Postoperative extradural infusions in children: preliminary data from a comparison of bupivacaine/diamorphine with plain ropivacaine

To try to decrease the incidence of side-effects associated with postoperative extradural infusions of local anaesthetics in combination with opioids, we have used plain ropivacaine solutions in 200 children. The first 72 children received an infusion of bupivacaine 0.125% + diamorphine 20 microg x ml-1, then 200 children received plain ropivacaine solutions. The children who received ropivacaine were found to have lower incidences of nausea, pruritus, urinary retention, and were less sedated, despite comparable analgesia. The management of plain ropivacaine for extradural analgesia is discussed.     

Sympathetic blockade during extradural analgesia with mepivacaine or bupivacaine

The extent of sympathetic blockade in 36 patients, who had been given extradural analgesia, was studied by means of the skin conductance response (SCR). The SCR was also studied in six healthy volunteers who received, in a cross-over fashion, infusions of physiological saline (placebo) and saline containing mepivacaine. Two more volunteers were given saline containing bupivacaine. Extradural analgesia caused a partial blockade of sympathetic activity. The higher the level of analgesia the greater the degree of inhibition of the SCR. Complete blockade of the SCR or only a weak response in the foot was obtained in the majority of cases when the level of analgesia reached a dermatome level of T4 or higher. There was no significant relationship between the degree of motor blockade of the lower extremities and the intensity of blockade of the SCR. Extradural injection of 2% mepivacaine had a greater effect on the SCR than did 0.5% bupivacaine. There was no indication that infusion of mepivacaine or bupivacaine in volunteers, whose blood levels were as high as or higher than those likely to be produced during extradural analgesia, affected the SCR.     

A rare complication of extradural analgesia

A case is reported of probable subdural injection of bupivacaine during attempted extradural analgesia for an operative obstetric procedure.     

Patient-controlled analgesia for children: a review

The technique of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has recently been applied successfully to suitable paediatric patients. PCA using morphine has been shown to be feasible, efficacious and safe even in children of 5 years of age. Adverse effects are similar to other techniques using opioids. Hypoxaemia and respiratory depression are unusual but a high dependency level of nursing supervision and oxygen saturation monitoring by pulse oximetry are recommended. Developments of the technique include nurse or parent assisted PCA, the use of other opiates such as fentanyl or alfentanil, patient-controlled variable rate infusion and patient-controlled epidural analgesia. PCA is also a powerful research tool in evaluating objectively other methods of analgesia. It will find an increasing role in paediatric practice for the management of acute and chronic pain as a major component of a comprehensive pain relief service.     

Patient-controlled analgesia in children. A comparison of two infusion techniques

The effectiveness of patient-controlled intravenous morphine with and without a supplementary fixed rate infusion was studied in 40 children after orthopaedic surgery and 40 children after abdominal surgery. The use of a background infusion after orthopaedic surgery, where the majority of children received intra-operative regional blockade, resulted in a higher total dose of morphine (P < 0.05) without evidence of improved analgesia, compared to PCA alone. Children receiving a background infusion after abdominal surgery showed evidence of improved sleeping patterns post-operatively compared with those receiving PCA alone, despite similar overall morphine consumption. There were no episodes of excessive sedation, or respiratory depression with the use of either regimen, and over 90% of the children studied were assessed as experiencing either no pain or mild pain. The suitability and efficacy of patient controlled analgesia for management of post-operative pain for children aged between 5 and 17 years appears to be confirmed. The use of a supplementary background infusion may be of value in children.     

A retrospective study of surgical and conservative treatment for spinal extradural abscess

The management of spinal extradural abscess (SEA), particularly the choice between surgical and conservative treatment, is controversial. We therefore undertook a retrospective study of patients admitted with this diagnosis: Details of presentation, treatment and outcome were obtained by review of inpatient notes and radiology. Twenty-five ¶individuals with SEA aged 10–¶79 years were admitted between 1989 and 1995. Nine were treated non-operatively with antibiotics, of which three also underwent diagnostic CT-guided biopsy, and 16 underwent surgical drainage. There was no significant difference in the neurological features at presentation between the two groups. Two patients (8%) died; 11 (44%) patients remained the same and 12 (48%) improved following treatment. Four patients treated conservatively (44%) and seven treated surgically (43%) were capable of return to work or school, whilst a further seven patients (three treated conservatively and four treated surgically) were able to lead independent lives. No significant difference in outcome was demonstrated between patients treated non-operatively and those treated surgically. We conclude that certain carefully selected patients can be treated conservatively, but that surgery should remain the mainstay of management.     

