Patient-controlled Analgesia Pump Research Articles

Bilateral ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block for postoperative pain relief in major traumatic spine surgery: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Spine fixation surgery for traumatic vertebral fractures is associated with severe pain and is often difficult to control. Traditionally systemic opioids have been the mainstay of analgesia for these procedures, which can lead to hyperalgesia, nausea, ileus, sedation, cognitive impairment, dependence, etc., limiting usage of opioids. The Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is a novel ultrasound-guided procedure with easily identifiable sonoanatomy. We hypothesized that a multimodal approach involving ESPB to a conventional analgesic regimen with local infiltration for patients undergoing major traumatic spine surgeries might provide better perioperative analgesia and reduce the need for postoperative opioid requirements. Material and Methods: A randomized control prospective trial was conducted on 34 ASA grade I –II patients aged 18 to 65 years who were scheduled to undergo elective posterior spine fixation surgery with ASIA B to E after traumatic spine fracture under general anesthesia. Patients were randomized to Group A which included patients who received general anesthesia with ESPB, and Group B, or the control group, included patients who received general anesthesia with systemic analgesics and postoperative local infiltration without ESPB. Intraoperative total fentanyl consumption, VAS score at 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours, time to activate patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump, total morphine consumption, and opioid-related side effects were monitored and compared in both groups. Results: Postoperative PCA morphine consumption was significantly lower in group A patients who received ESPB than those in the control group (17.06 ± 9.59 vs 37.82 ± 9.88 P value = <0.0001). VAS scores at rest and movement at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 hours were significantly lower (P value = 0.05) in the ESPB group compared with the control group at all time points. Conclusion: Bilateral ultrasound-guided Erector spinae plane block, when administered in traumatic spine patients undergoing spine fixation surgery, provides better analgesia with statistically decreased VAS scores and less postoperative opioid requirement.

Feasibility of hydromorphone PCA 10-day simple mode home management of patients in severe pain: A prospective multicenter study.

e24072 Background: Pain is a common symptom affecting patients with cancer. In clinical practice patients with advanced refractory cancer pain often face multiple anti-tumor treatments and prefer treatment at home or in community clinics versus hospitalization; thus, pain relief and drug management are challenging. Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an essential component of analgesic treatment. However, difficulties associated with PCA configuration, unified pump configuration mode, and tube blockage may limit its use by both doctors and patients, negatively affecting large-scale promotion of PCA technology in hospitals and at home. In this study we optimized PCA parameters to resolve problems around cumbersome operation and tube blockage, thereby increasing pump utility and feasibility. We refer to this mode as the "10-day simple mode." The study objective is to evaluate the analgesic effect of the "10-day simple mode" of hydromorphone PCA and to explore its home-based convenience and use. Methods: A total of 100 patients with refractory cancer pain were included in this study. The pump configuration mode was divided into two stages. The first (titration) stage was: hydromorphone + normal saline with a total volume of 24 ml and pump speed of 1.0 ml/h. The second (maintenance) stage was: hydromorphone + normal saline with a total volume of 288 ml and pump speed of 1.2 ml/h with PCA of 2.4 ml. During the maintenance stage, if pain control was unsatisfactory the background dose was increased based on the number of PCA presses in the previous 24 hours. Patients' numeric rating scale (NRS) scores, quality of life scores, and adverse reactions were recorded before and after treatment. Results: Patients' average NRS score before treatment was 7.4 (7-10). Average time to successful titration was 49.6 minutes (35.6-56.9) and 40.7% of patients achieved successful titration within 30 minutes. After titration, the average NRS score was 3.2 (0-6). There was a statistically significant difference in NRS scores before and after titration (p < 0.05). During maintenance, 56.0% of patients experienced breakthrough pain on day 1, when the average NRS score was 5.2. As background dosing continued breakthrough pain and average NRS score gradually decreased (p < 0.05). Quality of life scores and patient satisfaction measured before and after 10 days of PCA pump use showed significant improvement (p < 0.001). Conclusions: For patients with refractory cancer pain, the hydromorphone PCA "10-day simple mode" produces good analgesic effect, is easy to manage, and suitable for patients seeking home-based pain relief. These results warrant further clinical study. Clinical trial information: NCT05744089 .

Continuous flow local anesthetic wound infusion for post-operative analgesia following kidney transplantation.

