Intrathecal Analgesia Research Articles

A randomized controlled trial of wound infiltration with liposomal bupivacaine with or without intrathecal analgesia in patients undergoing laparotomy for advanced gynecologic malignancy

A randomized controlled trial of wound infiltration with liposomal bupivacaine with or without intrathecal analgesia in patients undergoing laparotomy for advanced gynecologic malignancy

Postoperative pain management strategies following selective dorsal rhizotomy in pediatric cerebral palsy patients: a systematic review of published regimens.

Surgical selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) in appropriate pediatric cerebral palsy patients is an effective treatment for spasticity. However, there remains heterogeneity reported in postoperative pain management with and without opioid medication in this delicate cohort. The objective of this study was to aggregate pertinent metadata by means of systematic review to summarize all relevant postoperative pain regimens in the literature. Searches of multiple electronic databases from inception to June 2024 were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Articles were screened against pre-specified criteria. Outcomes and regimens were then summarized. A total of 16 cohort studies were included in this study published between 1989 and 2024. Amongst all studies, outcomes were reported for a total of 636 with median cohort age 6.3years, and median cohort male proportion 62% was reported. Four studies reported regimens involving systemic analgesia, 8 studies reported regimens involving epidural analgesia, and the remaining 4 studies reported regimens involving intrathecal analgesia. All studies primary pain management involved opioid medication, with 8 studies having opioid medication available as indicated, 3 studies having opioid medication as a single dose, and the remaining studies having opioid medication as a continuous agent in the immediate postoperative period. Across all studies, rates of desaturations, nausea and/or vomiting, and pruritis ranged from 0 to 55%, 25 to 82%, and 15 to 70% respectively. Eleven of the 16 studies included a comparative component, demonstrating that their regimen was at least comparable to their control regimen, if not superior. Multiple variations of postoperative pain management in pediatric cerebral palsy patients following SDR have been reported in the literature, involving systemic, epidural, and intrathecal analgesia. Concerns for adverse effects with the utilization of opioid medication has led to the trend towards multimodal pain management relying more on non-opioid medication regimens in the more recent literature.

Efficacy of Multimodal Analgesia with Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in Comparison with Intrathecal Morphine and Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia after Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy.

Background: Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RAPN) for renal tumor treatment provides ergonomic advantages to surgeons and improves surgical outcomes. However, moderate-to-severe pain is unavoidable even after minimally invasive surgery. Despite the growing interest in multimodal analgesia, few studies have directly compared its efficacy with intrathecal morphine, a traditional opioid-based analgesic. Methods: We retrospectively investigated the efficacy of multimodal analgesia compared with that of intrathecal analgesia and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) in patients who underwent transperitoneal RAPN at our institute between 2020 and 2022. Among the 334 patients who met the inclusion criteria, intrathecal analgesia using morphine 200 µg was performed in 131 patients, and multimodal analgesia, including transversus abdominis plane block and intraoperative infusion of paracetamol 1 g and nefopam 20 mg, was administered to 105 patients. The remaining 98 patients received postoperative IV-PCA alone. Results: As the primary outcome, the area under the curve of pain scores over 24 h was significantly lower in the intrathecal analgesia and multimodal analgesia groups than in the IV-PCA group (89 [62-108] vs. 86 [65-115] vs. 108 [87-126] h, p < 0.001). Cumulative opioid requirements were also significantly lower in the intrathecal analgesia and multimodal analgesia groups at 24 h after surgery (p < 0.001). However, postoperative nausea and vomiting were significantly increased in the intrathecal analgesia group (27.5% vs. 13.3% vs. 13.3%, p = 0.005). Conclusions: Multimodal analgesia with a transversus abdominis plane block is an efficient analgesic method with fewer adverse effects compared to other analgesic methods. Our findings suggest the efficacy and safety of a multimodal approach for opioid-sparing analgesia after RAPN in the current opioid epidemic.

The Effects of WeChat-Based Teach-Back Health Education on Patients With Advanced Cancer Pain.

