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.     

Comparison of various types of epidural analgesia after abdominal operations

The authors compare three types of epidural analgesia using a mixture of 0.125% bupivacaine solution and morphine in 102 patients after abdominal surgery. Patient-controlled analgesia was applied in Group 1; the mixture was injected as a bolus in Group 2; continuous epidural infusion was used in Group 3. The findings have indicated that patient-controlled epidural analgesia can yield an adequate analgesia with smaller doses of local anesthetics and morphine reliably and in a shorter space of time and reduce the frequency of side effects associated with the opioid.     

Combined spinal-epidural analgesia vs. intermittent bolus epidural analgesia for pain relief after major abdominal surgery. A prospective, randomised, double-blind clinical trial

BACKGROUND: The primary aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of combined spinal-epidural (CSE) analgesia vs. intermittent bolus epidural analgesia (EA) for pain relief after major abdominal surgery. The secondary aim was to assess the effects of fentanyl addition to subarachnoid morphine and bupivacaine. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomised, double-blind trial; 160 patients scheduled for major abdominal surgery enrolled. All patients had a thoracic epidural catheter for administration of intra-operative and postoperative analgesia. Patients were assigned to one of four groups: (i) subarachnoid morphine, bupivacaine and fentanyl (MBF group); (ii) morphine and bupivacaine (MB group); (iii) morphine (M group) and (iv) normal saline (EA group). Use of additional intravenous (i.v.) fentanyl and epidural bupivacaine was recorded to measure the need for supplemental intra-operative analgesia. Pain at rest, with movement, and with cough (measured with a visual analogue scale), additional analgesia requests, and side effects were recorded over 72 h postoperatively. RESULTS: Compared with the EA group, the MBF group had significantly reduced pain with cough and lower analgesia requirements during the first 24 h (p<0.001) and after EA discontinuation (p=0.041). The MBF group required less intra-operative epidural bupivacaine compared with all other groups (p<0.001), and less intra-operative i.v. fentanyl compared with group M (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Combined spinal-epidural improved intra-operative analgesia and reduced pain with cough in the immediate postoperative period. The addition of fentanyl to subarachnoid morphine and bupivacaine decreased the need for additional i.v. fentanyl and epidural bupivacaine analgesia.     

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.     

Mode of delivery following labor epidural analgesia: influence of ropivacaine and bupivacaine.

Epidural analgesia is a popular and effective method for pain relief during labor. Bupivacaine is a commonly used local anesthetic for labor epidural analgesia. Ropivacaine is an amino acid local anesthetic that is structurally related to bupivacaine with a similar potency and duration, but ropivacaine has less cardiac toxicity than bupivacaine and produces less motor blockade. These properties make ropivacaine a desirable local anesthetic agent for obstetrical analgesia. The purpose of the present study was to compare the cesarean section and instrumental delivery rates for patients receiving labor epidural analgesia using bupivacaine and ropivacaine. The medical records of 500 consecutive patients receiving bupivacaine for labor epidural analgesia were reviewed. After a 3-month familiarization period for ropivacaine, the records of 500 consecutive patients receiving ropivacaine for labor epidural analgesia similarly were reviewed. The groups did not differ demographically. The instrumental delivery rate was 14.2% for the bupivacaine group and 9.8% for the ropivacaine group. The cesarean section rate was 14% for the bupivacaine group and 10.2% for the ropivacaine group. At our facility, the use of ropivacaine decreased both cesarean section and instrumental delivery rates when compared with bupivacaine in the population studied.     

