Intravenous Fentanyl Research Articles

Pain Management in Blast Crisis Phase of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Case Report

Background: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a slow-growing type of cancer that begins in the bone marrow's blood-forming cells and is caused by a chromosomal mutation that is assumed to develop spontaneously. As CML advances into the rapid or blast phase, it can cause significant pain. This study aimed to describe pain management in the blast crisis (BC) phase of CML.
 Case presentation: A 48-year-old female diagnosed with CML in the BC phase complained of severe pain in the head, shoulders, back, and tailbone area with a numeric rating scale (NRS) of 9/10. The patient received multimodal analgesic therapy with continuous IV fentanyl at a rate of 0.25 mcg/kg/hour and ketamine at 1.3 mcg/kg/minute for 24 hours. The dosage was gradually increased through titration with a target NRS of 4/10. On the fifth day, we replaced fentanyl with morphine at 0.04 mg/kg/hour and ketamine at 1.3 mcg/kg/minute, and we reduced the titration dose according to the patient’s NRS, and her pain was controlled with NRS 3-4/10 after 7 days of treatment. On the 9th day, she was discharged with oral therapy.
 Conclusion: Multimodal analgesia has been shown to effectively reduce the intensity of the pain in blast crisis phase.

Comparison of Intravenous Acetaminophen and Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia Fentanyl after Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Opioids often need to be discontinued because they cause nausea, whereas the administration of intravenous acetaminophen (APAP) causes less nausea and vomiting. This study aimed to compare the effects of fentanyl-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) and intravenous APAP on pain and nausea after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods: We prospectively investigated primary THA patients who underwent the anterolateral supine approach at four centers between October 2021 and October 2022. The patients (n = 178) were divided randomly into IV-PCA (n = 88) and APAP groups (n = 90). Rest pain, motion pain, and nausea were assessed using NRS scores. Results: Compared with the APAP group, the IV-PCA group experienced significantly greater resting pain and nausea on postoperative day 1. A correlation was found between preoperative and postoperative pain. Postoperative nausea at 8 h was significantly correlated with pain at rest at 4 h (r = 0.193), 8 h (r = 0.194), day 1 (r = 0.245), and day 2 (r = 0.188) after surgery. Early postoperative pain and nausea correlated with subsequent pain and nausea. Conclusions: Intravenous APAP is associated with less pain and nausea and is superior to IV-PCA.

Perioperative Ultrasound-Guided Continuous Caudal Epidural Analgesia in Newborns: A Case Series in a Tertiary Medical Center.

Background Caudal epidural anesthesia technique is a relevant method for postoperative analgesia in newborns, allowing for the reduction of drug-induced respiratory depression. The threading of a catheter is, however, uncommon in clinical practice. Our main purpose was to describe our experience regarding caudally inserted epidural catheters in neonates undergoing major abdominal surgery. Methods We included every full-term neonate undergoing surgery under combined caudal epidural-general anesthesia from 2017 to 2022 in our institution. After induction of general anesthesia, an ultrasound-guided caudal epidural injection was performed, and an epidural catheter was inserted for perioperative analgesia. An epidural bolus of ropivacaine was administered to every patient before the surgical incision, and an epidural infusion of ropivacaine 0.05% was administered for 24 hours. Results Retrospectively obtained data included six full-term neonates with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status II to IV. Intraoperatively, good analgesia was achieved without hemodynamic instability or need for additional systemic opioids after induction. At the end of surgery, five of the six neonates were extubated without adverse respiratory events. Postoperatively, effective analgesia was achieved in four cases with an epidural infusion of ropivacaine 0.05%, at a rate between 0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg/h, and intravenous paracetamol. Epidural pain control was not successful in one neonate, and thus an intravenous fentanyl infusion was added. The sixth neonate remained intubated for prolonged mechanical ventilation due to surgical complications, and thus an intravenous fentanyl infusion was introduced for sedation in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), not allowing to evaluate the effectiveness of the epidural infusion alone. No other complications related to the epidural catheters were reported. Conclusion Continuous caudal epidural analgesia may be a valuable technique with a low risk of complications, decreasing the incidence of respiratory adverse events in this patient population. Although more cases are needed for a stronger conclusion, it has become a useful analgesic strategy for major abdominal surgery in neonates in our institution.

