Preoperative dexamethasone reduces acute but not sustained pain after lumbar disk surgery: a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Glucocorticoids have attracted increasing attention as adjuvants in the treatment of acute postoperative pain. Furthermore, anecdotal reports may support glucocorticoids for preventing sustained postoperative pain. We explored preoperative dexamethasone combined with paracetamol and ibuprofen on acute and sustained pain after lumbar disk surgery. In this blinded study, 160 patients undergoing lumbar disk surgery were randomly assigned to 16 mg IV dexamethasone or placebo. All patients received perioperative paracetamol and ibuprofen, and postoperative IV patient-controlled analgesia with morphine. Primary outcome was pain during mobilization (visual analog scale) 2 to 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were acute pain at rest, morphine consumption, nausea, vomiting, ondansetron consumption, sedation, and quality of sleep. Patients were followed up by written questionnaire 3 months postoperatively. Acute pain during mobilization (weighted average area under the curve, 2-24 hours) was significantly reduced in the dexamethasone group: 33 (22) mm vs placebo 43 (18) mm, (95% confidence interval [CI] 3-16) P = 0.005. Vomiting 0 to 24 hours postoperatively was reduced in the dexamethasone group (17 episodes) vs placebo (51 episodes) P = 0.036. No other differences were observed. However, 6.5% (95% CI 2-15) in the dexamethasone group vs placebo 0% had an antibiotically treated wound infection (P = 0.13). Sixteen percent (95% CI 7-26) vs 8% (95% CI 0-17) reported new weakness/paralysis of the legs in the dexamethasone and placebo groups, respectively, 3 months postoperatively (P = 0.20). In conclusion, preoperative dexamethasone significantly reduced pain during mobilization and vomiting, after lumbar disk surgery. No significant effects were observed 3 months postoperatively.

Adductor canal block versus femoral nerve block for analgesia after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized, double-blind study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Femoral nerve block (FNB), a commonly used postoperative pain treatment after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), reduces quadriceps muscle strength essential for mobilization. In contrast, adductor canal block (ACB) is predominately a sensory nerve block. We hypothesized that ACB preserves quadriceps muscle strength as compared with FNB (primary end point) in patients after TKA. Secondary end points were effects on morphine consumption, pain, adductor muscle strength, morphine-related complications, and mobilization ability. METHODS: We performed a double-blind, randomized, controlled study of patients scheduled for TKA with spinal anesthesia. The patients were randomized to receive either a continuous ACB or an FNB via a catheter (30-mL 0.5% ropivacaine given initially, followed by a continuous infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine, 8 mL/h for 24 hours). Muscle strength was assessed with a handheld dynamometer, and we used the percentile change from baseline for comparisons. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT01470391). RESULTS: We enrolled 54 patients, of which 48 were analyzed. Quadriceps strength as a percentage of baseline was significantly higher in the ACB group compared with the FNB group: (median [range]) 52% [31-71] versus 18% [4-48], (95% confidence interval, 8-41; P = 0.004). There was no difference between the groups regarding morphine consumption (P = 0.94), pain at rest (P = 0.21), pain during flexion of the knee (P = 0.16), or adductor muscle strength (P = 0.39); neither was there a difference in morphine-related adverse effects or mobilization ability (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Adductor canal block preserved quadriceps muscle strength better than FNB, without a significant difference in postoperative pain.

Analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided adductor canal blockade after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a randomised controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery is associated with moderate to severe postoperative pain, which may be ameliorated by peripheral nerve blocks. The adductor canal block (ACB) is an almost exclusively sensory nerve block that has been demonstrated to reduce pain and opioid consumption after major knee surgery. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the analgesic effect of ACB in patients receiving a basic analgesic regimen of paracetamol and ibuprofen after arthroscopic ACL reconstruction under general anaesthesia. DESIGN: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel groups. SETTING: Day Case Surgery, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup Hospital, Denmark, June 2010 to March 2012. PATIENTS: Fifty patients, aged 18 to 70 years, scheduled for arthroscopic ACL reconstruction. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomised to receive ACB with either 30  ml ropivacaine 7.5  mg ml (n = 25) or 30  ml 0.9% saline (n = 24). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was pain score (0 to 100  mm) during standing at 2  h after surgery. Secondary outcomes were pain at rest, during standing and after walking 5 m, opioid consumption and opioid-related side effects for 24  h after surgery. RESULTS: Median (interquartile range) pain scores for the primary outcome were 20 (12 to 36)  mm in the ropivacaine and 20 (10 to 44) mm in the control group (P = 0.84, 95% confidence interval for difference of -9 to 12 mm). No significant differences were observed in any of the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: An analgesic regimen with paracetamol and ibuprofen provides acceptable postoperative pain control after arthroscopic ACL reconstruction. ACB did not confer further benefit in our patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01212666.

There is room for improvement in the prevention and treatment of headache after lumbar puncture.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of post dural puncture headache (PDPH) after lumbar puncture (LP) can be reduced from 36% to 0-9% by use of an atraumatic needle size 24 gauge (G)/0.56 mm rather than a traumatic needle size 22 G/0.7 mm. The evidence supporting some of the prophylactic and therapeutically treatments of PDPH is sparse. The objective of this study was to clarify which needles doctors at neurological departments in Denmark use for LP and how they treat and prevent PDPH. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study is a questionnaire survey among doctors employed at the 13 neurological departments in Denmark. RESULTS: A total of 161 (51%) returned the questionnaire. As for needle size, 78% stated that they used needle size 22 G, 5% used 21 G, 13% used 20 G and 3% used 18 G. Overall, 74% used traumatic needles, while 18% were unaware of the needle type used. Prophylactic bed rest was prescribed by 44%. Prescribed treatments of PDPH were caffeine, analgesics/fluid therapy and epidural blood patch (EBP). Surprisingly many of the doctors used relatively thick and/or traumatic needles although PDPH is significantly reduced when smaller atraumatic needles are used. 90% prescribed fluid therapy, but the role of fluid therapy as well as that of analgesics in the treatment of PDPH remains uncertain. There was no difference in the incidence of PDPH using prophylactic bed rest versus early mobilization. Caffeine can reduce the number of patients with persisting PDPH, while EBP is the most effective treatment for PDPH. CONCLUSION: Atraumatic needles for LP have not become standard in Danish neurological departments. Knowledge about the treatment and prevention of PDPH seems insufficient.

A randomized study of the effects of single-dose gabapentin versus placebo on postoperative pain and morphine consumption after mastectomy.

BACKGROUND: The anticonvulsant gabapentin has proven effective for neuropathic pain in three large placebo-controlled clinical trials. Experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated antihyperalgesic effects in models involving central neuronal sensitization. It has been suggested that central neuronal sensitization may play an important role in postoperative pain. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of gabapentin on morphine consumption and postoperative pain in patients undergoing radical mastectomy. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 70 patients received a single dose of oral gabapentin (1,200 mg) or placebo 1 h before surgery. Patients received patient-controlled analgesia with morphine at doses of 2.5 mg with a lock-out time of 10 min for 4 h postoperatively. Pain was assessed on a visual analog scale at rest and during movement, and side effects were assessed on a four-point verbal scale 2 and 4 h postoperatively. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients in the gabapentin group and 34 patients in the placebo group completed the study. Gabapentin reduced total morphine consumption from a median of 29 (interquartile range, 21-33) to 15 (10-19) mg (P< 0.0001). Pain during movement was reduced from 41 (31-59) to 22 (10-38) mm at 2 h postoperatively (P < 0.0001) and from 31 (12-40) to 9 (3-34) mm at 4 h postoperatively (P = 0.018). No significant differences between groups were observed with regard to pain at rest or side effects. CONCLUSION: A single dose of 1,200 mg oral gabapentin resulted in a substantial reduction in postoperative morphine consumption and movement-related pain after radical mastectomy, without significant side effects. These promising results should be validated in other acute pain models involving central neuronal sensitization.