Experiences of the postoperative recovery process: an interview study.

Few researchers have described postoperative recovery from a broad, overall perspective. In this article the authors describe a study focusing on patient and staff experiences of postoperative recovery using a qualitative descriptive design to obtain a description of the phenomenon. They performed 10 individual interviews with patients who had undergone abdominal or gynecological surgery and 7 group interviews with registered nurses working on surgical and gynecological wards and in primary care centers, surgeons from surgical and gynecological departments, and in-patients from a gynecological ward. The authors analyzed data using qualitative content analysis. Postoperative recovery is described as a Dynamic Process in an Endeavour to Continue With Everyday Life. This theme was further highlighted by the categories Experiences of the core of recovery and Experiences of factors influencing recovery. Knowledge from this study will help caregivers support patients during their recovery from surgery.

Pain relief following breast augmentation surgery: a comparison between incisional patient-controlled regional analgesia and traditional oral analgesia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Postoperative pain is a common problem following ambulatory breast augmentation surgery. This study was performed to compare standard of care (oral analgesics) with patient-controlled incisional regional analgesia (PCRA) for postoperative pain management at home for 48 h. A second aim was to compare the analgesic efficacy of ropivacaine 0.25% vs. 0.5%. METHODS: Surgery was performed under local anaesthesia and monitored anesthesia care. Sixty adults (ASA 1-2) were randomized to one of two groups. Patients in Group PCRA could self-administer ropivacaine 0.25% 10 mL in the left breast and ropivacaine 0.5% in the right breast. Patients in Group T (tablets) received our standard of care treatment, i.e. oral paracetamol 1 g four times a day and oral ibuprofen 500 mg three times a day. Parameters measured included: analgesic requirements (in post-anesthesia care unit, PACU and post-discharge), pain intensity (visual analogue scale), patient satisfaction, global analgesia, side-effects, and quality of recovery. RESULTS: Pain scores were significantly lower in Group PCRA compared to Group T at all time periods (P < 0.05). No differences were found in pain scores between the right and left breasts. Significantly more patients in Group T requested analgesics in the recovery unit (27 vs. 7; P = 0.001) and also at home (20 vs. 11; P < 0.02). More patients in the tablet group had nausea and vomiting (10 vs. 3; P < 0.05). Global analgesia on day 2 was significantly better in PCRA group; however, patient satisfaction was similar in both groups. More patients in the tablet group had sleep disturbance and woke up at night due to pain. CONCLUSIONS: Pain relief after ambulatory breast augmentation is superior with incisional PCRA when compared to oral analgesic combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen. Incisional PCRA was associated with minimal side-effects and less sleep disturbance. There was no difference in the analgesic efficacy between ropivacaine 0.25% and 0.5%.

[Postoperative pain an unnecessary suffering. A model of "emergency pain relief" implemented in Orebro]. / Postoperativ smärta är ett onödigt lidande. Modell för "akutsmärtservice" implementerad i Orebro.

Despite unprecedented interest in the understanding of pain mechanisms and pain management, a significant number of patients continue to experience unacceptable pain after surgery. An acute pain service (APS) has to include regular pain assessment and documentation, "make pain visible", and bedside teaching of nurses in order to provide safe and cost-effective analgesia. The acute pain team in Orebro includes anaesthesiologists, surgeons, specialist acute pain nurses as well as ward nurses. A combination of less invasive surgery, effective analgesia and strategies for rehabilitation can reduce post-operative morbidity and shorten hospitalization.

Postoperative analgesia at home after ambulatory hand surgery: a controlled comparison of tramadol, metamizol, and paracetamol.

