Continuous total intravenous anesthesia is useful for postoperative pain management

We compared postoperative pain in two groups. All anesthetic agents were continuously administered intravenously in a continuous PKF (propofol 2-10 mg.kg-1.h-1, ketamine 240 micrograms.kg-1.h-1 and fentanyl 0.4 microgram.kg-1.h-1) group. In a control group, anesthesia was maintained by GOI (N2O-oxygen-isoflurane). Twenty-two patients scheduled for gynecological lower abdominal surgeries were divided into the continuous PKF group (n = 11) and the GOI group (n = 11). Epidural anesthesia was employed in both groups, using local anesthetic agents and fentanyl during surgeries and for 24 hrs postoperatively. To evaluate pain, VAS and Prince Henry Score on rest, cough and movement were taken 2 hrs and 5 hrs postoperatively, and in the morning and afternoon of the 1st as well as 2nd postoperative days. The continuous PKF group showed lower scores than the GOI group. It is a great advantage to use continuous PKF for postoperative pain management, and our data indicate that low dose ketamine may induce pre-emptive analgesia.