Some patients with end stage renal disease are or will become narcotic-dependent. Chronic narcotic use is associated with increased graft loss and mortality following kidney transplantation. We aimed to compare the efficacy of continuous flow local anesthetic wound infusion pumps (CFLAP) with patient controlled analgesia pumps (PCA) in reducing inpatient narcotic consumption in patients undergoing kidney transplantation. In this single-center, retrospective analysis of patients undergoing kidney transplantation, we collected demographic and operative data, peri-operative outcomes, complications, and inpatient oral morphine milligram equivalent (OME) consumption. Four hundred and ninety-eight patients underwent kidney transplantation from 2020 to 2022. 296 (59%) historical control patients received a PCA for postoperative pain control and the next 202 (41%) patients received a CFLAP. Median age [53.5vs. 56.0 years, p=.08] and BMI [29.5vs. 28.9kg/m2, p=.17] were similar. Total OME requirement was lower in the CFLAP group [2.5vs. 34 mg, p<.001]. Wound-related complications were higher in the CFLAP group [5.9%vs. 2.7%, p=.03]. Two (.9%) patients in the CFLAP group experienced cardiac arrhythmia due to local anesthetic toxicity and required lipid infusion. Compared to PCA, CFLAP provided a 93% reduction in OME consumption with a small increase in the wound-related complication rate. The utility of local anesthetic pumps may also be applicable to patients undergoing any unilateral abdominal or pelvic incision.

Impact of the addition of dexmedetomidine to patient-controlled intravenous analgesia on postoperative pain-sleep interaction cycle and delirium: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BackgroundThe reciprocal nexus between sleep and pain is well-documented, with the deleterious impact of operative trauma potentially playing a pivotal role in the dysregulation of this interplay, which could significantly contribute to the manifestation of postoperative delirium (POD). Studies have investigated the effect of adding dexmedetomidine (DEX) to patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) pumps on postoperative pain-sleep interaction cycle and POD, but conclusions remained uncertain. The objective of this investigation is to perform a meta-analysis that thoroughly assesses the impact of integrating DEX into PCIA, focusing on analgesic effectiveness, sleep quality, and the incidence of delirium in postoperative patients. MethodsPubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, SinoMed, and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform were searched, for publications in any language, from database inception to September 2023. Our analysis encompassed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examine the therapeutic efficacy and risk profile of adding DEX to the PCIA on the postoperative pain-sleep interaction cycle, by focusing on changes in postoperative analgesia (Visual analog scale (VAS) score), sleep efficiency, sleep structure, subjective sleep score (Assen insomnia scale and numerical rating scale) and adverse event rate. Results34 RCTs (4324 patients) were analyzed. This study shows DEX improved analgesia and reduced VAS scores at 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery. Sleep efficiency was enhanced on the 1st and 2nd postoperative night. DEX improved sleep structure at the 1st postoperative night by reducing non-rapid eye movement stage 1 (N1) sleep and increasing non-rapid eye movement stage 2 (N2) and non-rapid eye movement stage 3 (N3) sleep. At the 2nd night, DEX reduced N1 sleep and increased N2 sleep, but not N3 sleep. Data from AIS and NRS showed improvement in subjective sleep scores on the 1st postoperative night and 2nd night. Additionally, DEX decreased the occurrence of POD on the 24 h and first-three days. ConclusionThis study shows that the typical DEX doses added to PCIA with sufentanil were 2–5 μg/kg or approximately 200–250 μg, and the addition of DEX to PCIA can improve pain-sleep interaction cycle from multiple perspectives, and further decrease the occurrence of POD.

Effect of esketamine on postoperative analgesia and postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery

ObjectiveTo investigate the analgesic effect of esketamine combined with low-dose sufentanil in elderly patients after gastrointestinal surgery, and whether the anti-inflammatory effect of esketamine is involved in the mechanism of postoperative delirium.MethodWe enrolled sixty elderly patients (age ≥ 65 years old, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade I-III) who underwent gastrointestinal surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to Group C (control group) who received sufentanil 2 ug/kg, and Group E (experimental group) who received sufentanil 1.5 ug/kg + esketamine 1 mg/kg, with 30 patients in each group. All patients underwent total intravenous anesthesia during the surgery and were connected to a patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) pump after surgery. The primary outcome was the evaluation of pain at 4, 24, 48 h after surgery which was evaluated by NRS scores. In secondary outcomes, inflammation was assessed by measuring IL-6 levels using ELISA. The postoperative delirium and the occurrence of adverse reactions were observed on the 1st and 3rd day after surgery.ResultsThe NRS scores at 4, 24, and 48 h after surgery in the experimental group [(4.53 ± 1.22), (3.46 ± 0.73), (1.37 ± 0.99)] were lower than that in the control group [(5.23 ± 1.16), (4.46 ± 0.77), (2.13 ± 0.78)] (P < 0.05). The concentration of serum IL-6 in the experimental group at 24 and 48 h after operation [(15.96 ± 4.65), (11.8 ± 3.24)] were lower than that in the control group [(23.07 ± 4.86), (15.41 ± 4.01)] (P < 0.05); the incidence of postoperative delirium in the experimental group was less than that in the control group (P < 0.05); there was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting between the two groups (P > 0.05), and neither group had nightmares or delirium.ConclusionEsketamine may enhance postoperative pain management compare with sufentanil, and esketamine has anti-inflammatory effects that reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium.Trial registrationFull name of the registry: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. Trial registration number: ChiCTR2300072374. Date of registration:2023/06/12