Providing effective health education is essential for patients with cancer-related pain. One solution is leveraging instant messaging tools for teach-back health education. This study investigated the effects of WeChat-based teach-back health education on patients with advanced cancer who underwent patient-controlled intrathecal analgesia implantation and used hydromorphone. This retrospective study evaluated 150 hospitalized patients with advanced cancer pain. Patients were classified into a conventional health education group (N = 50) and a teach-back group (N = 100) based on whether they received WeChat-based teach-back health education. Pain was rated using a numeric rating scale, and sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index at one, two, and three months postdischarge. Patients who received remote teach-back health education better managed their pain. Data also demonstrated improvements in patients' sleep quality and caregiver satisfaction, and reductions in the occurrence of adverse reactions.

Intrathecal Analgesia Versus Thoracic Epidural Analgesia for Thoracic Surgery

Introduction: Thoracic surgery is associated with severe postoperative pain involving parietal, visceral, and projected components. Potent analgesia at rest and during movement over an extended period is crucial. Thoracic epidural analgesia is considered the gold standard, but intrathecal analgesia may represent a promising alternative. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of intrathecal analgesia to provide comparable pain relief to thoracic epidural analgesia for thoracic surgery. Methods: This prospective, descriptive study was conducted over 12 months. Adult patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery were included after obtaining written informed consent. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either thoracic epidural analgesia (Epidural group, n=40) with a loading dose of 10 ml 0.1% bupivacaine + 10 mcg sufentanil followed by continuous infusion, or intrathecal analgesia (Intrathecal group, n=23) with a single injection of 500 mcg morphine + 10 mcg sufentanil. Standardized general anesthesia and postoperative care protocols were applied. Primary outcomes included intraoperative hemodynamics, postoperative pain scores (NRS 0-10), rescue analgesic requirements, patient satisfaction, and adverse effects. Results: The incidence of intraoperative hypotension was higher in the Epidural group (30% vs 8.7%, p=0.04). Postoperative pain scores were initially lower in the Intrathecal group, but the difference was not significant beyond 18 hours. Rescue morphine requirements were significantly higher in the Epidural group during the first 12 postoperative hours. Overall patient satisfaction was higher in the Intrathecal group (82.6% vs 62.5%, p=0.03). The incidence of nausea/vomiting and pruritus was significantly higher in the Intrathecal group. Discussion: Thoracic epidural analgesia was associated with a higher risk of intraoperative hypotension, likely due to the extended sympathetic blockade. Intrathecal analgesia provided superior early postoperative ....

Effects of palliative intrathecal analgesia on patients with refractory cancer bone pain.

This study examined the effects of intrathecal analgesia (ITA) using an extracorporeal pump with a subcutaneous port system in cancer patients with bone metastasis. Among the patients who died of cancer with bone metastasis at the palliative care unit of our institution, 11 who received ITA were selected. Changes in pain, opioid doses, the palliative prognostic index (PPI), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Scale after ITA were assessed. Pain, opioid doses, and PPI decreased after ITA (P = 0.002, 0.002, and 0.017). ITA for cancer patients with increased PPI due to refractory cancer bone pain decreased pain, opioid doses, and PPI.(100 words).

Programmed Intermittent Intrathecal Bolus for Maintenance of Labor Analgesia in an Obstetric Patient: A Case Report

Maintenance of labor analgesia with programmed intermittent epidural boluses (PIEBs) has demonstrated benefits over the use of continuous infusions. While programmed intermittent boluses have been used for the maintenance of epidural analgesia, it has not been reported for the maintenance of intrathecal analgesia. Approximately 25% of intrathecal catheters (ITC) ultimately fail, often due to inadequate analgesic coverage. We describe the use of programmed intermittent intrathecal boluses for a laboring parturient who received an ITC. She reported excellent pain relief without significant motor block, high anesthetic block, hypotension, or respiratory distress. This delivery modality may increase the rate of ITC after unintentional dural puncture (UDP).

Intrathecal cervical analgesia for cancer pain: a 12-year follow-up study in a comprehensive cancer center

BackgroundIntrathecal analgesia plays a key role for patients suffering refractory cancer pain. Nevertheless, intrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDS), requiring a cervical catheter tip implantation, have been poorly described in medical...

