Epidural droperidol and morphine for postoperative pain

Epidural morphine is effective in the treatment of postoperative pain, but the incidence of associated side effects is high. To assess a potential reduction of opioid side effects by droperidol, 4 mg morphine with either placebo or 2.5 mg droperidol was injected epidurally in a double-blind, randomized, postoperative trial. Forty patients undergoing hip replacement surgery were studied. The overall incidence of side effects during the first 24 h in the group receiving droperidol and morphine was less than 50% of that in the group receiving placebo and morphine (P less than 0.008). Pruritus, emesis, nausea, urinary retention, and hypotension were diminished in the group with droperidol. No significant differences in duration or quality of analgesia were seen. Epidural injection of droperidol did not result in any local or systemic side effects.     

Epidural morphine for postoperative pain relief in children

Epidural morphine for postoperative pain relief is in general use, and has proved to be very efficient in adults. The epidural technique and the use of epidural morphine are much less frequent in children. For 2 years we have prospectively followed 76 children who had epidural morphine for postoperative pain relief after major abdominal surgery. The age distribution was from newborn to 13 years, with a median age of 12 months. It was estimated that 94% of the patients had good analgesia for the first 24 postoperative hours and no other opioids were given. The side effects were few, but one case of respiratory depression was seen and 20% of the children had pruritus. There were four dural punctures and three catheters slipped out accidentally, but otherwise the treatment was continued as long as it was considered necessary (1–11 days). The use of postoperative ventilatory support decreased during the investigation. We observed a change in the sleeping pattern with an increased number of sleep–induced myoclonia during the administration of epidural morphine. In conclusion, the use of epidural morphine in children for postoperative pain relief is very efficient. The minimal effective dose has not been established as yet, but 50 Hg/kg every 8 h, supplemented with small doses of bupivacaine, provides excellent analgesia in the immediate postoperative period after major abdominal surgery. The side effects are few, but the risk of respiratory depression is always present and observation in the intensive care unit or recovery for the first 24 h is strongly recommended.     

Epidural morphine for postoperative pain relief in anorectal surgery

Postoperative analgesia and side effects of a single dose of 20 ml of 2% epidural prilocaine followed immediately by either morphine (3 mg in 3 ml saline) or saline (3 ml) were studied in 79 patients scheduled for anorectal surgery. Pain relief was evaluated by a linear scale for 24 hr and by an assessment of the requirement for parenteral analgesics. Of the patients given epidural morphine, 25% did not require analgesics, whereas all patients given prilocaine alone asked for additional analgesia. Remaining patients given morphine were pain-free for a mean duration of 7.6 +/- 5.1 hr (SD). Only 9% of patients given morphine required a maximum of three analgesic parenteral injections in 24 hr. Urinary retention was the most prominent side effect observed in patients given epidural morphine. No early or delayed respiratory depression was noted in our patients.     

Effect of pre-emptive pregabalin on pain intensity and postoperative morphine consumption after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background

Postoperative pain is the dominant complaint and the most common cause of delayed discharge after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of preoperative administration of pregabalin to reduce postoperative pain and opioid consumption.

Methods

Fifty American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I and II adult patients with symptomatic gallstone disease scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomized into two groups: group I patients (n = 25) were given 600 mg pregabalin per os divided in two doses, the night before surgery and 1 h preoperatively, respectively, while group II patients (n = 25) received a matching to pregabalin placebo at the same scheme. Postoperative pain, morphine consumption, and complications were compared between the two groups.

Results

Postoperative pain (static and dynamic assessment) was significantly less at 0, 1, 8, 16, and 24 h (p < 0.001) after the procedure for group I (pregabalin) compared with the placebo group. Postoperative patient-controlled morphine consumption during hospital stay was also significantly less in the pregabalin group compared with the placebo group. Side-effects were similar in both groups expect for dizziness, which was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in the pregabalin group.

Conclusions

Administration of 600 mg pregabalin per os, divided in two preoperative doses, significantly reduces postoperative pain as well as opioid consumption in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, at the cost of increased incidence of dizziness.     