A Randomized Control Study to Assess the Efficacy of Intrathecal Morphine in Patients on Patient-Controlled Analgesia Pump With Morphine for Postoperative Pain Relief After Elective Laparotomy.

Introduction Laparotomy is associated with significantprolonged postoperative pain, which can cause an adverse neuroendocrine stress response. Intrathecal morphine (ITM) retains an important place in pain management after major laparotomysince it is easier to administer and has a relatively lesser possibility of failure and technical difficulty. Aim The study aims to compare the effect of the administration of ITM with intravenous (IV) morphine administered by a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump on postoperative analgesia after elective laparotomy. The primary objective was to compare total morphine consumption while secondary objectives were to compare pain assessed by the visual analog scale (VAS) and adverse reactions to opioids. Methods Sixty patients who underwent elective laparotomy were enrolled in this study. Thirty patients were enrolled in the study group (ITM+PCA) where ITM (200 mcg) was administered before laparotomy and intravenous morphine was initiated with PCA postoperatively. In the control group, only intravenous morphine was given with PCA postoperatively for pain relief. Parameters in both groups were compared, where estimation of cumulative morphine dose was the primary outcomeand pain as assessed by VASand side effects of opioids were the secondary outcomes. Results Patients in the ITM (ITM+PCA) group required less morphine (6.6 ± 2.96 vs. 24.77 ± 6.79 mg of morphine, p < 0.001) compared to patients on PCA. There was no statistically significant difference in VAS score and adverse effects between both groups. Conclusion Preoperative ITM can be used as an effective and safe modality for alleviating immediate postoperative pain following laparotomy.

Different doses of nalmefene combined with hydromorphone hydrochloride for postoperative analgesia after colorectal surgery: a randomized controlled study

BackgroundHydromorphone hydrochloride has a satisfactory postoperative analgesic effect for patients with colorectal cancer but is accompanied by a relatively high incidence of adverse events. Low-doses of naloxone combined with opioids for patient-controlled analgesia can reduce the incidence of drug-related adverse events. Nalmefene is a more selective opioid receptor antagonist than naloxone. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of low-doses of nalmefene on the analgesic effect and incidence of adverse events of patients with hydromorphone patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) undergoing colorectal radical surgery.MethodsNinety-nine patients undergoing elective laparoscopic or hand-assisted laparoscopic radical surgery under general anaesthesia were randomly divided into three groups. Group N1 received hydromorphone hydrochloride 0.15 mg/kg + nalmefene 2 µg/kg; Group N2 received hydromorphone hydrochloride 0.15 mg/kg + nalmefene 0.5 µg/kg; and the control group (Group C) received hydromorphone hydrochloride 0.15 mg/kg. All medications were diluted to 100 ml with normal saline. The primary outcome was pain intensity at 12 h after surgery; the secondary outcomes were the occurrence of nausea, vomiting and pruritus and the total analgesic consumption of the PCA pump at 1 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 and 48 h after surgery.ResultsThe NRS scores of Group N1 (2 µg/kg) were significantly lower than those of Group C (P = 0.025), and no difference was found between group N2 and group C (P > 0.05). Among the three groups, the NRS scores of Group N1 (2 µg/kg) were significantly lower than those of Group C at 12 h (P = 0.01) and 48 h (P = 0.01) postoperatively. Compared with 12 h postoperatively, the NRS scores were lower at 24 h postoperatively in Group N1 and Group C (P < 0.05) and significantly lower at 48 h postoperatively in all three groups (P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in the incidence of pruritus among the three groups (P = 0.036).ConclusionsNalmefene at a dosage of 2 µg/kg enhances the postoperative analgesic effect of hydromorphone hydrochloride and reduces the occurrence of postoperative pruritus.Trial RegistrationThe trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration number: ChiCTR2000033520, date: 03/06/2020).