The need of a comprehensive approach in a condition of poorly opioid-responsive cancer pain.

Spinal analgesia is often claimed as an effective strategy for patients with a poor response to systemic opioids. Despite the optimistic data reported in literature with intrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDS) for cancer pain, a critical analysis showed modest benefit. Indeed, intrathecal therapy may be potent means to be used in a very selected population. However, ability to manage spinal therapy combined with the use of opioids and other drugs in the general perspective of a comprehensive palliative care treatment may allow to resolve refractory cancer pain in a patient with a clinical profile of poor pain prognosis, according to the Edmonton staging system. A long-term management of patient who underwent different therapeuthic approaches, including multiple opioid lines, intrathecal analgesia, and a comprehensive palliative care treatment, is described. The case reported describes how the management of cancer pain may be complex, requiring a high level of expertise on using opioids, conversion ratios, different routes, particularly the intrathecal one, as well as providing a comprehensive palliative care treatment. No evidence-based treatment can be taken into consideration for such extreme conditions, where only experience and knowledge can guide to an effective course of treament along a period of about six months. Timely therapeutic strategies are needed to be performed in each challenging clinical situation along the course of disease.

More time in a community setting: A service evaluation of the impact of intrathecal drug delivery systems on place of care of patients with cancer pain.

Intrathecal Drug Delivery Systems are underutilised in the management of refractory cancer pain despite evidence of their efficacy. Not all patients who are offered this treatment modality accept it. There is no current evidence that indicates if the use of intrathecal drug delivery systems impacts on place of care for patients with cancer related pain. This service evaluation compared place of care, place of death and morphine equivalent daily dose at end of life for patients in whom Intrathecal Drug Delivery was successfully established versus those who chose comprehensive medical management. A retrospective longitudinal cohort study of 45 patients with cancer pain comparing those who had ongoing analgesia successfully delivered via an implanted Intrathecal Drug Delivery System (n = 28) with those who continued to receive comprehensive medical management (n = 17). There was a markedly greater time spent in the community in the intrathecal group than the medical management group (median 126.5vs 25.5 days; p = 0.002) and a lower morphine equivalent daily dose at end of life (median 127.5vs 440.0 p = 0.022). In patients with advanced cancer, the successful establishment of intrathecal analgesia is associated with more time in the community and a lower morphine equivalent daily dose at end of life. The study has low numbers, and the sample was retrospectively selected. Nevertheless, these findings suggest the initial investment of time in an inpatient setting may be beneficial. Further research is required, using larger, prospective studies of patient outcomes in this setting.

Intrathecal Analgesia for Gynecologic Oncology Surgery.

Intrathecal Analgesia for Gynecologic Oncology Surgery.

Intrathecal Analgesia via a Percutaneous Port With Patient-Controlled Intrathecal Analgesia for the Management of Movement-Evoked Breakthrough Cancer Pain of Refractory Lower Extremity Cancer Pain: A Retrospective Review