Optimum pain relief with continuous epidural infusion of local anesthetics shortens the duration of zoster-associated pain

OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects of continuous epidural infusion (CEI) of 0.5% bupivacaine added to intermittent epidural boluses (IEB) on the duration of zoster-associated pain (ZAP), as compared with continuous infusion of normal saline placebo added to IEB. DESIGN: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. SETTING: A university hospital and an affiliated clinic in Japan from 1996 through 1999. PATIENTS: 56 immunocompetent herpes zoster (HZ) patients, 50 years or older, within 10 days of rash onset and with severe pain and eruption. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were hospitalized and randomly allocated into 2 groups. CEI group given CEI of 0.5% bupivacaine (0.5-1.0 mL/h) plus IEB of 0.5% bupivacaine 4 times daily (n = 29). IEB group given normal saline infusion plus IEB of 0.5% bupivacaine 4 times daily (n = 27). All patients received oral acyclovir 800 mg, 5 times daily, for 7 days. OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of days required for complete cessation of ZAP and the proportion of subjects with allodynia beyond 30 days. RESULTS: The median time to cessation of ZAP was significantly shorter in the CEI group than in the IEB group (29 days vs. 40 days, P = 0.002). The number of patients whose allodynia persisted beyond 30 days of treatment was significantly lower in the CEI group than in the IEB group (10% vs. 37%, P = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: CEI of 0.5% bupivacaine plus IEB was associated with a shorter duration of ZAP and fewer patients with allodynia beyond 30 days, compared with IEB plus normal saline infusion. Patients at high risk for developing postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) can be managed with intensive therapies at the early stage of disease, such as CEI, which maintains effective analgesia and may reduce the burden of PHN.     

'Balanced analgesia' in the perioperative period: is there a place for ketamine?

We investigated whether intraoperative 'subanesthetic doses' of ketamine have a postoperative anti-hyperalgesic and an analgesic effect and which is the preferential route of administration, either systemic (intravenous, i.v.) or epidural. One hundred patients scheduled for rectal adenocarcinoma surgery under combined epidural/general anesthesia were included. Before skin incision all the patients received an epidural bolus followed by an infusion of continuous bupivacaine/sufentanil/clonidine mixture. They were randomly assigned to receive no ketamine (group 1), i.v. ketamine at the bolus dose of 0.25 mg/kg followed by an infusion of 0.125 mg/kg per h (group 2), 0.5 mg/kg and 0.25 mg/kg per h (group 3), epidural ketamine 0.25 mg/kg and 0.125 mg/kg per h (group 4), or 0.5 mg/kg and 0.25 mg/kg per h (group 5). All i.v. and epidural analgesics were stopped at the end of surgery and patients were connected to an i.v. morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device. Short-term postoperative analgesia (72 h) was assessed by pain visual analog scale scores at rest, cough, and movements as well as by PCA requirements. Wound mechanical hyperalgesia was evaluated and residual pain was assessed by asking the patients at 2 weeks, and 1, 6, and 12 months. The area of hyperalgesia and morphine PCA requirements were significantly reduced in group 3. These patients reported significantly less residual pain until the sixth postoperative month. These observations support the theory that subanesthetic doses of i.v. ketamine (0.5 mg/kg bolus followed by 0.25 mg/kg per h) given during anesthesia reduce wound hyperalgesia and are a useful adjuvant in perioperative balanced analgesia. Moreover, they show that the systemic route clearly is the preferential route.     

不同脊麻药对术后持续输注镇痛和尿潴留的影响

目的 观察不同的脊麻药对脊椎-硬膜外腔联合麻醉后硬膜外镇痛的尿潞留的影响。方法 60例下肢择期手术患，选择脊椎-硬膜外腔联合麻醉，以布比卡因和罗哌卡因行脊麻，然后以布比卡因 吗啡行术后硬膜外镇痛，观察其视觉模拟镇痛评分和对尿潴留的影响。结果 两组病人镇痛效果均好，无明显差别；以0．5％罗哌卡因重比重液行脊麻，尿潴留发生率明显比以0．5％布比卡因重比重液行脊麻低，有显性差异。结论 蛛网膜下隙-硬膜外腔联合麻醉后硬膜外镇痛，脊麻选择0．5％罗哌卡因重比重液镇痛效果好，尿潴留发生率较低，值得临床推广应用。     