Effects of contralateral versus ipsilateral electroacupuncture for analgesia and rehabilitation after unilateral total knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a treatment for advanced knee osteoarthritis. Since postoperative pain affects rehabilitation, this study aimed to determine whether electroacupuncture (EA) contralateral to the surgical site is more effective than ipsilateral EA or sham EA in terms of relieving postoperative pain and promoting post-TKA rehabilitation. In this parallel, single-blind randomized controlled trial, 114 patients undergoing unilateral TKA were assigned to the contralateral EA (EA on the contralateral side + sham EA on the ipsilateral), ipsilateral EA (EA on the ipsilateral + sham EA on the contralateral side), or sham EA (sham EA on both sides) groups (n = 38 each). Treatment was performed once daily on postoperative days 1-3. The visual analog scale (VAS) scores, additional opioid doses via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee scores, active/passive range of motion (AROM/PROM), swelling around the knee joint, and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) scores were used for postoperative evaluation. At 3 days postoperatively, the VAS scores, HSS scores, AROM/PROM, swelling around the knee, and HAMA scores in the contralateral EA and ipsilateral EA groups were significantly improved compared with baseline. In addition, VAS scores, HSS scores, PROM and swelling around the knee were significantly better in the contralateral and ipsilateral EA groups than in the sham EA group, but similar in the two true EA groups. Furthermore, PCA additional dose release was significantly higher in the sham EA group than in the two true EA groups (which did not significantly differ). At 10 days postoperatively, the HSS scores, AROM/PROM, and HAMA scores were better in the contralateral and ipsilateral EA groups than in the sham EA group, but similar in the two true EA groups. Contralateral EA is more effective than sham EA for treating postoperative pain following TKA, but has an analgesic effect similar to that of ipsilateral EA. ChiCTR1800020297 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry).

Pain Management Throughout Pediatric Laparoscopic Appendectomy: A Systematic Review.

Opioid-related fatalities are a leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Appendicitis is a common cause of abdominal pain in children and adolescents. The management of pain throughout the laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) in the pediatric population is a critical concern. This study aimed to evaluate trends in analgesic use and patient satisfaction following LA, with a focus on reducing the reliance on opioids for pain management. From 2003 to 2023, 18258 articles were filtered for all types of analgesic use with LA. The publications were screened using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and 19 studies were included for analysis and review. The study included peer-reviewed experimental and observational studies involving individuals under 18 years. Pain management strategies varied across studies, involving a combination of analgesics, nerve blocks, and wound infiltrations. Analgesics such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and opioids were administered before and after surgery. Some studies implemented patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps. Other studies explored non-pharmacological interventions like magnetic acupuncture. The results showed a reduction in the need for postoperative analgesics in patients treated with LA, particularly when using non-opioid medications and novel analgesic techniques. Pediatric patients who received gabapentin reported lower opioid use, shorter hospital stays, and high satisfaction rates. However, the reliance on opioids remained significant in some cases, particularly among patients with peritonitis who required more morphine. Pain management in pediatric patients is multifaceted, involving preoperative and postoperative analgesics, nerve blocks, and PCA pumps. Efforts to improve pain management following pediatric LA while reducing opioid reliance are essential in the context of the ongoing opioid epidemic. The findings from this study highlight the potential benefits of non-opioid analgesics, nerve blocks, and alternative methods for managing postoperative pain in <18 appendectomy patients. Further research and standardization of pain management protocols are needed to ensure optimal patient outcomes and minimize the risk of opioid-related complications.

Knowing the Dose to Control the Dose: Optimizing Patient-Controlled Analgesia in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