BACKGROUND: Intrathecal analgesia (ITA) is a valuable treatment option for refractory cancer-related pain. However, there is still no general consensus on the analgesic effect of movement-evoked breakthrough pain (MEBTP) in the ITA setting. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to conduct a retrospective observational study to examine the effect of ITA via percutaneous port (ITAPP) with patient-controlled ITA (PCIA) on analgesic efficacy, emphasizing MEBTP in patients with refractory lower extremity cancer pain. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review included all patients with refractory lower extremity cancer pain who received ITAPP at our hospital between January 2017 and December 2020. METHODS: Data on the Numeric Rating Scale scores of spontaneous resting pain intensity (SRPI) and MEBTP intensity (MEPI), opioid doses, and perceived time to onset were collected from medical records prior to ITAPP and at a one-month postimplant visit. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients were included in the study group. Mean SRPI decreased from 8.75 pre-ITAPP to 3.75 post-ITAPP (P &lt; 0.05); mean MEPI fell from 8.83 pre-ITAPP to 4.25 post-ITAPP (P &lt; 0.05); mean daily morphine equivalent dosing decreased from 360 mg/d to 48 mg/d (P &lt; 0.05); and mean daily morphine equivalent dosing for MEBTP decreased from 87 mg/d to 6 mg/d (P &lt; 0.05). Both total and breakthrough dosing of conventional opioid medications significantly decreased following the initiation of ITAPP with PCIA. The mean perceived time to onset with conventional MEBT medications was 38 minutes, and the mean perceived time to onset with PCIA was 8 minutes (P &lt; 0.05). LIMITATIONS: An effective analysis of IT opioid efficacy was not possible because the power of such a small sample size was low. Second, it is a retrospective study without long-term follow-ups. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with refractory lower extremity cancer pain, ITAPP with PCIA was associated with improved pain control. Compared with conventional MEBTP regimens, appropriate ITAPP with PCIA provided superior analgesia and a much faster onset of action. KEY WORDS: Movement-evoked breakthrough pain, patient-controlled intrathecal analgesia, lower extremity cancer pain, intrathecal analgesia via a percutaneous port

Postoperative analgesia for upper gastrointestinal surgery: a retrospective cohort analysis

BackgroundThoracic epidural analgesia is commonly used for upper gastrointestinal surgery. Intrathecal morphine is an appealing opioid-sparing non-epidural analgesic option, especially for laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery.MethodsFollowing ethics committee approval, we extracted data from the electronic medical records of patients at Royal North Shore Hospital (Sydney, Australia) that had upper gastrointestinal surgery between November 2015 and October 2020. Postoperative morphine consumption and pain scores were modelled with a Bayesian mixed effect model.ResultsA total of 427 patients were identified who underwent open (n = 300), laparoscopic (n = 120) or laparoscopic converted to open (n = 7) upper gastrointestinal surgery. The majority of patients undergoing open surgery received a neuraxial technique (thoracic epidural [58%, n = 174]; intrathecal morphine [21%, n = 63]) compared to a minority in laparoscopic approaches (thoracic epidural [3%, n = 4]; intrathecal morphine [12%, n = 14]). Intrathecal morphine was superior over non-neuraxial analgesia in terms of lower median oral morphine equivalent consumption and higher probability of adequate pain control; however, this effect was not sustained beyond postoperative day 2. Thoracic epidural analgesia was superior to both intrathecal and non-neuraxial analgesia options for both primary outcomes, but at the expense of higher rates of postoperative hypotension (60%, n = 113) and substantial technique failure rates (32%).ConclusionsWe found that thoracic epidural analgesia was superior to intrathecal morphine, and intrathecal morphine was superior to non-neuraxial analgesia, in terms of reduced postoperative morphine requirements and the probability of adequate pain control in patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal surgery. However, the benefits of thoracic epidural analgesia and intrathecal morphine were not sustained across all time periods regarding control of pain. The study is limited by its retrospective design, heterogenous group of upper gastrointestinal surgeries and confounding by indication.

ID: 210147 Low-Dose Ziconotide as First-Line Intrathecal Monotherapy: a Case Series With 30 Months Follow-Up

The use of ziconotide in intrathecal analgesia (ITA) has been limited by dose-related side effects. We present our experience with ziconotide as first-line intrathecal monotherapy in patients with chronic pain and present our low and slow dosing algorithm aimed at reducing side effects and appropriately managing pain in these patients.

ID: 212949 Intrathecal Therapy: Combination of Ziconotide and Sufentanil for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: A Case Report

The use of ziconotide in intrathecal analgesia intrathecally is sometimes limited by dose-related side effects. We present our experience with the combination of ziconotide and sufentanil as intrathecal polytherapy in a patient with chronic low back pain.