Epidural morphine and buprenorphine for postoperative pain relief after hepatectomy

Postoperative pain relief with epidural morphine and buprenorphine was studied in 33 patients following hepatectomy. Morphine 2mg or buprenorphine 0.06mg in 10ml of normal saline was administered through an epidural catheter inserted at the Th10-11 or L3-4 interspace. Morphine injected at the lumbar level, as well as that injected at the thoracic level produced excellent and long-lasting (20.8 +/- 8.6 hours) pain relief. Respiratory rate decreased significantly following epidural morphine at the L3-4, but PaCO2 did not change. Buprenorphine injected at the thoracic level produced good and long-lasting (22.6 +/- 9.9 hours) pain relief, although buprenorphine injected at the lumbar level produced incomplete analgesia. The epidural administration of morphine 2mg at L3-4 or buprenorphine 0.06mg at Th10-11 may be recommended for postoperative analgesia following hepatectomy.     

Postoperative pain treatment after cholecystectomy with epidural sufentanil at lumbar or thoracic level

The difference in analgesic activity following lumbar (group I) or thoracic (group II) epidural administration of 50 ug sufentanil was studied after cholecystectomy. Fifteen patients in each group were evaluated for pain relief using a linear analog scale (LAS), heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), respiratory rate (RR), peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume (FEV,) and arterial CO₂ tension (Paco₂). In five additional patients in each group 75 μg sufentanil was injected for determination of serum levels. Pain scores were lower than three in both groups after 10 min, while mean pain scores remained below one from 20 min until 2 h following injection in both groups. Satisfactory pain relief lasted for 4 h. RR was significantly decreased from two until 360 min. in the lumbar group and from five until 120 min in the thoracic group. Paco₂ was raised in both groups only during the first hour. PEF and FVC were significantly improved compared to control 1, 2 and 4 h following injection. Serum sufentanil levels reached a maximum of 0.299 ±0.052 ng.ml^-1 in the lumbar group and 0.377 ± 0.076 ng–ml^-1 in the thoracic group after 5 min. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the variables studied.     

Epidural buprenorphine or morphine for the relief of head and neck cancer pain.

We present three cases in which epidural buprenorphine or morphine was used for intractable cancer pain of the head and neck. Excellent pain relief and minimal side effects offered by epidural opioids were of significant benefit. The use of epidural opioids prior to the administration of high doses of oral morphine may be the treatment of choice for pain from malignancy of the head and neck, especially when there is tumor extension or distant metastasis.     

Epidural morphine strongly depresses nociceptive flexion reflexes in patients with postoperative pain

The comparative effects of low doses (0.03-0.04 mg/kg) of epidural morphine on a nociceptive flexion reflex of the lower limb and on postoperative pain in volunteer patients were studied after orthopedic surgery on one knee. According to the stimulation parameters, it was found that 40-50 min after the injection, morphine produced an increase of 87% and 83% of the reflex threshold and of the threshold of maximal reflex response, respectively, as well as a 80-90% depression of the nociceptive responses when elicited by a constant level of stimulation. Onset of pain relief occurred by the 25th min and increased to a maximum stable level 40-50 min after the injection. These data support the hypothesis that the main site of the pain-relieving effect of epidural morphine is located directly at a spinal level.     

The effect of short-term continuous epidural morphine on postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

This study was undertaken to determine whether short-term continuous epidural analgesia using morphine would relieve pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The authors retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 182 cases who had undergone a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. These cases were divided into four groups according to their anesthetic modes as follows: a control group with general anesthesia only (n=37); group I, general anesthesia combined with one shot of epidural morphine (n=78); and group II, general anesthesia combined with continuous epidural analgesia using morphine (IIa for 12 h (n=33); IIb for 8 h (n=34)). The pain score on a four-category verbal scale and the frequency of analgesic use were investigated. There were no differences in the background characteristics of the patients among the groups, except for the duration of surgery (Ivs IIa;P=0.006). The pain scores were significantly different between the control group and the other groups. The frequency of analgesic use in the control group was also significantly higher than in the other groups. A tendency toward a higher frequency of analgesic use in group I, compared with that in groups IIa and IIb, was observed. These findings thus suggest that short-term continuous epidural analgesia using morphine can effectively relieve postoperative pain after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.     