Introduction: Acute painful episodes are the most common cause of hospitalization in SCD. Intravenous (IV) opioids are the analgesic of choice to treat pain requiring hospitalization in adults. On-demand IV opioid dosing can be either via a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump or via intermittent nurse bolus. Advantages of PCA include better analgesia accessibility and relative independence from staff. However, significant variability exists in PCA management. A multicenter, randomized-controlled trial of PCA strategies in SCD was terminated early due to slow accrual, stemming from barriers such as suboptimal communication between inpatient teams. Additional limitations with PCA include technological limitations and incomplete charting through a manual process. We initiated a quality improvement project to understand patterns of PCA use in patients hospitalized for SCD pain crises at our institution. Methods: We performed a retrospective manual chart review on all adult patients diagnosed with SCD pain crises admitted to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC) from October 1 through December 31, 2022. Inpatient data collected included reason for admission, length of stay, and documentation of inpatient opioid usage in daily clinical notes. Hospitalizations requiring intensive care admission for severe complications were excluded. Outpatient data collected included demographics and outpatient opioid prescriptions via the state prescription drug monitoring database. The study was approved by the UCMC IRB. Results: Fifteen patients were admitted to UCMC a total of 24 times for SCD pain crises during the 3-month period. The patients ranged in age from 21 years to 73 years (median age 33 years, interquartile range (IQR) 19.5 years) and the majority (11/15) were women. Disease-modifying therapies prescribed included hydroxyurea (8/15, 53%), chronic transfusions (2/15, 13%), chronic transfusions plus hydroxyurea (1/15), voxelotor (1/15), no disease-modifying therapy (2/15). Nine patients were prescribed daily outpatient opioids that included an oral long-acting opioid plus an oral short-acting opioid. Out of the 24 hospitalizations, 11 were for an uncomplicated pain crisis, 10 were complicated by mild acute chest syndrome (mild hypoxia and/or abnormal chest imaging), and 3 patients experienced other treatable complications (2 with Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteremia, 1 with deep venous thrombosis). Five patients were admitted two or more times. Two patients, admitted a total of 5 times, were maintained on nurse-administered IV bolus opioids during their admissions, in addition to oral opioids. The remainder of the patients were treated with a hydromorphone PCA pump with on-demand bolus dosing only, in addition to home long-acting oral opioids when applicable. Two patients were ultimately transitioned from PCA onto nurse-administered bolus IV opioids, due to failure to achieve adequate analgesia with PCA. In 9 out of the 19 admissions using a PCA, daily MME or the equivalent was charted in at least one progress note (47%). The median LOS in the subgroup in which PCA use was charted at least once was 7 (IQR 3.5) days. In the 10 admissions on a PCA in which daily MME was never charted (53%), the median LOS was 11 (IQR 6.25) days. Among patients not receiving outpatient opioids, daily MMEs from the PCA in the first few days of hospitalization (when recorded) ranged from 24 to 520 (median 178, IQR 241) MME. In patients who had daily chronic pain on outpatient opioid therapy, daily inpatient MME from PCA ranged from 360 to 1020 (median 545, IQR 418) MME. In patients with multiple admissions during the study period, the recorded daily opioid use was about two times that in the single admission group (median 673, IQR 500 MME in the multiple admissions group; vs median 329, IQR 351 MME in the single admission group). Conclusions: Our data suggest that length of stay is shortened by ~4 days when clinicians quantify daily opioid use for patients on PCA. In addition, patients with frequent admissions tend to have higher inpatient daily opioid use. This hints that readmission may be partly driven by mild withdrawal when on outpatient opioids at lower MME. A major barrier to data collection was inconsistent documentation of daily opioid use. The next step in our quality improvement project is an educational curriculum on inpatient opioid management for residents and hospitalists.

Inpatient Use of Extended-Release (ER) Opioids for Vaso-Occlusive Crisis Associated with Increased Length of Stay for ER Opioid-Naïve Patients

Background: The intermittent acute pain syndrome associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) is a poorly understood phenomenon with complex pathophysiology. Given the broad spectrum of analgesic interventions, including immediate-release (IR) and extended-release (ER) opioids, healthcare providers are challenged with the task of safely and effectively escalating inpatient opioid regimens, especially in the setting of limited guidelines outlining the combination of different opioid formulations. Despite SCD being the most common genetic disorder in the United States, more research is required to improve physician expertise with appropriate and timely pain management of vaso-occlusive crisis. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review (n=200) of patients with known SCD requiring hospitalization for acute pain secondary to vaso-occlusive crisis without an alternative etiology of pain symptoms. The review included a patient population aged 18-67 years old with 43.5% males and 56.5% females hospitalized from 2/1/2022 to 5/6/2022. The primary outcome measure was hospital length of stay (LOS) for adequate pain control compared against varying factors of inpatient opioid-prescribing practices, including initiation or continuation (if prescribed within 6 months prior to admission encounter per PDMP review) of an ER opioid formulation, degree of morphine milligram equivalents (MME) escalation from outpatient regimen, utilization of a sickle cell analgesic order set, and initiation of patient-controlled analgesia pump (PCA). A secondary outcome measure investigated was the quantitative comparison of highest daily prescribed MME in relation to the aforementioned inpatient variables. Data analysis was completed using Wilcoxon Rank Summary analysis, with a significant p-value set to &amp;lt; 0.05. Results: Among the primary outcome analysis, the only significant factor affecting LOS was the introduction of an ER opioid. The results show that within the patient cohort naïve to an outpatient ER opioid (n=105), ER opioid-incorporated inpatient analgesic regimens resulted in a significantly increased mean LOS compared to IR opioid monotherapy regimens, with an average of 8.8 inpatient days as compared to 5.3 days, respectively (p-value &amp;lt; 0.001). For the patients prescribed an outpatient ER opioid at baseline (n=95), the continuation of an inpatient ER opioid did not result in a significant change in mean LOS, calculated as 6.7 days vs. 6.0 days in the continued and non-continued groups, respectively (p-value = 0.716). Among the secondary outcome measures, utilization of a sickle cell order set and PCA did not significantly affect degree of MME escalation. Conclusions: Limited evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of acute pain episodes in SCD has resulted in widely varying opioid regimens prescribed by inpatient providers and has created clinical challenges regarding the optimization of pain management. This study investigated inpatient opioid regimens utilized in treatment of vaso-occlusive crisis and found that the initiation of ER opioids resulted in increased length of stay for ER opioid-naïve patients as compared to treatment with IR opioids alone. These results question the benefit of inpatient ER opioids in relation to the risk of opioid dependence and MME escalation.