Postoperative effects and complications of intrathecal morphine compared to epidural analgesia in patients undergoing intracorporeal robot-assisted radical cystectomy: a retrospective study

BackgroundAnalgesia after robot assisted radical cystectomy aims to reduce postoperative pain and opioid consumption, while facilitating early mobilization and enteral nutrition and minimizing complications. Epidural analgesia is currently recommended for an open radical cystectomy, but it is unclear if intrathecal morphine is a suiting, less-invasive alternative for a robot-assisted radical cystectomy.MethodsThe analgesic method of choice changed from epidural anesthesia to intrathecal anesthesia for patients undergoing a robot-assisted radical cystectomy. This single-center retrospective study aims to investigate if there is a difference between epidural and intrathecal analgesia in postoperative pain scores, opioid consumption, length of hospital stays and postoperative complications. An Propensity Matched Analysis was added to conventional analysis to consolidate the findings.ResultsThe study population consisted of 153 patients of whom 114 received an epidural catheter with bupivacaine/sufentanil and 39 received a single shot of intrathecal bupivacaine/morphine. Mean pain scores on the first two postoperative days (POD) were slightly higher in the intrathecal analgesia group (epidural versus intrathecal analgesia, NRS POD0: 0(0–2)[0–8] versus 1(0–3)[0–5], p = 0.050; POD1: 2(1–3)[0–8] versus 3(1–4)[0–7], p = 0.058; POD2: 2(0–3)[0–8] versus 3(2–4)[0–7], p = 0.010). Total postoperative morphine consumption was similar over the first seven days: 15 mg (5–35)[0–148] in the epidural group versus 11 mg (0–35)[0–148] in the intrathecal morphine group, p = 0.167. Length of hospital stay and time until fit for discharge where slightly higher in the epidural group (respectively 7 days (5–9)[4–42] versus 6 days (5–7)[4–38], p = 0.006, and 5 days (4–8)[3–30]) versus 5 days (4–6)[3–34], p = 0.018). There was no further difference in postoperative course.ConclusionsThis study showed that the effects of epidural analgesia and intrathecal morphine are comparable and that intrathecal morphine may be a suiting alternative for epidural analgesia.

Frequency of typical complications of morphine during its intrathecal and epidural introduction in knee arthroplasty

The objective was to compare the efficacy and safety of morphine in neuraxial blocks during knee arthroplasty.Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of 60 medical histories of patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty for the period from 2017 to 2019 was performed. All patients were operated under general anesthesia with mechanical ventilation in combination with epidural or spinal analgesia with opiates. Patients of the 1st group (n=20) after catheterization of the epidural space at the level of L1–2 were injected with a morphine solution 1% – 0.3 ml epidurally. Patients of the 2nd group (n=20) were injected with a morphine solution 1% – 0.01 ml intrathecally at the level of L3–4. Patients of the 3rd group (n=20) underwent standard combined anesthesia: general anesthesia with mechanical ventilation and epidural analgesia at the level of L1–2 with a solution of 0.2% ropivacaine in the form of an infusion of 6 ml/hour. All patients received infusion of 0.2% solution of ropivacaine epidurally 6 ml/hour at the level of L1–2 in the postoperative period.The incidence of nausea, vomiting, pruritus, headache and the level of postoperative pain syndrome were assessed on a numerical rating scale 6 hours after the end of the surgery.Results. The level of pain syndrome in patients who received intrathecal and epidural analgesia with morphine was equally low, while in patients who received epidural analgesia with ropivacaine, the level of pain syndrome was statistically significantly higher, which required the additional prescription of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and/or narcotic analgesics parenterally. The frequency of nausea, vomiting, pruritus and headaches was maximum in the 2nd group, significantly lower in the 1st, while in the 3rd, pruritus did not occur.Conclusion. The use of morphine in neuraxial block in knee arthroplasty has a positive effect on the quality of anesthesia and postoperative pain relief.

