Anesthesia For Breast Cancer Surgery Research Articles

Thoracic Paravertebral Block Versus General Anesthesia for Breast Cancer Surgery

Thoracic Paravertebral Block Versus General Anesthesia for Breast Cancer Surgery

Blood‐borne factors possibly associated with post‐operative nausea and vomiting: an explorative study in women after breast cancer surgery

The pathophysiology behind post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is still not fully understood, especially with respect to gender. According to PONV risk scores, female gender is the strongest predictor for PONV. The risk for PONV after general anaesthesia for breast cancer surgery is 50-80%. The aim of the present explorative study was to identify blood-borne factors that might be associated with the development of PONV in women undergoing breast cancer surgery as a basis for further studies. Fifty patients were enrolled prospectively in the study. A standardized sevoflurane-based anaesthetic was used. Blood samples for the analysis of vasopressin, gastrin, cholecystokinin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, platelet count and blood glucose were taken at six pre-determined time points peri-operatively, and PONV was assessed during 24 h. PONV was found in 27 of 47 patients completing the study. Patients with PONV had a larger variability of the platelet count (P = 0.001), a reduced platelet count on the first post-operative day (P = 0.02) and a less pronounced relationship between the platelet count and whole blood serotonin (P = 0.004) compared with non-PONV patients. A lack of a decrease in epinephrine levels in response to the induction of anaesthesia (P = 0.03) and increased levels of vasopressin (P < 0.001), epinephrine (P = 0.005) and blood glucose (P = 0.004) were observed in the early post-operative period in PONV patients. Three different platelet-associated factors and an altered epinephrine pattern were found to be associated with the occurrence of PONV after breast cancer surgery.

Single-Injection Paravertebral Block Before General Anesthesia Enhances Analgesia After Breast Cancer Surgery With and Without Associated Lymph Node Biopsy

Paravertebral block (PVB) seems to decrease postoperative pain and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after breast surgery, but the studies have not been placebo controlled. We studied 60 patients scheduled for breast cancer surgery randomly given single-injection PVB at T3 with bupivacaine 5 mg/mL (1.5 mg/kg) or saline before general anesthesia. The patient and attending investigators were blinded; the PVB or the sham block was performed behind a curtain by an anesthesiologist not involved in the study. The patients given PVB with bupivacaine needed 40% less IV opioid medication (primary outcome variable) in the postanesthesia care unit, had a longer latency to the first opioid dose, and had less pain at rest after 24 h than the control patients (P < 0.01). They also had less PONV in the postanesthesia care unit (P < 0.05), were less sedated until 90 min (P < 0.05), and performed better in the digit symbol substitution test at 90 min and the ocular coordination test 60-120 min after surgery (P < 0.05). The average peak bupivacaine plasma concentration was 750 ng/mL. One patient had bilateral convulsions immediately after bupivacaine injection. We conclude that PVB before general anesthesia for breast cancer surgery reduced postoperative pain, opioid consumption, and occurrence of PONV and improved recovery from anesthesia.