病人自控硬膜外镇痛与静脉镇痛用于全髋置换术的比较

目的比较老年病人全髋置换术术后自控硬膜外镇痛（PCEA）与自控静脉镇痛（PCIA）的效果和不良反应。方法选择48例美国麻醉学会分级（ASA）I-Ⅲ级,择期硬膜外麻醉下行全髋置换术的老年病人,术后分别行PCEA（E组）和PCIA（I组）。PCEA药物用1.25mg／ml的罗哌卡因,镇痛泵参数设置为基础量3ml／h、自控给药量（PCA量）5ml、锁定时间30min。PCIA药物用10μg／ml的芬太尼,泵参数为基础量2ml／h、PCA量3ml、锁定时间15min。观察术后48h的镇痛效果和不良反应情况。结果两组术后视觉模拟评分法（VAS）均低于3,术毕初始12h内PCEA提供更低的VAS（P〈0.05）,24-48h两组VAS差异无显著性。术后PCEA病人的低血压、下肢麻木及硬膜外导管脱落的发生率显著高于I组（P〈0.05）。恶心、呕吐、谵妄、皮肤瘙瘁等发生率两组相似。结论老年病人全髋置换术术后病人自控硬膜外镇痛的效果优于自控静脉镇痛,但镇痛管理较为困难。     

罗哌卡因或布比卡因复合芬太尼分娩镇痛的临床研究

目的:对比罗哌卡因与布比卡因用于硬膜外分娩镇痛的效果。方法:60例单胎初产妇随机分为0.l％罗哌卡因-芬太尼组和0.1％布比卡因-芬太尼组。采用双盲法进行视觉模拟镇痛评分（VAS）和下肢运动神经阻滞评分（MBS）。记录产程时间、生产方式、感觉阻滞平面、新生儿A评分。结果:两组产妇分娩镇痛良好,负荷量5分钟后,罗哌卡因组镇痛效果明显优于布比卡因组（P<0.01）,此后两者镇痛效果相近。罗哌卡因组的平面上升速度比布比卡因组快。罗哌卡因对运动神经的影响明显弱于布比卡因（P<0.01）,布比卡因组的器械助产率达23％。结论:罗哌卡因复合芬太尼分娩镇痛优于布比卡因。     

Haemodynamic, endocrine and nociceptive response to gynaecological procedures under epidural local anaesthesia during continuous epidural infusion or bolus epidural fentanyl dosing

This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic effects and hormonal responses of a single epidural bolus compared to continuous epidural infusion of fentanyl as supplements to intraoperative local epidural anaesthesia for major gynaecological surgery. Forty patients undergoing total vaginal hysterectomy were randomised to receive in a double blind fashion either 1.5 μg kg⁻¹ fentanyl epidurally (group A) or saline (group B) as bolus injections followed by epidural infusion of saline or fentanyl (0.7 μg kg⁻¹h⁻¹) respectively at a rate of 10 ml h⁻¹. Postoperative pain intensity was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS). Prolactin and cortisol plasma levels were used as stress markers. The onset of anaesthesia was significantly shorter in group A (p<0.05) but the duration of T₁₀ blockade was significantly longer in group B (p<0.01). Pain intensity was significantly higher in group A at 90, 105 and 120 minutes after skin incision (p<0.001). There was no intraoperative difference in heart rate or mean arterial pressure between the two groups nor was there any difference in the incidence of adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting or shivering. Both groups had a progressive decrease in serum cortisol and prolactin concentrations 30 and 60 min after skin incision, but cortisol and prolactin concentrations were higher in group A (p<0.05) 120 minutes after skin incision.Our observations suggest that perioperative continuous epidural infusion of fentanyl begun intraoperatively attenuates the endocrine stress response, but a bolus dose of fentanyl given along with bupivacaine lacks this protective effect. A possible explanation for these findings is that an infusion begun intraoperatively, just after administration of epidural bupivacaine, prolongs the duration of sensory blockade and provides a better quality of analgesia, and thereby attenuates the endocrine response triggered by regression of the intraoperative level of anaesthesia.     