Quality of recovery after intrathecal morphine for elective Caesarean deliveries

Background: Recent supply issues with diamorphine have meant a change in practice to use of intrathecal morphine. The Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association (OAA)1 guidelines state that intrathecal diamorphine or morphine provides adequate analgesia after Caesarean section. They discourage the use of parenteral opioids in women who have received neuraxial opioids, owing to the increased risk of respiratory depression. Other side-effects such as nausea and vomiting and pruritus may differ in severity for each drug. We reviewed the side-effects and adherence to the enhanced recovery pathway in elective deliveries receiving intrathecal morphine. Methods: Prospective data were collected for 50 women undergoing Caesarean section with intrathecal opioid analgesia (fentanyl 15 μg and morphine 100 μg) within a 5-week period. Data were collected at Day 1 and Day 2 postoperatively. These included: pain score, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), pruritus, oral opioid use, anti-emetic use, chlorphenamine use, time spent in recovery, and occurrence of urinary retention. Pain score, nausea and vomiting, and pruritus were recorded using a verbal rating scale (VRS). Results: The majority (56.5%) of patients reported only mild pain, 37% reported moderate to severe pain, but of these most (94.7%) only required 20–40 mg of oral morphine in addition to simple analgesia. In addition, the majority (58.7%) of patients reported no PONV. Meanwhile, 45.7% of patients reported mild pruritus, and 43.5% reported no pruritus. Only three of the 50 women did not follow the enhanced recovery pathway. Two remained as inpatients for monitoring after obstetric haemorrhage, and one for intravenous antibiotics. There was no reported respiratory depression. Time spent in recovery was between 1 and 4 h. Although the reason for prolonged recovery stay was not audited, it was thought that requirement for oxytocin infusion increased recovery stay as the ward did not accept patients on an infusion. Conclusions: Our results show an acceptable side-effect profile after elective Caesarean delivery using intrathecal morphine, with adherence to the current enhanced recovery pathway. We aim to implement updated Caesarean delivery guidelines which include prescription of regular ondansetron and chlorphenamine as required, in conjunction with patient education, to try and reduce the incidence of bothersome PONV and pruritus. 1. Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association, OAA commentary on alternatives to intrathecal and epidural diamorphine for caesarean section analgesia, 2018. Available from: https://www.oaa-anaes.ac.uk/ui/content/content.aspx?ID=4717

Availability of and factors related to interventional procedures for refractory pain in patients with cancer: a nationwide survey

BackgroundCancer pain may be refractory to standard pharmacological treatment. Interventional procedures are important for quality of analgesia. The aim of the present study was to clarify the availability of four interventional procedures (celiac plexus neurolysis/splanchnic nerve neurolysis, phenol saddle block, epidural analgesia, and intrathecal analgesia), the number of procedures performed by specialists, and their associated factors. In addition, we aimed to establish how familiar home hospice physicians and oncologists are with the different interventional procedures available to manage cancer pain.MethodsA cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted. Subjects were certified pain specialists, interventional radiologists, home hospice physicians, and clinical oncologists.ResultsThe numbers of valid responses/mails were 545/1,112 for pain specialists, 554/1,087 for interventional radiology specialists, 144/308 for home hospice physicians, and 412/800 for oncologists. Among pain specialists, depending on intervention, 40.9-75.2% indicated that they perform each procedure by themselves, and 47.5-79.8% had not performed any of the procedures in the past 3 years. Pain specialists had performed the four procedures 4,591 times in the past 3 years. Among interventional radiology specialists, 18.1% indicated that they conduct celiac plexus neurolysis/splanchnic nerve neurolysis by themselves. Interventional radiology specialists had performed celiac plexus neurolysis/splanchnic nerve neurolysis 202 times in the past 3 years. Multivariate analysis revealed that the number of patients seen for cancer pain and the perceived difficulty in gaining experience correlated with the implementation of procedures among pain specialists. Among home hospice physicians and oncologists, depending on intervention, 3.5-27.1% responded that they were unfamiliar with each procedure.ConclusionsAlthough pain specialists responded that the implementation of each intervention was possible, the actual number of the interventions used was limited. As interventional procedures are well known, it is important to take measures to ensure that pain specialists and interventional radiology physicians are sufficiently utilized to manage refractory cancer pain.

SY28-4 Nerve block and intrathecal analgesia for intractable cancer pain

The usefulness of the WHO method of cancer pain treatment has long been demonstrated: 76% of patients with cancer pain were successfully analgesized, but 8% required nerve blocks, 3% required neurolytic block, and 3% required intrathecal analgesia.