Analgesic agents administered by ambulance personnel to mountain bikers and hikers on trails in Western Australia

ObjectiveTo describe the types of analgesic medications administered to patients who were attended by ambulance on recreational trails while mountain biking or hiking and report on the reduction in pain by these agents. MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort study of patients attended by ambulance (2015–2021) after mountain biking or hiking, on Western Australia (WA) trails. All data were extracted from electronic patient care records created by ambulance personnel who attended the patient. We compared patient and case characteristics between mountain bikers and hikers and the reduction in pain scores achieved by different analgesics. ResultsA total of 717 patients were included. Paramedics reported traumatic aetiology for mountain bikers in 92 % of cases and hikers in 58 % of cases. A pain score out of 10 was recorded for 538 (75 %) patients. The median (inter-quartile range) initial pain score was 6 (2–8) and the median final pain score was 3 (1–5). Around 48 % of these 538 patients reported ≥25 % reduction in their pain score. A reduction of ≥25 % in their pain score was greatest in those patients who received intravenous fentanyl (81 %), followed by patients administered multiple analgesics (72 %) and methoxyflurane only (52 %). Even 37 % of 134 patients who received no analgesia still reported ≥25 % reduction in their pain score by hospital arrival. ConclusionTrauma was the most common reason mountain bikers and hikers on trails called an ambulance and a large proportion of these patients were in pain on ambulance arrival. Further work assessing the effectiveness of safe, non-opioid analgesics, additional to methoxyflurane, is needed to ensure non-registered practitioners such as first aid providers and event medical teams can offer suitable safe analgesics to these patients. Additionally, among patients given no pharmacological analgesic agent, almost half still achieved a >25 % reduction in their pain scores which reiterates the importance of non-pharmacological pain reduction strategies.

The efficacy of intradermal sterile water application in severe renal colic: a randomised clinical trial.

It is important to do a fast and effective treatment for patients with renal colic pain in emergency departments for both patients' comfort and clinicians' patient management. In this study, we aimed primarily to test the efficacy of intradermal sterile water application as a rapid and effective treatment in severe renal colic. This is a single-centre, prospective, randomised controlled trial. Study group consists of patients with severe renal colic related to urolithiasis. Patients were randomly divided into three groups. The first group received only intramuscular diclofenac sodium, the second group received intramuscular diclofenac sodium and intradermal sterile water, and the third group received intramuscular diclofenac sodium together with intravenous fentanyl. Numerical Rating Scale was used to determine the level of pain before and after the treatment at the 1st, 5th, 15th, 30th, 60th and 120th minutes. 95 out of 201 patients with severe renal colic pain randomly divided into 3 groups. The pre-treatment pain severity of the groups was similar (p = 0.228). We found thatthe decrease in pain intensity was significantly faster in the intradermal sterile water group than the other groups even in the first minute. Percentages of patients who had 50% pain reduction, which is considered as successful treatment, was higher in the intradermal sterile water group (which had 75.9% success rate) in the first 5min compared to the IM diclofenac sodium group (which had 7.1% success rate) and IV fentanyl group (which had 25% success rate) (p < 0.001). According to the results, pain control was achieved much faster than the other methods with intradermal sterile water injection. All methods were found to be effective in relieving the pain of the patients.

Intravenous Ketamine for Pain Control in First-Trimester Surgical Abortion: Interim Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectivesSurgical abortion is common, with most completed in the first trimester. Gold standard pain control is intravenous (IV) fentanyl and midazolam, requiring continuous cardio-respiratory monitoring, a potential challenge where this monitoring is unavailable. Ketamine is a sedative and analgesic without the cardio-respiratory depression risk associated with IV opioids, representing a potential alternative. Investigating non-opiate pain control methods is imperative given the context of the opioid crisis. This is an interim analysis of 45 participants from a randomized controlled trial comparing IV ketamine, oral morphine, and IV fentanyl for pain control in first-trimester surgical abortion. We hypothesize that ketamine will provide better pain control than morphine. MethodsThis is a double-blind, single-centre superiority trial of 3 parallel groups. Participants were ≥18 years old with confirmed intrauterine pregnancy of gestational age <12 weeks. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale and the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale. ResultsIn total, 2 participants were excluded post-randomization for 43 treated. Findings indicate that ketamine (n = 14; M = 0.7; 95% CI 0.1–1.3) provides better intra-operative pain control than morphine (n = 15, M = 4.4, 95% CI 2.9–5.9) and fentanyl (n = 14; M = 4.3; 95% CI 3.0–5.6; P < 0.001). The ketamine group was more satisfied with the anaesthetic method than the morphine group (P = 0.017). No group experienced serious adverse events. ConclusionsFindings support continuation of the randomized controlled trial and highlight ketamine as a compelling non-opiate pain control option in first-trimester surgical abortion. Ketamine use may represent more optimal pain control in settings where continuous cardio-respiratory monitoring is unavailable.