Monitoring of skin conductance in anesthesiology and intensive care

The purpose of the study is to examine the efficacy and safety through the introduction of a local anesthetic wound irrigation catheter for continuous postoperative analgesia in newborns. The study was conducted during the postoperative period of 33 full-term newborns. In the study group (n = 15), analgesia was carried out through the wound catheter with infusion of local anesthetic, for the control group (n = 18) continuous intravenous infusion promedol was used. The effectiveness of postoperative analgesia was rated by CRIES postoperative pain control scale, monitoring of skin conductance, cardiointervalogram and hormone level control in the blood. The study showed that the use of wound catheter for continuous postoperative analgesia with local anesthetics provides effective level of analgesia in newborns, which is comparable with the introduction of opioid analgesics. There were no severe postoperative complications. The method of analgesia by administering a local anesthetic through the wound catheter can be recommended for postoperative analgesia in newborns, especially during major surgeries.     

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.     

Dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to epidural analgesia after abdominal surgery in elderly intensive care patients: A prospective, double-blind, clinical trial

Background: The ideal postoperative analgesia management of elderly surgical patients in intensive care units (ICUs) is continually being investigated.Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness and tolerability of IV administration of dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to a low-dose epidural bupivacaine infusion for postoperative analgesia after abdominal surgery in elderly patients in the ICU.Methods: ICU patients aged >70 years undergoing abdominal surgery were eligible for the study. A lumbar epidural catheter was inserted at the beginning of the surgery with no medication. On arrival at the ICU, the catheter was loaded with 0.25% bupivacaine 25 mg at the T8 to T10 sensory level, and a continuous infusion of 0.125% bupivacaine was started at 4 to 6 mL/h in combination with patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) of fentanyl (4 μg/bolus) for pain treatment. Patients in the treatment group received dexmedetomidine as an IV loading dose of 0.6 pg/kg for 30 minutes followed by continuous infusion at 0.2 μg/kg · h^-1. Patients in the control group were not administered dexmedetomidine. The effectiveness of the pain relief was determined using a visual analog scale (VAS) (0 = no pain to 10 = worst pain imaginable) at rest. VAS score, heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, and arterial blood gases were monitored periodically for 24 hours after surgery. If required, tenoxicam (20-mg IV bolus) was used to ensure a VAS score of ≤3. The number of times PCEA and tenoxicam were administered and the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) were also recorded.Results: Sixty patients (34 men, 26 women; mean [SD] age, 75.96 [4.25] years; mean [SD] weight, 74.13 [10.62] kg) were included in the study. VAS scores were significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group compared with the control group at hours 1, 2, and 12 (VAS [hour 1]: 2.8 [0.4], P < 0.001; VAS [hour 2]: 2.7 [0.5], P < 0.001; and VAS [hour 12]: 0.9 [0.7], P 0.044). The mean number of administrations of fentanyl via PCEA was significantly greater in the control group compared with the dexmedetomidine group (2.20 vs 6.63 times; P < 0.001). The mean number of administrations of tenoxicam was significantly lower in the treatment group than the control group (0.27 vs 1.07 times; P < 0.001). In the control group, the decreases in sedation at 0, 8, 12, 16, and 20 hours were significant compared with baseline (P = 0.024, P = 0.001, P = 0.020, P < 0.001, and P = 0.005, respectively). Mean HR, SBR and AEs (eg, bradycardia [HR <60 beats/min], respiratory depression [respiratory rate <8 breaths/min], hypotension \SBP <90 mm Hg], oversedation, hypoxia, and hypercapnia) decreased significantly in the dexmedetomidine group (all, P < 0.05). Significantly more patients in the dexmedetomidine group rated their satisfaction with postoperative pain control as excellent compared with the control group (12 vs 6 patients; P = 0.014).Conclusion: Intravenous dexmedetomidine was effective and generally well tolerated as an analgesic adjunct to epidural low-dose bupivacaine infusion for pain treatment, with lower need for opioids after abdominal surgery in these elderly intensive care patients than in the control group.     