Buprenorphine Versus Diclofenac for Pain Relief in Acute Pancreatitis: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Although both nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids are used for analgesia in acute pancreatitis (AP), the analgesic of choice is not known. We compared buprenorphine, an opioid, and diclofenac, an NSAID, for analgesia in AP. In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, AP patients were randomized to receive intravenous diclofenac or intravenous buprenorphine. Fentanyl was used as rescue analgesia, delivered through a patient-controlled analgesia pump. Primary outcome was the difference in the dose of rescue fentanyl required. Secondary outcomes were the number of effective and ineffective demands of rescue fentanyl, pain-free interval, reduction in visual analogue scale (VAS) score, adverse events, and organ failure development. Twenty-four patients were randomized to diclofenac and 24 to buprenorphine. The 2 groups were matched at baseline. The total amount of rescue fentanyl required was significantly lower in the buprenorphine group:130 μg, interquartile range (IQR), 80-255 vs 520 μg, IQR, 380-1065 (P < .001). The number of total demands was 32 (IQR, 21-69) in the diclofenac arm vs 8 (IQR, 4-15) in the buprenorphine arm (P < .001). The buprenorphine group had more prolonged pain-free interval (20 vs 4 hours; P < .001), with greater reduction in the VAS score at 24, 48, and 72 hours compared with the diclofenac group. These findings were confirmed in the subgroup of moderately severe/severe pancreatitis. Adverse events profile was similar in the 2 groups. Compared with diclofenac, buprenorphine appears to be more effective and equally safe for pain management in AP patients, even in the subcohort of moderately severe or severe pancreatitis (Trial Registration number: CTRI/2020/07/026914).

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Analgesic Efficacy of Programmed Intermittent Bolus vs. Continuous Infusion of Ropivacaine and Fentanyl in Ultrasound-Guided Infraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block for Upper Limb Surgery.

Programmed intermittent bolus (PIB) is a novel method of intermittent drug delivery commonly employed in labor epidural analgesia. This study aimed to evaluate the potential benefits of PIB over continuous infusion (CI) for postoperative analgesia following upper limb surgeries distal to the mid-humerus level using ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block (USG-IBPB). The USG-IBPB was performed on a total of 30 patients scheduled for upper limb surgery distal to the mid-humerus level. The patient-controlled regional analgesia pump delivered a combination of 6 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine and 2 μg/mL fentanyl via a perineural catheter as PIB in group I and as a CI in group II. The primary outcome measure was overall drug consumption, and secondary outcomes included pain scores, patient satisfaction, sensory and motor blockade, and adverse effects. The PIB group exhibited significantly lower overall drug consumption (306.20 ± 13.07 mL vs. 323.73 ± 11.79 mL; P = 0.001), a reduced need for patient-controlled analgesia boluses (3.87 ± 2.67 vs. 7.13 ± 2.36; P = 0.001), and higher patient satisfaction (91.93 ± 10.09 vs. 78.67 ± 17.57; P = 0.017) compared to the CI group. Pain scores at rest were significantly lower at the 24-hour mark (P = 0.007), and on movement, lower scores were observed after 1, 24, and 36 hours (P = 0.031, P = 0.031, and P = 0.011, respectively). Sensory block, motor block, and adverse effects were similar between the two groups. PIB demonstrated superior efficacy in postoperative analgesia compared to the CI technique for upper limb surgeries distal to the mid-humerus level. Therefore, PIB may be considered an effective alternative to CI for optimal postoperative pain management.

Effect of ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane block for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing multilevel posterior spinal instrumentation.

Patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery suffer from severe postoperative pain. The study aims to investigate the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block in alleviating pain following multilevel spinal fusion with instrumentation. Forty-two patients, who were in classes I-II-III according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification and were scheduled for lumbar spinal fusion surgery, were randomly divided at a ratio of 1:1 into the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) group and the control group. While an erector spinae plane block was applied before surgery in the ESPB group, no block was involved in the control group. A patient-controlled analgesia pump containing morphine was attached to each patient after surgery. The primary outcome was the amount of morphine used in 24 hours. The secondary outcomes included pain scores and rescue analgesia requirements at different time points. The 24-hour morphine consumption level of the ESPB group was significantly lower than that of the control group (p=0.005). Pain intensity, which was assessed using The Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), was found to be significantly lower in the ESPB group (p<0.05). NRS scores of the two groups were similar at the 12th and 24th hours (respectively, p=0.097 and p=0.157). While rescue analgesia was administered to 71.4% of the patients in the control group, it was administered to 28.6% of those in the ESPB group. The difference between the groups was significant (p=0.005). Ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane block in multilevel spinal fusion surgery with instrumentation alleviates severe postoperative pain and reduces opioid consumption.

A randomized comparative study of patient-controlled epidural analgesia with manual standard intermittent bolus for labor analgesia

Background: Patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) pump has proven to reduce the incidence of unscheduled clinician interventions and total dose of local anesthetic administered for labor pain. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare the quality of analgesia, maternal satisfaction, amount of rescue analgesia needed, and neonatal outcome between clinician delivered manual bolus doses and PCEA pumps for epidural labor analgesia. Materials and Methods: 60 parturients of the American Society of Anesthesiologists II scheduled for normal vaginal delivery were randomly divided into two groups, Group A (PCEA) and Group B (Manual bolus). Both groups received an initial epidural bolus of 10 mL of 0.125% Inj. Bupivacaine+20 mcg injection fentanyl. Group A (PCEA) patients received a basal infusion of 5 mL/h with self-administered bolus of 2 mL with a lockout interval of 15 min. Group B patients were provided with a bolus of 10 mL of the same solution manually after every hour. Patients of both groups were given manual rescue boluses for distressing pain (visual analog scale [VAS] &gt;5). Results: Mean VAS score in Group A was 2.97±0.73; and in Group B, it was 3.03±0.56 (P&gt;0.05). Total bupivacaine use and mean duration of second stage of labor in both groups was found comparable. Mean top-up requirement of local anesthetics was significantly high in Group B. Maternal satisfaction was also higher in PCEA group. Conclusion: As PCEA pump provides continuous infusion of local anesthetics, there was lesser requirement of top ups of bupivacaine and higher maternal satisfaction score in PCEA group than manual bolus group.

Unexpected technical error of patient-controlled analgesia pump despite passcode lock: A case study.

Unexpected technical error of patient-controlled analgesia pump despite passcode lock: A case study.

Effect of different analgesic treatments on the pulmonary function in elderly hip fracture patients: A prospective study.

To investigate the effect of different analgesic methods on lungs in elderly patients with hip fractures. A prospective study was conducted on 78 elderly hip fracture patients undergoing spinal anesthesia for surgery, where 3 analgesic methods were used: postoperative Patient-controlled intravenous analgesia pump (PCIA) (group I), pre and postoperative PCIA (group II), and preoperative fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) + postoperative PCIA (group III). The following indicators were monitored at admission (T1), on the day of surgery before anesthesia (T2), and 7 days after surgery (T3): heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), forced expiratory volume during the first second, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and carbon dioxide (PaCO2), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Pulmonary complications such as pulmonary atelectasis and respiratory insufficiency were analyzed. The HR, RR, forced expiratory volume during the first second, PaO2, PaCO2, IL-6, and CRP levels at T1 after fracture did not significantly differ among the 3 groups (P > .05). After different analgesic treatments post-admission, all indicators at T2 were significantly higher in group I than in groups II and III (P < .05), while there was no significant difference between groups II and III (P > .05). At T3, there were no significant differences in RR, HR, PaO2, PaCO2, and CRP levels among the groups (P > .05), but IL-6 levels at T3 were significantly higher in group I than in groups II and III (P < .05). The use of effective pain relief during surgery can help protect the lung function of elderly patients with hip fractures. When using PCIA with FICB before surgery, respiratory performance may be better protected compared to using unsustained analgesia. This could be due to a decrease in the levels of inflammatory markers such as CRP and interleukin-6.