Epidural administration of low-dose morphine combined with clonidine for postoperative analgesia after lumbar disc surgery.

This study evaluates the efficacy and side effects of a low dose of epidural morphine combined with clonidine for postoperative pain relief after lumbar disc surgery. In 36 of 51 patients who accepted the procedure, an epidural catheter was inserted (L1-L2 level). General anesthesia was induced with propofol and sufentanil, and maintained with sevoflurane in O2/N2O. After emergence from anesthesia, epidural analgesia was initiated according to two randomly assigned protocols: 1 mg of morphine with 75 microg of clonidine (Group M) or 12.5 mg of bupivacaine with 75 microg of clonidine (Group B), in 10 mL saline. Piritramide was administered during the first postoperative 24 hours using a patient-controlled analgesia device (PCA). The following parameters were recorded: piritramide consumption during the first 24 hours; pain at rest during the first postoperative hours (D0), during the first night (D1), and during the first mobilization; [visual analogue scale (VAS)]; and the occurrence of drowsiness, motor blockade, respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, itching, micturition problems, and bladder catheterization during D0 and D1. Epidural administration of morphine-clonidine significantly improved postoperative pain relief and reduced piritramide consumption as compared to epidural bupivacaine-clonidine. Side effects did not differ between groups except for a higher incidence of micturition problems in Group M during D1. The occurrence of bladder catheterization was not significantly higher in that group. We conclude that a low dose of epidural morphine combined with clonidine offers a better postoperative analgesia than does bupivacaine-clonidine. The excellent analgesic conditions were obtained at the expense of a higher incidence of difficulties in initiating micturition.     

Intraperitoneal and intravenous routes for pain relief in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative abdominal and shoulder pain are the most common complaints after elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Postoperative pain is multifactorial in origin, and therefore multimodal therapy may be needed to optimize pain relief. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind study where patients were randomly allocated to 1 of 5 groups of 20 patients each. Statistical significance was considered P<0.05. Group 1 received 40 mL bupivacaine 0.25% intraperitoneal spray. Group 2 received 40 mL bupivacaine 0.25% intraperitoneal spray mixed with 200 mg ketoprofen. Group 3 received 40 mL bupivacaine 0.25% intraperitoneal spray and intravenous 200 mg ketoprofen. Group 4 received 200 mg ketoprofen intravenously. Group 5 was the control group. RESULTS: Demographic data were similar in the 5 groups. As compared with the control group, group 1 had significantly lower abdominal pain scores at 6 hours; group 2 at 0, 1, 2, and 6 hours; group 3 at 0, 1, 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours; and group 4 at 2 hours. Group 1 had significantly lower shoulder pain scores at 1 and 6 hours; group 2 at 0 and 6 hours; and groups 3 and 4 at 0, 1, and 6 hours. The number of patients requiring postoperative rescue analgesics and the incidence of postoperative vomiting were significantly lower in group 3 only. CONCLUSIONS: A multimodal approach to pain management following elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy is best achieved with a combination of 40 mL bupivacaine 0.25% intraperitoneal spray and 200 mg intravenous ketoprofen, achieving the least incidence of postoperative vomiting.     

Effect of piroxicam in addition to continuous thoracic epidural bupivacaine and morphine on postoperative pain and lung function after thoracotomy

Twenty-eight patients scheduled for lung resection with lateral thoracotomy and postoperative chest drains during combined thoracic epidural bupivacaine plus morphine and general anaesthesia were studied. Postoperative pain treatment was continuous epidural infusion of bupivacaine 0.25% 5 ml h-1 plus morphine 0.2 mg h-1 for 48 h and, in addition, the patients received rectal piroxicam 40 mg randomly and double-blind 12 h and 1 h before surgery and 20 mg 24 h-1 postoperatively or placebo. Pain was evaluated at rest, during cough and mobilisation, together with pulmonary function (FEV1, FVC, PEFR) and sensory level of analgesia repeatedly for 48 h. The results showed efficient pain relief, but without differences in pain scores or need for supplementary analgesics between the two groups. Pulmonary function decreased similarly in the two groups. Thus we were unable to show enhanced analgesia by supplementing an otherwise effective low-dose epidural bupivacaine and morphine treatment with piroxicam after thoracic surgery with chest drains.     

