Comparative study between electroacupuncture at Neima point and Neiguan (PC 6) and epidural nerve block for preemptive analgesia in patients undergoing thoracic surgery / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the clinical effect between electroacupuncture (EA) at Neima point and Neiguan (PC 6) and epidural nerve block for preemptive analgesia in patients undergoing thoracic surgery.@*METHODS@#Sixty patients with elective radical esophagectomy were randomly divided into a group A, a group B and a control group, 20 cases in each group. The patients in the group A were treated with injection of 20 mL 0.375% ropivacaine at epidural space 30 min before anesthesia induction, followed by normal anesthesia during operation; the patients in the group B were treated with 30 min EA at bilateral Neima point and Neiguan (PC 6) before anesthesia induction, followed by normal anesthesia during operation; the patients in the control group were treated with general anesthesia alone. Patient-controlled intravenous analgesia was applied for all the patients. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at the following time points: before acupuncture/epidural puncture (T@*RESULTS@#The MAP at T@*CONCLUSION@#The preemptive analgesia of EA at Neima point and Neiguan (PC 6) and epidural nerve block could both provide effective perioperative analgesia for thoracic surgery. The EA could better maintain intraoperative hemodynamics and has less physiological disturbance.

Analgesia of Femoral Nerve Block on Knee Stiffness in Rehabilitation Training after Surgery / 中国康复理论与实践

@#ObjectiveTo compare the effect of rehabilitation training after surgical intervention of knee stiffness (SIKS) between femoral nerve block (FNB) and epidural nerve block (ENB).Methods60 patients undergoing SIKS at one knee joint were randomly assigned to two groups: 40 patients accepting a catheter for FNB in group A and 20 patients accepting a catheter for ENB in group B. All patients participated in passive rehabilitation therapy (PRT) and active rehabilitation therapy (ART) at 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours after operation. 10 ml of lidocaine were applied via these catheters before rehabilitation therapy. The visual analogue score (VAS) for pain in PRT, the time needed from the end of PRT to the start of ART, and the incidence of side effects such as hypotension or nausea were recorded.ResultsThere was no significant difference in VAS between groups A and B. The time needed from the end of PRT to the start of ART in group A was significantly less than that of group B. The incidence of hypotension or nausea in group A was significantly less than those of group B.ConclusionFNB provides the same analgesic effect as ENB, has less time needed from the end of PRT to the start of ART, and lowers incidence of hypotension or nausea.

A Case of Intractable Chest Pain of Unknown Origin which was Suspicious of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I is an intractable pain syndrome accompanied with autonomic nerve symptoms, but without certain evidence of nerve injury. It is mainly caused by trauma, such as, fracture, sprain, contusion, etc., and is characterized by, pain (either by contact or spontaneously), allodynia, hyperalgia, vasomotor, and autonomic changes (including variable skin color changes), temperature change, swelling, edema, sweating, trophic change, and motor disturbance. We report the case of a 60-year-old woman who had suffered from severe pain on the right chest for several years. She was satisfactorily treated by pharmacologic therapy and continuous epidural nerve block.