痛前比较明显降低（P〈0．01），两组PCIA患者IL-1、IL-6及TNF-α均明显低于CAT组（P均〈0．01）。结论 严重烧伤休克期患者静脉注射小剂量氯胺酮或联合芬太尼进行自控镇痛安全、有效，并有助于维持此类患者休克期细胞因子的平衡状态。     

Fentanyl: clinical use as postoperative analgesic--epidural/intrathecal route.

The administration of epidural and intrathecal opioids for the management of postoperative pain is well established. Fentanyl, because of its greater lipophilicity, offers a number of advantages over morphine for epidural analgesia, including a lower incidence of side effects and reduced risk of delayed-onset respiratory depression. The relatively short duration of action of epidural fentanyl makes this agent more ideally suited for continuous infusion or patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA). The effective doses and adverse effects profile of epidural fentanyl are reasonably well understood. Because of the lack of spread through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and hence the segmental nature of the analgesia achieved, location of epidural catheter placement is of paramount importance when this agent is used. Prolonged epidural infusion of fentanyl may result in high systemic concentrations not dissimilar to IV infusion, and, therefore, the greatest efficacy of epidural fentanyl administration may be in combination with low concentrations of bupivacaine, an approach that achieves a synergistic effect. 2-Chloroprocaine has been shown to antagonize epidural fentanyl analgesia. Intrathecal fentanyl for postoperative analgesia is limited by its short duration of action with single-bolus administration. The widespread international increase in the use of epidural fentanyl for postoperative analgesia promises further improvements and refinement in techniques.     

Intravenous lidocaine for effective pain relief after inguinal herniorrhaphy: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the effectiveness of intravenous lidocaine to reduce post-operative pain in 64 inguinal herniorrhaphy patients. Intravenous bolus injection of 1.5 mg/kg lidocaine followed by a continuous lidocaine infusion of 2 mg/kg per h was randomly assigned to 32 patients (lidocaine group) and intravenous normal saline bolus injection followed by infusion of normal saline was assigned to 32 other patients (control group). Visual analogue scale pain scores, fentanyl consumption and the frequency at which analgesia was administered from a patient-controlled analgesia device (measured by number of button pushes) were significantly lower in the lidocaine group than in the control group until 12 h after surgery. Total fentanyl consumption (patient-controlled plus investigator-controlled rescue administration) and the total number of button pushes were significantly lower in the lidocaine group than in the control group. It is concluded that intravenous lidocaine injection reduced post-operative pain after inguinal herniorrhaphy, is easy to administer and may have potential to become routine practice for this type of surgery.     

Continuous intrathecal fentanyl infusion for postoperative analgesia

Following inadvertent dural puncture during epidural catheter placement, a 20 gauge polyethylene catheter was placed in the intrathecal space, and continuous spinal anesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine was administered intraoperatively to supplement general anesthesia. Following surgery, a continuous intrathecal fentanyl infusion (0.2 mcg/kg/hr) was administered to provide postoperative analgesia. The child was awake and comfortable throughout this time and required no supplemental analgesic agents. Although epidural catheters are still our preferred method of analgesia, intrathecal fentanyl infusion is one alternative when inadvertent dural puncture occurs.     

Pharmacokinetics of fentanyl during sevoflurane based general anesthesia in children

The research is based on the analysis of 50 cases of anesthesia during reconstructive surgeries in children. The anesthesia was based on inhalation of sevolflurane and injection of fentanyl by the bolus infusion scheme. During the different stages of anesthesia the opioid concentration in plasma was measured. Analysis of hemodynamic parameters showed no statistically significant differences in changes in performance, indicating the steady flow of anesthesia. Infusion of fentanyl provided a smooth, gradual decrease in its concentration in plasma, while analgesia remained adequate. The combination of sevoflurane in a concentration of 1.3 MAC and infusion of fentanyl to a total dose 6 mkg/kg/h was effective in provisioning stable anesthesia in the given category of patients with surgical pathology.     