Combination of Rectus Sheath Block and Subcostal Transversus Abdominis Plane Block as the Sole Anesthesia for an Open Gastrostomy in a High-risk Patient

Truncal blocks are widely used for postoperative analgesia, but are rarely used for surgical anesthesia. Herein is reported the success of an open gastrotomy under truncal blocks in a patient for whom general anesthesia and neuraxial blockade were undesirable. A 79-year-old man, with advanced esophageal cancer presented with several comorbidities; including cardiomyopathy, ischemic heart disease, and prior cerebral infarction. Difficulty in airway management was anticipated due to the mass’s compression on the airway. Anesthesia was achieved using a combination of truncal blocks; this being the rectus sheath block and the subcostal transversus abdominis plane block, supplemented by intravenous fentanyl for managing visceral pain.

Analgesic efficacy of the inferior alveolar nerve block for maxillofacial cancer surgery under general anaesthesia - A randomised controlled study.

Mandibular resection during maxillofacial cancer surgery evokes a strong sympathetic response requiring high doses of opioids. We studied the effect of the inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) for analgesia in maxillofacial cancer surgeries. This randomised controlled study was conducted over five months in a tertiary care cancer hospital following Institutional Ethics approval and trial registration. Fifty consenting adult patients belonging to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I and II requiring maxillofacial cancer surgery with unilateral mandibular resection were recruited. Twenty-five patients in the study arm received ipsilateral IANB; a mock injection was given to the control group. Fentanyl requirement and haemodynamic parameters during primary tumour excision were the primary and secondary endpoints. Student's t-test was applied to compare primary and secondary endpoints. Forty-nine patients completed the study. Both arms were comparable with respect to age, gender distribution, ASA physical status and baseline heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP). The mean (standard deviation) intravenous fentanyl requirement during primary tumour excision in the IANB arm was 70(32) µg, significantly lower than 183(48) µg in the control arm, P < 0.001. The mean maximum HR during primary tumour excision was 82 and 99 per minute in the IANB and control arms, respectively (P < 0.001) whereas the maximum mean BP was 88 and 101 mm Hg, respectively (P < 0.001). IANB significantly reduced intraoperative fentanyl requirement and caused fewer haemodynamic changes during maxillofacial cancer surgery requiring unilateral mandibular excision.

Comparative Study between Dexmedetomidine Infusion Combination with Ketamine versus Fentanyl for Analgesia for Positioning of Spinal Anesthesia in Elderly Patients with Proximal Femoral Fracture