Traumatic extradural haematomas in children: Experience with 62 cases

Summary Sixty-two children with traumatic extradural haematomas are considered. According to the clinical history presented—often atypical— and to the grade of neurological impairment, patients have been divided into different clinical groups. Nearly 50% of patients sustained a minor injury, and 26% did not lose consciousness after trauma. Twenty-four per cent of patients did not show fractures on skull X-rays. Atypical location of the haematoma was noted in 22 cases, mainly in the anterior fossa (19 cases).Sixty patients were operated on, while two patients were conservatively treated, owing to the limited size of the haematomas and to the absence of neurological deficits. Associated brain lesions were discovered at surgery in 40% of cases.The overall mortality rate has been 17%, the operative mortality rate 14%. The morbidity rate has been 6%, with 3% of patients presenting severe disability. Morbidity and mortality have been shown to be affected by age—with better prognosis in patients under 10 years of age, by the clinical history presented, by the preoperative conditions, and, mainly, by the presence of associated brain lesions. As regards location, frontal haematomas have shown a better prognosis and a slower course than convexity haematomas. Finally, prognosis of extradural haematomas in children has improved to some extent in the last years with the advent of the CT scan, possibly due to speed and accuracy of diagnosis.     

Transnasal butorphanol for postoperative analgesia following paediatric surgery in a third world country

The authors present their experience with transnasal butorphanol to provide analgesia following orthopaedic and plastic surgical procedures in children. Transnasal butorphanol was administered to eight patients ranging in age from eight to 17 years and in weight from 34 to 64 kg. Following the surgical procedure, the patient and a parent were instructed on how to use the medication. They were instructed to administer one spray into one nostril every three h as needed for pain. The quality of analgesia was assessed twice a day using a visual analogue score of 0 to 10 (0 = no pain, 10 = worst pain imaginable). Intranasal butorphanol provided adequate analgesia in all eight patients with visual analogue scores of zero to two. Adverse effects from the medication included one report of nausea, one complaint of transient dizziness, and two reports of a bitter taste and some mild throat irritation. None of these was severe enough to preclude its subsequent use. Our preliminary experience suggests that transnasal butorphanol may offer an alternative route of delivery when intravenous administration is not feasible. Future studies are needed to compare its efficacy to intravenous and non-parenteral routes of administration. It may prove to be useful in other situations when intravenous access is lacking such as prior to invasive procedures in the outpatient clinic or emergency room.     

Forum. A comparison between the midline and paramedian approaches to the extradural space

A prospective, randomised study was devised to compare the midline and paramedian approaches to the extradural space in women during labour. The two approaches were equally successful with respect to catheter insertion and analgesia and had a similar incidence of complications, although the paramedian approach caused patients more discomfort. Since only 2 ml of 1% lignocaine with adrenaline were infiltrated prior to insertion of the Tuohy needle, a greater volume of the local anaesthetic may reduce the discomfort of using the paramedian approach.     

The space blanket and shivering during extradural analgesia in labour

The incidence of shivering in women during epidural analgesia in labour is up to 33%, and may be highly distressing. Its mechanism is unclear, but the most widely held theory is that it is thermogenic. Pharmacological suppression may adversely effect the foetus or induce maternal hypothermia, and although physical remedies such as direct heat application are effective, they are also expensive and cumbersome. We recently found that the space blanket, a simple aluminised metallic foil, used pre-emptively, reduces shivering after general anaesthesia. We investigated the effect of the space blanket on the incidence and intensity of shivering, axilliary skin temperature, and subjective perception of cold during epidural analgesia for labour in 50 women over a four-hour time frame. Patients were randomised into group 1, who were wrapped in a space blanket immediately after commencement of epidural analgesia with bupivacaine, and group 2 (matched controls). Shivering was defined as visible tremor of the head, neck, trunk or limbs as observed by the attending midwives. Twenty-nine percent of group 1 and 35% of group 2 shivered (not significant), but a reduction in shivering intensity was observed in group 1 ( P <0.05). There was no significant difference in skin temperatures in either group, and no significant temperature change within the groups. Both groups had similar thermal comfort scores throughout the study, which correlated poorly with the presence of shivering. We conclude that there is no benefit in application of the space blanket to reduce epidural-analgesia related shivering in labour, which may indicate a non-thermogenic mechanism for this phenomenon.     

Evaluation of costs and effects of epidural analgesia and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia after major abdominal surgery

Background. The outcome of different treatment strategies forpostoperative pain has been an issue of controversy. Apart fromefficacy and effectiveness a policy decision should also considercost-effectiveness. Since economic analyses on postoperativepain treatment are rare we developed a decision model in a pilotcost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) comparing epidural analgesia(EDA) and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) aftermajor abdominal surgery in routine care. Methods. Using a decision-tree model, treatment with EDA (ropivacaineand morphine) was compared with PCIA (morphine). Effects andcosts of treatment were established. The number of pain-freedays at rest (pain intensity <30 using visual analogue scale1–100 mm) was the primary measure of effect. An incrementalcost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated as the differencein direct costs divided by the difference in effect. A databaseon 644 patients collected for the purpose of quality controlduring the period of 1997 to 1999 was the main data source.Sensitivity analysis was used to test uncertain data. Results. EDA was more effective in terms of pain-free days butmore expensive. The additional cost for each pain-free day was5652 Euros. Conclusion. It is a judgement of value if the additional costis reasonable. When the cost of around 55 000 Euros per gainedlife-year with full health for other interventions is debated,our result indicates poor cost-effectiveness for EDA. Beforeany conclusion can be drawn concerning policy recommendationsthe difference in costs has to be related to other outcome measuresas length of hospital stay, morbidity and mortality are required.     