布托啡诺与芬太尼静脉自控镇痛的效果观察及护理

目的探讨布托啡诺与芬太尼用于病人自控静脉镇痛（PCIA）的效果及其不良反应。方法将100例开腹手术病人随机分为布托啡诺组50例和芬太尼组50例,背景输注量和锁定时间均相同。记录药物用量、疼痛评分、镇静评分,观察不良反应的例数,调查病人的总体满意度。结果两组术后疼痛评分差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）;镇静效果差异有统计学意义,布托啡诺组镇静时间较长（P〈0．05）;两组不良反应发生率差异有统计学意义,芬太尼组恶心、呕吐的发生率较布托啡诺组为高（P〈0．01）。结论两种药物用于PCIA镇痛及镇静均能达到满意效果,但布托啡诺组镇静时间较长,要注意观察病人的睡眠情况;芬太尼组容易引起恶心、呕吐,要注意防止病人发生呼吸抑制。     

Factors That Influence Pain Intensity and Fentanyl Requirements After a Gynecologic Laparotomy

The association between pain intensity and its control by intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) with fentanyl after a laparotomy for cystectomy/salphingoophorectomy, myomectomy, or hysterectomy was investigated. IV fentanyl infusion was administered to patients (n = 94) at 3 μg/kg/h to provide intraoperative analgesia after induction of general anesthesia. Postoperative fentanyl requirements were quantified via IV-PCA, and the amounts of rescue fentanyl required both during and after surgery were recorded. Mean values for PCA use as well as the visual analog scores (VAS) for pain were documented for up to 24 hours. The association between postoperative fentanyl requirements and VAS were then analyzed by using Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis tests. Patients with lower midline incisions had greater degrees of pain (p < .05) during the first 16 hours after surgery but did not consume more fentanyl compared with patients with Pfannenstiel incisions. Subjects who underwent operations lasting >4 hours required more rescue fentanyl during surgery (p < .05). However, this group consumed less fentanyl during the first 4 hours after surgery (p < .05). The demand at the fourth 4-hour period was lower among subjects undergoing myomectomy compared with cystectomy/salphingoophorectomy or hysterectomy (p = .045). Only a poor correlation was observed between pain intensity and analgesic usage. Postoperative pain intensity is influenced by the type of surgical incision but not the type of gynecologic surgery nor the duration of surgery. The relationship between subjective pain ratings with analgesic consumption is weak. Prolonged intraoperative administration of continuous IV fentanyl infusion may reduce fentanyl requirements in the immediate postoperative period.     

Epidural analgesia in surgical treatment of scoliosis

The article provides data on the use of a two-level epidural analgesia as a component of general anesthesia and postoperative analgesia in surgical treatment of scoliosis on the front and back structures of the spine. The study included 150 patients aged from 12 to 25 years. All the patients were divided into 4 groups. The patients of the 2-nd and 3-rd groups before the main stage was carried out an epidural analgesia with 0.75% ropivacaine and sevorane-propofol general anaesthesia . In the 1-st and 4-th group carried out an propofol-fentanyl TIVA or inhalational sevorane-fentanyl one. The best result were obtained in the 3-rd group, where they carried out the infusion 0.2% ropivacaine with fentanyl (1 microg/ml) and epinephrine (2 microg/ml) via 2 epidural catheters. It was noted decreased blood loss by more than 50% in groups with epidural analgesia.     

Approaches to anesthesia management of a patient during oncological pulmonary surgery

The results of lungs' excision in 82 patients made under a combined anesthesia of 2 types are comparatively analyzed. A surface low-level endobronchial narcosis by isoflurane was administered in 42 patients concurrently with a "high" epidural anesthesia by bupivakain and fentanyl. The other 40 patients received isoflurane and intravenous bolus injections of fentanyl concurrently with epidural anesthesia by morphine administered at the lumbar level. The epidural analgesia by bupivakain and fentanyl made at the thoracal level or by morphine made at the lumbar level was carried on in the early postoperative period. The results show both variations to ensure a reliable intraoperative anesthesia, a smooth recovery and a good postoperative analgesia. Better results were on the whole obtained by the variant of high epidural anesthesia/analgesia; however, the method of lumbar morphine administration has a number of advantages primarily related with its simplicity.     

Pediatric analgesia with epidural fentanyl citrate administered by nursing staff.