Abstract Background One of the main objectives of anesthesia is to alleviate the patient’s pain and agony, by ensuring the performance of surgical procedures without any discomfort. Spinal anesthesia is preferred in anesthesia of fracture femur surgeries. But the problem is positioning of the patient for spinal anesthesia as the patient is in agony and pain. In our study we chose dexmedetomidine for this goal. We preferred to add an adjuvant to limit side effects of dexmedetomidine and to control pain beside sedation. 70 patients with proximal femoral fracture were blinded and randomized divided into two groups dexmedetomidine ketamine (k) and dexmedetomidine fentanyl (f) each group has 45 patients. There is significant better analgesic effect and sedation of k group than f group. But no significant difference on hemodynamics and postoperative complications. Objective The objective of this study is to compare the analgesic effect of combination of ketamine and dexmedetomidine versus fentanyl and dexmedetomidine infusion for the pain caused by postural changes for spinal anesthesia in patients with proximal femoral fracture. Patients and Methods We aimed by our study to compare the analgesic effect of combination of (ketamine and dexmedetomidine versus fentanyl and dexmedetomidine infusion for the pain caused by postural changes for spinal anesthesia in patients with proximal femoral fracture and we applied our study on 70 patients will be divided into two equal groups: Group k: will receive 1mg/kg of intravenous ketamine with loading dose of dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg over 10 minutes and Group F : will recieve 1 μg/kg of intravenous fentanyl with loading dose of dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg over 10 minutes, with the same inclusion and exclusion criteria. then dexmedetomidine infusion only will continued at 0.6 μg/kg/h for following 20 minutes, and titrated at rate of 0.2 to 0.6 μg/kg/h until the end of surgery. Results The results of this study revealed that the pain score in lateral position was significally lower in k group than f group (0-1 vs 2-3); p &amp;lt; 0.001. and pain score during hip flexion was significally lower in k group than f group (0-1 vs 2-3 ) respectively p &amp;lt; 0.001. sedation level was much higher in k group than f group (3-4 vs 2-3) p value 0.023. But both groups shows equivalent effect on hemodynamics after dexmedetomidine administration. hypotension, Bradycardia and desaturation was common i in both groups. Regarding post operative complications no significant difference between both groups while incidence of delirium in k group (17.1%) is higher in comparison to f (11.4%) group but not significally difference. Conclusion the combination of dexmedetomidine ketamine is a good choice for analgesia of the pain during spinal anesthesia in elderly with fracture femur but need further assessment for dosage and regimen of administration and for better evaluation of the hemodynamic effects

Effects of fentanyl self-administration on risk-taking behavior in male rats.

Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) exhibit impaired decisionmaking and elevated risk-taking behavior. In contrast to the effects of natural and semi-synthetic opioids, however, the impact of synthetic opioids on decisionmaking is still unknown. The objective of the current study was to determine how chronic exposure to the synthetic opioid fentanyl alters risk-based decisionmaking in adult male rats. Male rats underwent 14 days of intravenous fentanyl or oral sucrose self-administration. After 3 weeks of abstinence, rats were tested in a decision-making task in which they chose between a small, safe food reward and a large food reward accompanied by variable risk of footshock punishment. Following testing in the decision-making task, rats were tested in control assays that assessed willingness to work for food and shock reactivity. Lastly, rats were tested on a probabilistic reversal learning task to evaluate enduring effects of fentanyl on behavioral flexibility. Relative to rats in the sucrose group, rats in the fentanyl group displayed greater choice of the large, risky reward (risk taking), an effect that was present as long as 7 weeks into abstinence. This increased risktaking was driven by enhanced sensitivity to the large rewards and diminished sensitivity to punishment. The fentanyl-induced elevation in risktaking was not accompanied by alterations in food motivation or shock reactivity or impairments in behavioral flexibility. Results from the current study reveal that the synthetic opioid fentanyl leads to long-lasting increases in risktaking in male rats. Future experiments will extend this work to females and identify neural mechanisms that underlie these drug-induced changes in risktaking.

Fascia Iliaca Block versus Intra-Venous Analgesia for Positioning of Neck Femur Fracture in Patient Undergoing Spinal Anathesia

Abstract Background Fracture of the femur is a well-known reason for surgical repair in patients of all ages. Locations include the neck, intertrochanteric, shaft, and distal fractures. Spinal anesthesia is the commonly used, preferred method for surgery and is associated with lower odds of mortality compared to general anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia is administered in either a sitting or lateral decubitus position. Positioning patients with a fractured femur for spinal anesthesia is challenging since minimal movement of the overriding fracture ends can cause extreme pain. Objective To elaborate the efficacy and safety of FICB with intravenous analgesic (IVA) on the quality for positioning before spinal anesthesia in participants with a femur fracture. Methods After approval of anesthesiology department scientific and ethical committees in Ain Shams University Hospitals, patients were included in the study, and were divided into two groups (n = 25; each); group FICB and control group. Results The study results show that there was no statistically significant difference found between FICB group and FENT group regarding demographic data and characteristics of the studied patients. While there was statistically significant increase in the quality of patient positioning in FICB group than FENT group with p-value = 0.021; also there was statistically significant increase in the patient satisfaction in FICB group than FENT group with p-value =0.021. And a statistically significant increase was found in the time to first rescue analgesic postoperative in FICB group than FENT group with p-value &amp;lt; 0.001. Conclusion Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block is more efficacious than intravenous fentanyl for positioning during spinal anaesthesia in surgery for fracture femur. Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block provides superior analgesia, better quality of patient positioning, greater patient satisfaction thereby reducing the time taken to perform spinal anaesthesia in sitting position compared to i.v. fentanyl in fracture femur surgery.