Failure of epidural opioid to control cancer pain in a patient previously treated with massive doses of intravenous opioid

A patient with disseminated cancer pain failed to obtain pain relief despite the intravenous infusion of hydromorphone at a rate equivalent to over 7 g of morphine/day. Temporary pain relief occurred with an epidural injection of the local anesthetic lidocaine. Subsequently, the patient failed to obtain pain relief with a dose of epidural hydromorphone equivalent to approximately 3 g of morphine epidurally/day. At this time a syndrome of agitation, sweating, tachycardia and severe muscle cramps developed in the lower half of the body. After eliminating the possibility of spinal cord compression by diagnostic CT scanning, the patient was treated by reducing the dose of hydromorphone and adding local anesthetic, which provided pain relief but did not eliminate the severe muscle spasms and other symptoms. The addition of oral clonidine followed by clonidine dermal patch rapidly and completely eliminated the other symptoms, suggesting that the response was due to too rapid withdrawal of opioid. Maintenance of pain relief required the simultaneous administration of epidural bupivacaine and hydromorphone. A low-dose infusion of epidural bupivacaine was continued for more than 3 weeks and during this entire period the patient showed no evidence of motor or sympathetic block.     

The effects of spinal anesthesia vs epidural anesthesia on 3 potential postoperative complications: pain,urinary retention,and mobility following inguinal herniorrhaphy

This study was conducted to determine the effects of spinal (n = 113) vs epidural (n = 31) anesthetic techniques on 3 common postoperative complications: pain, urinary retention, and mobility for patients undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy. The study design was a retrospective chart review. Data were collected on 144 subjects who underwent herniorrhaphy between January 1 and December 31, 1999, had an ASA classification of I to III, and were older than 18 years. The local anesthetics used to provide spinal anesthesia were 5% lidocaine, 0.75% bupivacaine, and 1% tetracaine solutions. The anesthetics used to provide epidural anesthesia were a solution of 2% lidocaine with epinephrine or 3% chloroprocaine with epinephrine. Results revealed that pain was not significantly different between the 2 anesthetic groups (P = .65); however, subjects in the epidural anesthesia group were able to ambulate (P = .008) and void (P = .02) sooner than subjects in the spinal anesthesia group. This study demonstrates that epidural anesthesia results in less urinary retention and earlier mobility than spinal anesthesia in men undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy. Minimizing postoperative complications is essential in order for the nurse anesthetist to provide a satisfactory anesthetic experience. This study's findings suggest that epidural anesthesia optimizes recovery for the patient undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy.     

Permanent Neurologic Symptoms after Prolonged Epidural Analgesia

Objective: Although transient neurologic symptoms may occur after neuraxial anesthetics with lidocaine, permanent neurologic symptoms (PNS) are unusual after uncomplicated continuous epidural analgesia (CEA). This report demonstrates that PNS may follow CEA uncomplicated by paresthesias, dural puncture, spinal hemorrhage, or intravascular local anesthetic injection; and performed with bupivacaine alone administered at high dosages with vasoconstrictors over a prolonged time period. Case Report: An obstetrical patient developed fixed left L5‐S1 sensorimotor radiculopathy following L5‐S1 level CEA with bupivacaine alone administered at high doses (270 mg) with a vasoconstrictor (epinephrine, 225 mg) over a prolonged time period (62 hours). Conclusions: CEA should be administered at higher lumbar levels for labor analgesia rather than at lumbosacral levels that may require higher volumes and concentrations of local anesthetics with greater potential for local anesthetic neurotoxicity. Local anesthetics with vasoconstrictors should only be used as sentinel markers of unrecognized intravascular entry, rather than as primary local anesthetics during CEA to avoid any potential for ischemic neuropathy.     