We compared in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded study the analgesic efficacy of three drugs in 120 ASA I and II patients scheduled to undergo ambulatory hand surgery with IV regional anesthesia. At discharge, oral analgesic tablets were prescribed as follows: tramadol 100 mg every 6 h, metamizol 1 g every 6 h, and paracetamol (acetaminophen) 1 g every 6 h. Rescue medication consisted of oral dextropropoxyphene 100 mg on demand. Analgesic efficacy was evaluated by self-assessment of pain intensity by visual analog score at six different time intervals during the 48-h study period. Patients also recorded global pain relief on a 5-grade scale, total number of study and rescue analgesic tablets, frequency and severity of adverse effects, sleep pattern, and overall satisfaction. None of the study drugs alone provided effective analgesia in all patients. The percentage of patients who required supplementary analgesics was 23% with tramadol, 31% with metamizol, and 42% with acetaminophen. Tramadol was the most effective analgesic, as evidenced by low pain scores, least rescue medication, and fewest number of patients with sleep disturbance. However, the incidence of side effects was also increased with tramadol. Seven patients (17.5%) withdrew from the study because of the severity of nausea and dizziness associated with the use of tramadol. Metamizol and acetaminophen provided good analgesia in about 70% and 60% of patients, respectively, with a decreased incidence of side effects. Despite receiving oral analgesic medication, up to 40% of patients undergoing hand surgery experienced inadequate analgesia in this controlled trial. Although tramadol was more effective, its use was associated with the highest frequency and intensity of adverse effects and the most patient dissatisfaction. Metamizol and acetaminophen provided good analgesia with a small incidence of side effects. For patients undergoing ambulatory hand surgery, postoperative pain can last longer than 2-3 days, and there is a need for both better education before the procedure and oral analgesic therapy at home.

Postoperative pain following knee arthroscopy: the effects of intra-articular ketorolac and/or morphine.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Morphine and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) have been found to be effective in relieving postoperative pain. The goal of this study was to determine whether ketorolac alone or in combination with morphine provides superior pain relief following arthroscopy performed with local anesthesia (LA). METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, prospective, study in 100 healthy patients from 15 to 60 years of age. Knee arthroscopy was performed with LA using 40 mL prilocaine (5 mg/mL) with adrenaline (4 microg/mL). At the end of the operation, a catheter was inserted intra-articularly, and one of the following solutions diluted to a total volume of 40 mL was injected: group P (40 mL normal saline), group M (3 mg morphine), group K30 (30 mg ketorolac), group K60 (60 mg ketorolac), and group KM (3 mg morphine + 30 mg ketorolac). Visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores (0-100 mm) were measured preoperative and at 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes postoperative and thereafter 4, 8, 24, and 48 hours at rest and on movement of the knee. The total number of distalgesic tablets (325 mg paracetamol + 32.5 mg dextropropoxyphene) consumed during the 48 hours postoperative was recorded. RESULTS: Significant differences in VAS pain scores were seen between group P and group KM at 4, 8, and 24 hours (P < .05) and between group M and group KM at 4, 8, 24, and 48 hours (P < .01) after the operation at rest. During mobilization of the knee, a significant difference in VAS pain score was found between group P and group KM at 8, 24, and 48 hours (P < .05) and between group P and group K60 at 24 and 48 hours (P < .05). The total consumption of distalgesic tablets did not differ among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of 3 mg morphine plus 30 mg ketorolac provided significantly better analgesia than either placebo alone or morphine alone. This result could be a synergistic effect.

Acute pain services in Europe: a 17-nation survey of 105 hospitals. The EuroPain Acute Pain Working Party.