PYY3-36 infused systemically or directly into the VTA attenuates fentanyl seeking in male rats

More effective treatments for fentanyl use disorder are urgently needed. An emerging literature indicates that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists attenuate voluntary opioid taking and seeking in rodents. However, GLP-1R agonists produce adverse malaise-like effects that may limit patient compliance. Recently, we developed a dual agonist of GLP-1Rs and neuropeptide Y2 receptors (Y2Rs) that attenuates fentanyl taking and seeking at doses that do not produce malaise-like effects in opioid-experienced rats. Whether activating Y2Rs alone is sufficient to reduce opioid taking and seeking, however, is not known. Here, we investigated the efficacy of the Y2R ligand PYY3-36 to reduce fentanyl self-administration and the reinstatement of fentanyl-seeking behavior, a model of relapse in humans. Male rats were allowed to self-administer fentanyl (2.5 μg/kg, i.v.) for 21 days on a fixed-ratio 5 (FR5) schedule of reinforcement. Rats were then pretreated with vehicle or PYY3-36 (50 μg/kg s.c.; 0.1 and 1.0 μg/100 nL intra-VTA) prior to fentanyl self-administration test sessions. There were no effects of systemic or intra-VTA PYY3-36 on intravenous fentanyl self-administration. Opioid taking was then extinguished. Prior to subsequent reinstatement test sessions, rats were pretreated with vehicle or PYY3-36 (50 μg/kg s.c.; 0.1 and 1.0 μg/100 nL intra-VTA). Both systemic and intra-VTA administration of PYY3-36 attenuated fentanyl reinstatement in male rats at doses that did not affect food intake or produce adverse malaise-like effects. These findings indicate that Y2R agonism alone is sufficient to decrease fentanyl-seeking behavior during abstinence in opioid-experienced rats and further support strategies aimed at targeting Y2Rs for treating opioid use disorders.

Comparison of the Efficacy of Opioid-Free Anesthesia With Conventional Opioid-Based Anesthesia for Nasal Surgeries - A Prospective Randomized Parallel Arm Triple-Blinded Study.

Introduction In the setting of nasal surgeries, the use of opioid-free anesthesia involving the use ofdexmedetomidine,and lignocaine is being investigated as a potential alternative to opioids. This combination of drugs provides sympatholysis, pain relief, and sedative properties, thereby aiming at reducing the negative effects commonly associated with opioid usage. The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of opioid-free anesthesia using dexmedetomidineand lignocaineversus conventional opioid anesthesia with fentanylfor nasal surgeries. The comparison will be based on the primary outcome of postoperative visual analog scale(VAS) scores. Secondary outcomes assessed were the amount of rescue analgesic consumption, intraoperative sevoflurane usage, intraoperative blood loss, hemodynamic stability, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) scores, and postoperative Ramsay Sedation Scores. Methods A triple-blind, prospective, randomized, parallel arm study in which 48 patients planned for elective nasal surgery were allocated randomly to one of two groups. In the study, the population labeled as Group D, comprising 24 participants, received dexmedetomidine at a dosage of 1 mcg.kg-1 via intravenous infusion lasting for a duration of 10 minutes prior to the induction of anesthesia. This was followed by a continuous infusion of 0.6 mcg.kg-1 h-1 throughout the intraoperative period, and intravenous Lignocaine 1.5 mg.kg-1 was administered three minutes prior to induction, subsequently an intraoperative infusion of 1.5 mg.kg-1 h-1. In Group F, consisting of 24 participants,intravenous fentanyl of 2 mcg.kg-1was administered three minutes before the induction. This was subsequently followed by a fentanyl infusion of 0.5 mcg.kg-1h-1in the intraoperative period. Results The study findings indicate that Group D had considerably lower postoperative VAS scores from 30 minutes to two hours compared to Group F (p<0.05). The utilization of sevoflurane during the intraoperative period was comparatively reduced in Group D in order to achieve the desired bispectral index (BIS) range of 40-60 (p<0.01). Mean intraoperative blood loss was also lower in Group D (85 ml) compared to Group F (115 ml )(p<0.01). Additionally, Group D had significantly lower rescue analgesic consumption and lower incidence of PONV up to 60 minutes compared to Group F (P-value <0.01).A statistically significant difference was observed between Group D and Group F in terms of lower mean values of both mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate in Group D(p<0.01). The results indicate that the postoperative sedation scores within the first two hours were significantly greater in Group D compared to Group F(p<0.01). Conclusion The usage of opioid-free anesthesia has been found to be superior to a traditional opioid-based approach in various aspects, including the provision of sufficient pain relief after surgery, maintenance of stable hemodynamics during the operation, and reduction in occurrences of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Assessment of Drug-Drug Interaction Risk Between Intravenous Fentanyl and the Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir Combination Regimen in Hepatitis C Patients Using Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling and Simulations.

