Severe Postoperative Delirium Lasting for Three Weeks: A Case Report / 대한구급학회지

Postoperative delirium in the intensive care unit is a serious problem that has recently attracted much attention. We present a 73-year-old female patient who was admitted by multiple fractures induced by an accident. We started general anesthesia for the operation of open reduction and internal fixation. After the discontinuation of general anesthesia, the patient was transported to the intensive care unit. The symptoms of delirium were developed and controlled with medications including haloperidols, benzodiazepines, and vitamins. The patient was recovered three weeks after the management and received two other operations, but delirium did not be developed again. She was discharged from the hospital without complications.

Steroid on Hyperalgesia in Nerve Ligation Induced Neuropathic Pain Rat Model / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain is resistant to conventional treatments, and may seriously affect the quality of life. Insufficient has been done on drug combination for the treatment of neuropathic pain. So we undertook to determine the effect of ketamine and steroid on mechanical hyperalgesia in rats with spinal nerve ligation. METHODS: Rats were administerend L5 and L6 spinal nerve ligation to cause mechanical hyperalgesia. Control group (n = 6) were administered normal saline 5 ml intraperitoneally, the ketamine group (n = 6) ketamine 1mg/kg, and the steroid group (n = 6) ketamine 1 mg/kg and methylprednisolone 10 mg/kg. Mechanical hyperalgesia was assessed using a von Frey filament before injection, and then 15, 30, 60, 120, and 180 min after injection. RESULTS: Ketamine 1 mg/kg significantly attenuated mechanical hyperalgesia for 60 min. The combination of ketamine 1 mg/kg and methylprednisolone 10 mg/kg also significantly attenuated mechanical hyperalgesia. But the combination group did not exert a superior attenuating effect than ketamine alone. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of ketamine and metylprednisolone did not exert a superior antinociceptive effect than ketamine alone in rats with spinal nerve ligation.