A 17-nation survey was undertaken with the aim of studying the availability of acute pain services (APS) and the use of newer analgesic techniques, such as epidural and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). A questionnaire was mailed to selected anaesthesiologists in 105 European hospitals from 17 countries. Depending on the population, between five and ten representative hospitals from each country were selected by a country coordinator. A total of 101 (96.2%) completed questionnaires were returned. A majority of respondents were dissatisfied with pain management on surgical wards. Pain management was better in post-anaesthesia care units (PACUs); however, 27% of participating hospitals did not have PACUs. There were no organized APS in 64% of hospitals, although anaesthesiologists from chronic pain centres were available for consultation. In the hospitals that had APS, the responsible person for the APS was either: (1) a junior anaesthesiologist (senior anaesthesiologist available for consultation); or (2) a specially trained nurse (supervised by consultant anaesthesiologists). Many anaesthesiologists were unable to introduce techniques such as PCA on wards because of the high equipment costs. Although 40% of hospitals used a visual analogue scale (VAS) or other methods for assessment of pain intensity, routine pain assessment and documenting on a vital sign chart was rarely practised. There was a great variation in routines for opioid prescription and documentation procedures. Nursing regulations regarding injection of drugs into epidural and intrathecal catheters also varied considerably between countries. This survey of 105 hospitals from 17 European countries showed that over 50% of anaesthesiologists were dissatisfied with post-operative pain management on surgical wards. Only 34% of hospitals had an organized APS, and very few hospitals used quality assurance measures such as frequent pain assessment and documentation. There is a need to establish organized APS in most hospitals and also a need for clearer definition of the role of anaesthesiologists in such APS.

Epidural and intrathecal opioids for postoperative pain management in Europe--a 17-nation questionnaire study of selected hospitals. Euro Pain Study Group on Acute Pain.

BACKGROUND: A questionnaire study conducted with the help of selected contact persons in 17 countries in Europe attempted to create a picture of the practice of acute pain management with the use of spinal opioid analgesia (SOA). METHODS: A questionnaire was mailed to anaesthesiologists in 105 European hospitals. Depending on the population, 5-10 hospitals from each country were selected by a country co-ordinator. RESULTS: A total of 101 (96.2%) completed questionnaires were returned. During 1 year SOA was used in 55,117 patients (6.6% of all in-patient surgical procedures); of these, 89.2% received epidural opioids and 10.8% intrathecal opioids (ratio 8:1). The most common opioid for SOA was morphine; fentanyl was also used quite frequently; 12 different opioids and 8 non-opioids had been used. ASA 1-2 patients receiving epidural morphine were nursed on surgical wards in 58.4% of the hospitals; in 25.7% of hospitals even ASA 3-4 were nursed on surgical wards. Respiratory depression (requiring naloxone treatment) was noted in 45 of the 49,183 patients who received epidural opioids (0.09%); 33 of these patients had received morphine. In more than 75% of hospitals the monitoring variables were respiratory rate, sedation level and pulse oximetry. There was a great difference between hospitals and countries regarding duration of monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: This questionnaire study showed that SOA was used in about 7% of 836,000 in-patients undergoing surgery at the 105 selected hospitals. Epidural opioids were used eight times more often than intrathecal opioids. Morphine was the commonest opioid for SOA. The duration of monitoring differed greatly between hospitals and countries; the need for official guidelines is emphasized.

Present state of extradural and intrathecal opioid analgesia in Sweden. A nationwide follow-up survey.

A nationwide follow-up survey was undertaken to study the use of extradural and intrathecal opioids in the management of pain, to estimate the incidence of delayed ventilatory depression and to study post-injection surveillance routines. A questionnaire was sent to all 93 anaesthetic departments in Sweden; 96% responded. The major indication for using extradural opioids was the treatment of postoperative, traumatic and cancer pain. During 1984 over 14,000 patients received extradural, and over 1100 patients intrathecal, opioids. Morphine was the predominant opioid for extradural administration and was used in 96% of patients. Extradural opioid analgesia constitutes about 25% of all extradural blocks performed in Sweden. Pruritus and urinary retention were considered as minor problems; however, the risk was considerably higher after intrathecal morphine. The incidence of delayed ventilatory depression was about 1:1100 (0.09%) following extradural morphine and 1:275 (0.36%) following intrathecal morphine. Risk factors for delayed ventilatory depression are discussed. Administration of extradural morphine for postoperative pain relief in patients undergoing major surgery is considered a high benefit-low risk technique by most Swedish anaesthetists. The results of the present nationwide survey suggests that, following extradural morphine, surveillance of patients for more than 12 h appears unnecessary.