An unsafe injection practice is one of the major contributors to new hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections; thus, people who inject drugs are a key population to prioritize to achieve HCV elimination. The introduction of highly effective and well-tolerated pangenotypic direct-acting antivirals, including glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB), has revolutionized the HCV treatment landscape. Glecaprevir is a weak cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inhibitor, so there is the potential for drug-drug interactions (DDIs) with some opioids metabolized by CYP3A4, such as fentanyl. This study estimated the impact of GLE/PIB on the pharmacokinetics of intravenous fentanyl by building a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. A PBPK model was developed for intravenous fentanyl by incorporating published information on fentanyl metabolism, distribution, and elimination in healthy individuals. Three clinical DDI studies were used to verify DDIs within the fentanyl PBPK model. This model was integrated with a previously developed GLE/PIB PBPK model. After model validation, DDI simulations were conducted by coadministering GLE 300mg + PIB 120mg with a single dose of intravenous fentanyl (0.5µg/kg). The predicted maximum plasma concentration ratio between GLE/PIB + fentanyl and fentanyl alone was 1.00, and the predicted area under the curve ratio was 1.04, suggesting an increase of only 4% in fentanyl exposure. The administration of a therapeutic dose of GLE/PIB has very little effect on the pharmacokinetics of intravenous fentanyl. This negligible increase would not be expected to increase the risk of fentanyl overdose beyond the inherent risks related to the amount and purity of the fentanyl received during recreational use.

Impact of flail chest injury on morbidity and outcome: ten years’ experience at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country

BackgroundOne of the worst types of severe chest injuries seen by clinicians is flail chest. This study aims to measure the overall mortality rate among flail chest patients and then to correlate mortality with several demographic, pathologic, and management factors.MethodologyA retrospective observational study tracked a total of 376 flail chest patients admitted to the emergency intensive care unit (EICU) and surgical intensive care unit (SICU) at Zagazig University over 120 months. The main outcome measurement was overall mortality. The secondary outcomes were the association of age and sex, concomitant head injury, lung and cardiac contusions, the onset of mechanical ventilation (MV) and chest tubes insertion, the length of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay in days, injury severity score (ISS), associated surgeries, pneumonia, sepsis, the implication of standard fluid therapy and steroid therapy, and the systemic and regional analgesia, with the overall mortality rates.ResultsThe mortality rate was 19.9% overall. The shorter onset of MV and chest tube insertion, and the longer ICU, and hospital length of stay were noted in the mortality group compared with the survived group (P-value less than 0.05). Concomitant head injuries, associated surgeries, pneumonia, pneumothorax, sepsis, lung and myocardial contusion, standard fluid therapy, and steroid therapy were significantly correlated with mortality (P-value less than 0.05). MV had no statistically significant effect on mortality. Regional analgesia (58.8%) had a significantly higher survival rate than intravenous fentanyl infusion (41.2%). In multivariate analysis, sepsis, concomitant head injury, and high ISS were independent predictors for mortality [OR (95% CI) = 568.98 (19.49–16613.52), 6.86 (2.86–16.49), and 1.19 (1.09–1.30), respectively].ConclusionThe current report recorded mortality of 19.9% between flail chest injury patients. Sepsis, concomitant head injury, and higher ISS are the independent risk factors for mortality when associated with flail chest injury. Considering restricted fluid management strategy and regional analgesia may help better outcome for flail chest injury patients.