地塞米松对术后硬膜外吗啡引起恶心呕吐的预防作用

目的:评价地塞米松对硬膜外吗啡引起恶心呕吐的预防效果。方法:妇科肿瘤择期手术病人120例,随机双盲分为地塞米松(A)组、恩丹西酮(B)组、生理盐水(C)组三组,每组40人。当手术开始时,随机给予地塞米松10 mg或者恩丹西酮8 mg或者生理盐水2 mL。所有病人在手术结束前1 h均接受硬膜外吗啡2 mg,然后以0.125％布比卡因100 mL和吗啡0.12mg/kg维持硬膜外术后止痛48 h,评价镇痛效果、恶心呕吐。结果:A组和B组早期和晚期恶心呕吐发生率低于C组(P<0.05),而A组和B组无差别(P>0.05)。结论:地塞米松和恩丹西酮均能降低硬膜外吗啡引起的恶心呕吐,地塞米松对术后硬膜外吗啡引起的恶心呕吐有预防作用。     

Effects of different dosages and modes of sodium bicarbonate administration during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Systemic acidosis occurs during cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The present study investigated the effect of different modes of sodium bicarbonate administration on blood gas parameters during CPR. Arterial and venous blood gases were obtained during 10 minutes of CPR which was preceded by 3 minutes of unassisted ventricular fibrillation in 36 dogs. Following 1 minute of CPR, the animals received one of four treatments in a randomized and blinded manner: normal saline (NS), sodium bicarbonate bolus dose 1 mEq/kg (B), sodium bicarbonate continuous infusion 0.1 mEq/kg/min (I), and sodium bicarbonate bolus dose (0.5 mEq/kg) plus continuous infusion 0.1 mEq/kg/min (L+I). Eleven dogs completed NS, 8 B, 8 I, and 9 L+I protocol. Following NS infusion, both arterial and venous pH declined consistently over time. Significant differences compared with NS treatment in venous pH were observed at 12 minutes of ventricular fibrillation (L+I, 7.27 +/- 0.05; NS, 7.15 +/- 0.05; B, 7.20 +/- 0.05; I, 7.24 +/- 0.04, each bicarbonate treatment versus NS, and L+I versus B, (P < .05). The B group had an elevated venous PCO2 (mm Hg) concentration following 6 minutes of ventricular fibrillation compared with NS, L+I, and I groups (81 +/- 14 versus 69 +/- 10 versus 68 +/- 10 versus 71 +/- 8, respectively, (P = .07). Arterial pH and PCO2 values showed a similar trend as the venous data with the L+I group demonstrating arterial alkalosis (pH > 7.45) at 12 minutes of ventricular fibrillation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Efficacy of various epidural analgesia regimens after lung surgery

A prospective study included 90 adult patients undergoing thoracic surgery. After placing an epidural catheter at the Th4-Th5 level, all the patients were randomized in 3 groups. Twenty-nine patients received controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) with fentanyl, 2 microg/ml, in 0.2% bupivacaine solution (Group 1). In other groups, these analgesics were given either as bolus infections (Group 2; n = 30) or as a continuous epidural infusion of fentanyl, 2 microg/ml, in 0.2% bupivacane solution (Group 3; n = 27). Pain scores and the incidence of adverse effects were assessed within the first 24 hours after surgery. The data were compared using the Student's t-test and x2 test with Bonferroni correction; p < 0.017 was regarded as statistically significant. The VAS scores in coating were significantly lower in Group 1 than in Groups 2 and 3. The need for epidural opioids for adequate analgesia within the first 24 hours after surgery was significantly less in Group 1 than in Groups 2 and 3. There were no excessive sedation episodes in all the groups. In Group 2, the incidence of nausea was 20%. These adverse reactions were not found during PCEA and continuous infusion (p < 0.017). Opioid-induced pruritis was mostly (23%) observed in Group 2. Thoracic PCEA with fentanyl-bupivacaine solution provided adequate postoperative analgesia after thoracotomy and reduced the need for opioids. In addition, PCEA reduced the incidence of adverse reactions of opioids.