Even though epidural analgesia is effective and has advantages over conventional postoperative analgesia, it is also labor intensive, requiring 24-hour supervision by an anesthesiologist. In an effort to decrease the manpower requirements, some hospitals allow the nursing staff to administer epidural narcotics to adult patients. In children, however, this practice has been limited. We retrospectively reviewed our experience over 12 months with this procedure. Epidural catheters (caudal, lumbar, or thoracic) were placed in 43 pediatric patients for acute and chronic pain management. All patients received a continuous epidural infusion of bupivacaine hydrochloride with fentanyl citrate. Eleven (26%) of the 43 patients required supplemental analgesia and were given 45 doses of epidural fentanyl. Adequate analgesia was achieved in all patients. No intravascular or intrathecal injections were noted, nor did any inadvertent epidural injections of medications occur. No patient had respiratory depression (respiratory rate less than 10% for age). We believe epidural administration of fentanyl by a carefully educated nursing staff is safe and effective in children.     

Low dose fentanyl improves continuous bupivacaine epidural analgesia following orthopaedic, urological or general surgery

This retrospective study assessed the clinical efficacy of the addition of low concentrations of fentanyl to bupivacaine 0.125% when infused epidurally for postoperative analgesia. Three patient groups received bupivacaine 0.125% alone (n=70), bupivacaine 0.125% with 1 μg/ml fentanyl (n=100), and bupivacaine 0.125% with 2 μg/ml fentanyl (n=70). The percentage of patients with adequate analgesia (pain score ≤3) was higher in both fentanyl groups compared to the plain bupivacaine group on each of the three study days (p<0.05). Those receiving plain bupivacaine had a greater incidence of patchy or unilateral blocks compared to both fentanyl groups (p<0.05). The higher dose of fentanyl was associated with a greatly increased length of stable analgesia (p<0.01). Patient satisfaction scores were highest in the 2 μg/ml fentanyl group and lowest in the plain bupivacaine group, with significant differences between all groups (p<0.01). The incidence of nausea was significantly greater in the plain bupivacaine group compared to both fentanyl groups (p<0.001); other side effects were similar between the groups. We conclude that the addition of fentanyl 1–2 μg/ml to bupivacaine 0.125% for continuous epidural infusion significantly improved all indicators of analgesic quality, without an attendant increase in side effects in a routine clinical setting and is therefore to be recommended.     

不同镇痛技术在鼻腔术后的应用

目的探讨不同镇痛技术在鼻腔术后抽取鼻腔填塞物时的应用。方法选取2010年6月~2011年6月在本院行鼻内镜手术患者160例,将患者随机分为麻醉组和无麻醉组,每组80例。无麻醉组采取传统法抽取鼻腔填塞物。麻醉组又随机分为2组,每组40例:A组采用芬太尼复合丙泊酚镇痛;B组单独使用丙泊酚镇痛。比较使用或不使用镇痛技术对患者的影响。结果无麻醉组中采取传统抽取鼻腔填塞物的患者均有不同程度疼痛感,而麻醉组中使用镇痛技术的患者均无疼痛感,两组镇痛差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01)。使用芬太尼复合丙泊酚的A组镇痛效果优于单纯使用丙泊酚的B组,但是两组差异不具有统计学意义。结论芬太尼复合丙泊酚这种镇痛技术在鼻腔术后抽取鼻腔填塞物时能够显著降低患者疼痛感,极大提高患者的舒适度和生活质量。     

Epidural analgesia—experience of 5628 patients in a large teaching hospital derived through audit

A prospective audit of 5628 surgical patients was conducted to determine the success, failure and complication rates associated with postoperative epidural analgesia. The majority of patients received infusions of bupivacaine 0.1% with hydromorphone 20 μg/cm³. However, elderly and frail patients received plain bupivacaine 0.1% or bupivacaine 0.1% with fentanyl 2 μg/cm³. Postoperatively, epidural infusions were selected, adjusted or terminated as indicated. Termination of epidural analgesia was defined as either success, if the infusion was continued until there was no further need for epidural analgesia, or failure, if the infusion was discontinued prematurely due to problems with the catheter or treatment that could not be controlled through intervention. Twenty-two percent of patients had their epidural catheter removed prematurely due to either technical (catheter) or treatment (medication) problems that could not be resolved. Technical problems with the catheter caused 807 failures (14% of all patients). Almost 70% of the technical failures (N=554) were due to catheter dislodgement. Treatment problems resulted in 451 failures (8% of all patients). The majority of treatment failures were due to inadequate analgesia despite functioning catheters. This audit has proved useful in maintaining standards of care and in identifying problems with postoperative epidural therapy that still need improvement. It allows a balanced assessment of the value of this treatment in the setting of a large teaching hospital and is the largest reported series of postoperative epidural hydromorphone analgesia.     