A comparative study of intravenous fentanyl and ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block for positioning during spinal anaesthesia in femur fracture surgeries

Objective: To assist in the administration of spinal anesthesia for patients undergoing femur fracture procedures, we conducted comparison research to compare the analgesic efficiency of intravenous fentanyl against ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block (FNB). Material and Methods: A group of 112 patients ranging in age from 18 to 70 years old who had ASA Physical Status I and II and were having femur fracture procedures under spinal anaesthesia participated in the randomised, prospective, interventional trial. These individuals were divided into two groups through a random assignment process. Group FENT (n = 56) received Intravenous fentanyl 1 microgram/kilogram (µg/kg) and five minutes before positioning for spinal anaesthetic, group FNB (n = 56) received ultrasound-guided FNB with 20 millilitres (ml), 1.5% lignocaine and adrenaline (1:200,000). Results: Comparison of pain scores during positioning using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) revealed that Group FENT had a score of 1.95 ± 0.585, whereas Group FNB had a score of 0.61 ± 0.562 (p-value 0.001). The FNB group demonstrated superior patient positioning quality. Patient satisfaction was similar in both groups, and no significant side effects were observed. Conclusion: FNB offers enhanced analgesia, improved patient positioning, higher patient satisfaction, reduced reliance on additional analgesia, and fewer side effects compared to intravenous fentanyl for spinal anesthesia.

A comparative study of intravenous fentanyl and ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block for positioning during spinal anaesthesia in femur fracture surgeries

Objective: To assist in the administration of spinal anesthesia for patients undergoing femur fracture procedures, we conducted comparison research to compare the analgesic efficiency of intravenous fentanyl against ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block (FNB). Material and Methods: A group of 112 patients ranging in age from 18 to 70 years old who had ASA Physical Status I and II and were having femur fracture procedures under spinal anaesthesia participated in the randomised, prospective, interventional trial. These individuals were divided into two groups through a random assignment process. Group FENT (n = 56) received Intravenous fentanyl 1 microgram/kilogram (µg/kg) and five minutes before positioning for spinal anaesthetic, group FNB (n = 56) received ultrasound-guided FNB with 20 millilitres (ml), 1.5% lignocaine and adrenaline (1:200,000). Results: Comparison of pain scores during positioning using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) revealed that Group FENT had a score of 1.95 ± 0.585, whereas Group FNB had a score of 0.61 ± 0.562 (p-value 0.001). The FNB group demonstrated superior patient positioning quality. Patient satisfaction was similar in both groups, and no significant side effects were observed. Conclusion: FNB offers enhanced analgesia, improved patient positioning, higher patient satisfaction, reduced reliance on additional analgesia, and fewer side effects compared to intravenous fentanyl for spinal anesthesia.

EFFECT OF REMIFENTANIL BOLUS VS FENTANYL IN ATTENUATING HEMODYNAMIC RESPONSE IN VIDEOLARYNGOSCOPIC ENDOTRACHEAL INTUBATION