Effect of premedication with controlled-release oral morphine on postoperative pain

Thirty fit patients presenting for elective total hip replacement were randomly allocated to receive a premedication of 60 or 90 mg controlled-release oral morphine or 15 mg intramuscular morphine. Postoperative analgesia was assessed using on-demand intravenous pethidine supplementation requirements. In 15 patients free plasma morphine concentrations were measured. Both 60 and 90 mg controlled-release oral morphine led to a reduced pethidine requirement compared to the intramuscular group but the reduction was not statistically different.     

Comparison of postoperative respiratory function after laparoscopy or open laparotomy for cholecystectomy.

Cholecystectomy performed via laparotomy is associated with reduction of lung volumes including functional residual capacity that may lead to postoperative hypoxia and atelectasis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is associated with faster recovery compared to open laparotomy and cholecystectomy. To determine whether laparoscopic cholecystectomy was associated with less pulmonary dysfunction, 20 patients (ASA Physical Status I) undergoing elective cholecystectomy were randomly assigned to surgical teams performing either laparoscopy or open laparotomy for cholecystectomy. Patients in whom one or the other surgical technique had to be performed for medical or psychologic indications were excluded from the study. A standardized anesthetic technique and postoperative analgesic regimen were used. Forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s; functional residual capacity determined by a closed-circuit, constant volume helium dilution technique; and arterial O2 and CO2 tensions were measured preoperatively and at 6, 24, and 72 h postcholecystectomy. Forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s were significantly greater (P less than 0.05) in the laparoscopy compared to the laparotomy group at 6, 24, and 72 h postoperatively. Forced vital capacity relative to preoperative values was significantly (P less than 0.05) greater in patients with laparoscopy (24 h, 70 +/- 14%; 72 h, 91 +/- 6%) compared to open laparotomy (24 h, 57 +/- 23%; 72 h, 77 +/- 14%). Similarly, forced expiratory volumes in 1 s relative to preoperative values were significantly (P less than 0.05) greater in patients with laparoscopy (24 h, 85 +/- 13%; 72 h, 92 +/- 9%) compared to open laparotomy (24 h, 54 +/- 22%; 72 h, 77 +/- 11%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Epidural fentanyl in the management of postoperative pain

Epidural fentanyl (Sublimaze; Janssen) in the management of postoperative pain, with particular attention to efficacy and safety, was investigated. A treatment group (group 1) of 31 patients and a control group (group 2) of 30 patients were used. Group 1 received epidural fentanyl 100 micrograms postoperatively, while in the control group pain was treated with intramuscular pethidine 1.5 mg/kg 4-6-hourly as required during the 11 hours in the recovery room. Epidural fentanyl started working within 20 minutes and provided excellent analgesia for 8 hours or more postoperatively, comparable to repeated doses of intramuscular pethidine. Of the patients in group 1 13% experienced tolerable pruritus and the incidence of nausea and vomiting was small relative to that recorded in group 2.     

静脉低剂量氯胺酮超前镇痛对腹腔镜胆囊切除术后苏醒和疼痛的影响

目的 观察氯胺酮切皮前给药对腹腔镜胆囊切除术(LC)后苏醒和疼痛的影响.方法 全麻下行LC患者80例,随机均分为两组:对照组采用雷米芬太尼复合丙泊酚麻醉;研究组在切皮前加用小剂量氯胺酮0.3 mg/kg.采用SS和VRS评分评估对苏醒时间和苏醒期躁动情况.结果 两组呼吸恢复时间、睁眼时间、拔管时间差异无统计学意义.研究组苏醒期躁动、镇痛、镇静效果显著优于对照组(P<0.05).结论 静脉低剂量氯胺酮超前镇痛用于LC术后苏醒快,术后疼痛轻,苏醒期躁动少.