舒芬太尼复合罗哌卡因用于开胸术后硬膜外镇痛的疗效

【目的】观察舒芬太尼或芬太尼复合罗哌卡因用于开胸手术后硬膜外自控镇痛（PCEA）的临床镇痛效果和安全性。【方法】ASAⅠ～Ⅱ级,全麻复合连续硬膜外阻滞麻醉行开胸手术病人70例,随机分为两组（n=35）,使用0．75μg／ml舒芬太尼（S组）或3μg／ml芬太尼（F组）复合0．125％罗哌卡因,术后行PCEA。镇痛泵设定持续背景剂量2mL／h、PCA每次0．5mL,锁定时间15min。观察病人术后镇痛效果,记录术后4h、8h、12h、24h、48h各时间点的疼痛评分（VAS）、镇静评分、PCA使用次数、不良反应和病人满意度。【结果】S组术后8h、24h和48hVAS评分明显低于F组（P〈0．05）;S组各时间点镇静评分均明显大于F组（P〈0．05）;S组PCA按压次数显著低于F组（P〈0．05）;S组病人对PCA的满意度明显高于F组（P〈0．05）。两组恶心、呕吐发生率低,呼吸抑制相比无明显差异。【结论】舒芬太尼复合罗哌卡因用于开胸手术后PCEA,镇痛安全有效,镇痛镇静效果优于芬太尼,不良反应程度较轻。     

Epidural Labor Analgesia: Continuous Infusion Versus Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia With Background Infusion Versus Without a Background Infusion

The purpose of this study was to compare the total epidural dose of 3 commonly used labor epidural modalities. After local institutional review board approval, 195 laboring parturients received an epidural catheter for labor analgesia. All patients received an initial bolus of 0.1% ropivacaine (10 mL) and fentanyl (100 microg). Maintenance of labor analgesia consisted of ropivacaine 0.1% with fentanyl 2 microg/mL. Patients were then randomly assigned into 3 groups: Group 1 (continuous epidural infusion [CEI]), continuous infusion at 10 mL/h; group 2 (CEI + patient-controlled epidural analgesia [PCEA]), CEI at 5 mL/h with a demand dose of 5 mL allowed every 20 minutes with a 20 mL/h maximum dose; group 3 (PCEA), demand doses only of 5 mL every 15 minutes with a 20 mL/h maximum dose. Measured variables included total epidural dose, total bolus requests and boluses delivered, number of staff interventions, pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS; 0-100), modified Bromage scores, stage I and II labor duration, delivery outcome, and maternal satisfaction after delivery. No differences were noted with respect to pain VAS, modified Bromage scores, stage I and II labor duration, number of staff interventions, delivery outcome, and maternal satisfaction score. Total infusion dose was lower in demand dose only PCEA compared with CEI and CEI + PCEA groups (P = < .01). Demand dose-only PCEA results in less total epidural dose compared with CEI and CEI + PCEA without affecting labor duration, motor block, pain VAS, maternal and neonatal outcomes, and maternal satisfaction. PERSPECTIVE: This article compares 3 commonly used labor epidural delivery modalities (traditional continuous epidural infusion, patient-controlled epidural analgesia with a background infusion, and demand dose-only patient-controlled epidural analgesia). Benefits in epidural dose reduction with demand dose only PCEA does not translate into improved maternal and neonatal outcome.     

The effect of anesthesia on the neurohumoral regulation system and water-electrolyte balance during aortocoronary bypass

Two methods of multicomponent general anesthesia distinct in the analgetic agent used to ensure analgesia have been compared. In group I (6 patients) analgesia was ensured by fentanyl at a dose of 10 micrograms/(kg/min), in group II (7 patients) it was ensured by pyritramide (dipidolor) at a dose of 2 mg/kg for the whole operative period. The study has shown that during aortocoronary bypass surgery in patients with ischemic heart disease analgesia is better ensured by pyritramide than by fentanyl administration. The latter technique of analgesia should be improved, as the current modification causes almost twice as great stress-reaction as the one employing pyritramide.