Background Elevation of blood pressure and pulse rate are hemodynamic changes that occur during general anesthesia as a consequence of laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation ETI, different laryngoscopies and many drugs have been tried to reduce these changes.&#x0D; Objectives To evaluate and compare the efficacy of minimum dose of fentanyl and comparable remifentanil bolus dose during videolaryngoscopic ETI. &#x0D; Patients and MethodsA triple blind randomized clinical trial implemented on 224 patients of age group between 16-65 years of either sex (ASA I and ASA II) scheduled for elective operation under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation, they are randomly assigned into two groups, group A and group B representing both fentanyl and remifentanil as the drug preparation was unknown neither by the patient nor by the researcher and nor by the data analyser, in addition propofol two mg/kg and rocuronium 0.8 mg/kg were given then systolic blood pressure SBP, diastolic blood pressure DBP, mean arterial blood pressure MAP and heart rate HR were recorded in five different occasions as (T0) for baseline preinduction, (T1) one minute before ETI, (T2) one minute after ETI, (T3) three minutes after ETI and (T4) five minutes after ETI.&#x0D; ResultsThere was a significant difference in the mean value of HR, SBP, DBP, MAP in both groups before, one, three and five minutes after endotracheal intubation with King vision videolaryngoscope KVVL and one μg/kg remifentanil bolus administration (group B) effectively showed substantial reduction in all hemodynamic parameters with significant statistical result (P &lt; 0.05) when compared to intravenous IV fentanyl one μg/kg (group A). &#x0D; ConclusionRemifentanil bolus of one μg/kg is better than intravenous fentanyl one μg/kg in attenuating hemodynamic response to ETI when KVVL used.

Xylazine effects on opioid-induced brain hypoxia.

Xylazine has emerged in recent years as an adulterant in an increasing number of opioid-positive overdose deaths in the United States. Although its exact role in opioid-induced overdose deaths is largely unknown, xylazine is known to depress vital functions and cause hypotension, bradycardia, hypothermia, and respiratory depression. In this study, we examined the brain-specific hypothermic and hypoxic effects of xylazine and its mixtures with fentanyl and heroin in freely moving rats. In the temperature experiment, we found that intravenous xylazine at low, human-relevant doses (0.33, 1.0, 3.0mg/kg) dose-dependently decreases locomotor activity and induces modest but prolonged brain and body hypothermia. In the electrochemical experiment, we found that xylazine at the same doses dose-dependently decreases nucleus accumbens oxygenation. In contrast to relatively weak and prolonged decreases induced by xylazine, intravenous fentanyl (20μg/kg) and heroin (600μg/kg) induce stronger biphasic brain oxygen responses, with the initial rapid and strong decrease, resulting from respiratory depression, followed by a slower, more prolonged increase reflecting a post-hypoxic compensatory phase, with fentanyl acting much quicker than heroin. The xylazine-fentanyl mixture eliminated the hyperoxic phase of oxygen response and prolonged brain hypoxia, suggesting xylazine-induced attenuation of the brain's compensatory mechanisms to counteract brain hypoxia. The xylazine-heroin mixture strongly potentiated the initial oxygen decrease, and the pattern lacked the hyperoxic portion of the biphasic oxygen response, suggesting more robust and prolonged brain hypoxia. These findings suggest that xylazine exacerbates the life-threatening effects of opioids, proposing worsened brain hypoxia as the mechanism contributing to xylazine-positive opioid-overdose deaths.

Perioperative Analgesic Modality and Effectiveness in Paediatric Patients Who Have Undergone Common Major Urology Surgery - A Two-Year Retrospective Study

Perioperative paediatric major urology surgery pain management remains challenging. These surgeries require general anaesthesia (GA) combined with either regional analgesia technique or systemic morphine infusion for optimal pain relief. We aimed to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of both analgesic techniques. This single centre retrospective descriptive study involved 88 patients, aged 3 months to 12 years old with American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) I or II status, who underwent major urology surgery under GA. Group A patients received perioperative systemic morphine while Group B received regional anaesthesia blocks (continuous caudal epidural infusion, single-shot caudal blocks or single-shot erector spinae blocks). We measured requirements of perioperative rescue intravenous (IV) fentanyl, pain scores using Face, Leg, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) scale, perioperative non-opioid IV analgesia usage and associated complications. Intraoperative rescue fentanyl in both groups was comparable. Intraoperative non-opioid analgesia and postoperative rescue fentanyl requirement were significantly higher in Group A compared to Group B (p&lt;0.001). Median FLACC scores in Group A were higher than Group B (p&lt;0.001) for first 12 hours post-surgery. Commonest complications in Group A was vomiting (38.6%) and peri-catheter leak in Group B (6.81%). Regional anaesthesia technique is superior to systemic morphine in providing analgesia in the first 12 hours post paediatric major urology surgery and is devoid of opioid side effects.