The effect of perioperative and postoperative caudal block on pain control in children

Ten paediatric patients (ASA status 1) who had bilateral club foot deformities and underwent bilateral posterior medio-lateral release within a two week interval (one foot operated each time) were assigned to one of two groups in a double-blind manner. Group one received caudal bupivicaine (0.25%) 2 mg·kg⁻¹ before the surgical incision, followed by caudal normal saline infused at the same volume after the surgical incision. Group two received caudal saline before surgical incision followed by caudal bupivicaine (0.25%) infused 15 min after the surgical incision. No additional analgesic was used before or during the operation. Patients were selected in a manner that allowed each patient to be assigned to either group one or two during the first or second surgical episodes. Anaesthesia was induced with halothane and maintained with nitrous oxide and isoflurane. The anaesthesiologist following the patient for postoperative pain control and analgesic requirement was blinded to the regional technique. Postoperative pain was rated on a paediatric pain scale. Children received a morphine suppository at the appropriate dose related to the body weight for postoperative pain control. There was no significant difference in the cumulative postoperative analgesic requirements within the first 48 h, nor in the time to the first postoperative analgesic administration between the two groups.     

Intravesical morphine analgesia is not effective after bladder surgery in children: results of a randomied double-blind study

PURPOSE: Intravesical morphine was recently recommended to reduce postoperative pain after reimplantation surgery for vesicoureteral reflux in children. The efficacy of such treatment, so far solely evaluated by open study, needed to be confirmed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After parental informed consent was obtained, 80 children requiring Cohen cross-trigonal reimplantation were considered for inclusion in a double-blind study. On the day of surgery patients were randomly assigned to receive either 0.04 mg./kg. morphine per hour or placebo (normal saline) at a constant intravesical infusion rate of 0.08 ml./kg. per hour. Postoperative pain was assessed every 3 hours using a pain score adapted to patient age. If the score was above a predefined limit, patients received intravenous acetaminophen and nalbuphine alternately every 3 hours. Bladder infusion was discontinued after 48 hours. RESULTS: Mean and maximum pain scores as well as the number of scores above the limit were not statistically different when comparing the morphine and placebo groups. There was no difference in the number of doses of analgesics administered. Urine output, voiding frequency and the number of painful voiding episodes were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Plasma morphine concentrations were 3.0 +/- 2.7 and 1.9 +/- 1.9 ng./ml. at 24 and 48 hours in the morphine group and undetectable in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Intravesical administration of morphine is not effective for relieving postoperative pain during the first 48 hours after intravesical ureteral reimplantation. This study emphasizes the importance of controlled studies in evaluating the effectiveness of a new drug or procedure before recommending its use for all patients.     

A comparison between ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block performed by anaesthetist or surgeon for postoperative analgesia following groin surgery in children

A study was performed to compare postoperative analgesia in children undergoing groin surgery. Patients were randomly allocated to receive ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric (I-I) nerve blocks using 0.25% plain bupivicaine (0.5 ml·kg^?1) performed either percutaneously by the anaesthetist after the induction of general anaesthesia, before surgery commenced, or intraoperatively, under direct vision, by the surgeon. Analgesia was assessed by pain scoring in the recovery room and at hourly intervals for eight h postoperatively. Analgesic requirement was also noted. Statistical analysis of the results revealed no difference in pain score between groups treated either by anaesthetist or surgeon. However, children under two years of age had significantly higher pain scores than those over two.     

Clinical characteristics of traumatic extradural hematoma: a comparison between children and adults

In this study of 43 children who had surgery for traumatic extradural hematoma (EDH) at Frenchay Hospital, England, between 1975 and 1987, the authors attempt to outline the various clinical characteristic of EDH which are different in children (age range 1–15 years) and adults (age range 16–84 years). The results confirm that children with traumatic EDH are less likely to have injury be caused by an RTA, are less likely to remain unconscious from the time of injury to the time of the operation, and are less likely to require immediate surgery (less than 6 hours after injury). In addition, the CT scan is less likely to show in associated intradural inuury, and the outcome is significantly better.     

The incidence of Horner''s syndrome during lumbar extradural for elective Caesarean section and provision of analgesia during labour

One hundred and fifty women in labour provided with extradural analgesia were monitored and an incidence of Horner's syndrome of 1.33% was noted. Fifty women undergoing Caesarean section under extradural analgesia were also monitored and an incidence of Horner's syndrome of 4% was noted. From the results we found it impossible to predict which patients would develop a Horner's syndrome.     

Long-term patient-controlled analgesia in terminal care

A case of prolonged use of patient-controlled analgesia in terminal care is described. The patient was able to self-administer large doses of morphine as required to maintain comfort and a reasonable sleep pattern without undue nausea, vomiting or sedation.