Postoperative infusion of dexmedetomidine via intravenous patient-controlled analgesia for prevention of postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing surgery

BackgroundPostoperative delirium (POD) is a common clinical complication in elderly patients after surgery and predicts poor outcomes.AimWe researched whether postoperative infusion of dexmedetomidine (DEX) had prophylactic effect on POD in elderly patients.MethodsA total of 236 patients over the age of 60 years undergoing thoracoabdominal tumor surgery were enrolled in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from November 2016 to October 2020. The patients were randomly assigned into DEX group (group D) and control group (Group C). DEX was provided via PCIA pump 1–3 days after surgery, which consisted of 3 ug/kg sufentanil and 3 ug/kg DEX in group D, and 3 ug/kg sufentanil without DEX in group C. The PCIA parameters were programmed as follows: total amount 150 ml, 2 ml bolus dose with a lock-out of 10 min and background infusion rate 2 ml/h. The primary endpoint was the incidence of POD, assessed twice daily within 7 days after surgery by Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) and the Confusion Assessment Method–Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU). The secondary endpoint was postoperative hospitalization days, ICU stay time, adverse events and non-delirium complications.ResultsThe incidence of POD in all patients was 7%. The incidence of POD in group C was significantly higher than that in group D (10.1% vs 3.4%, P = 0.042). There were no significant differences in length of hospital stay after operation, ICU stay time, the percentage of patients discharged within 7 days after surgery, non-delirium complications, and 30-day all-cause deaths between the two groups. The incidence of hypertension in group D was lower than that in group C (P = 0.003), and there were no differences in other adverse events.ConclusionPatients aged over 60 years received DEX in addition to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCIA) for major thoracoabdominal surgery experienced less delirium.

Effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on postoperative pain in pediatric orthopedic surgery with the enhanced recovery after surgery protocol: a prospective, randomized controlled trial

Study objectiveTo evaluate the safety and effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) in postoperative analgesia following pediatric orthopedic surgery with the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol. DesignProspective randomized controlled trial. SettingThe Seventh Medical Center of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital. ParticipantsEligible participants were children aged 3–15 years who were scheduled to undergo orthopedic surgery of the lower extremities under general anesthesia. InterventionsA total of 58 children were randomly allocated into two groups: TEAS (n = 29) and sham-TEAS (n = 29). The ERAS protocol was used in both groups. In the TEAS group, the bilateral Hegu (LI4) and Neiguan (PC6) acupoints were stimulated starting from 10 min before anesthetic induction until the completion of surgery. In the sham-TEAS group, the electric stimulator was also connected to the participants; however, electrical stimulation was not applied. MeasuresThe primary outcome was the severity of pain before leaving the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and at postoperative 2 h, 24 h, and 48 h. Pain intensity was measured with the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R). ResultsNone of the participants had any TEAS-related adverse reactions. In comparison with the sham-TEAS group, FPS-R scores in the TEAS group were significantly decreased before leaving the PACU and at postoperative 2 h and 24 h (p < 0.05). The incidence of emergence agitation, intraoperative consumption of remifentanil, and time to extubation were significantly reduced in the TEAS group. Furthermore, the time to first press of the patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) pump was significantly longer, the pressing times of the PCIA pump in 48 h after surgery was significantly decreased, and parental satisfaction was significantly improved (all p < 0.05). ConclusionTEAS may safely and effectively relieve postoperative pain and reduce the consumption of perioperative analgesia in children following orthopedic surgery with the ERAS protocol. Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200059577), registered on May 4, 2022.

Frequency, Characteristics, and Risk Factors for Falls at an Inpatient Cancer Rehabilitation Unit.

Falls in the hospital can lead to adverse events, including injuries. Studies have shown that patients with cancer and those undergoing inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) are at higher risk for falls. Therefore, we measured the frequency, degree of harm, and characteristics of patients who fell in an inpatient cancer rehabilitation unit. A retrospective review was conducted on inpatient cancer rehabilitation patients admitted from January 2012 to February 2016. Fall frequency, degree of harm, fall circumstances, cancer type, patient's fall risk score on the basis of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Adult Inpatient Fall Risk Assessment Tool (MAIFRAT), length of stay, and risk factors were evaluated for patients. There were 72 out of 1,571 unique individual falls (4.6%), with a falls incidence of 3.76 falls per 1,000 patient-days. Most fallers (86%) suffered no harm. Risk factors for falls included presence of patient-controlled analgesia pump (P = .03), pump such as insulin or wound vacuum-assisted closure (P < .01), nasogastric, gastric, or chest tube (P = .05), and higher MAIFRAT score (P < .01). The fallers were younger (62 v 66; P = .04), had a longer IPR stay (13 v 9; P = .03), and had a lower Charlson comorbidity index (6 v 8; P < .01). The frequency and degree of harm for falls in the IPR unit were less than previous studies, which suggests that mobilization for these patients with cancer is safe. The presence of certain medical devices may contribute to fall risk, and more research is needed to better prevent falls in this higher-risk subgroup.