Is Postoperative Pain Associated With Nausea and Vomiting Following Orthognathic Surgery?

BACKGROUND: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common adverse side-effect following orthognathic surgery, with pain potentially contributing as a risk factor. PURPOSE: The study's purpose was to measure the association between postoperative pain and PONV. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, SAMPLE: This prospective cohort study involved patients who underwent bimaxillary surgery at Erciyes University, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Hospital. Patients with a history of routine antiemetic use, pregnancy, breastfeeding, morbid obesity, cardiac dysrhythmia, mental retardation, or psychiatric illness were excluded. PREDICTOR/EXPOSURE/INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: The predictor variable was postoperative pain, which was measured using a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). VAS scores were documented at the 30-minute postoperative mark (referred to as VAS1), and the mean of hourly VAS scores over the initial three postoperative hours (denoted as VAS2). MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLE(S): The primary outcome was the occurrence of PONV, defined as active vomiting, retching, or nausea leading to vomiting. The secondary outcome was the timing of PONV, categorized as early (within 6 hours), late (6-24 hours), and delayed (beyond 24 hours postoperatively). COVARIATES: The study's covariates were age, sex, body mass index, Apfel risk scores, surgery duration, history of PONV or motion sickness, and smoking status. ANALYSES: Descriptive statistics and χ2 tests were used for data analysis, with statistical significance set at P value < .05. RESULTS: The sample was composed of 86 subjects with a median age of 20 years (range: 18-30 years), of which 37.2% were male. The frequency of PONV was 50%. Postoperative pain, as measured by VAS scores, was significantly higher in the PONV group compared to the non-PONV group. The median VAS1 score was 60.0 (PONV group, range 40-90) versus 50.0 (non-PONV, range 0-90) (P = .041); for VAS2, it was 60.0 (PONV, range 40-80) compared to 40.0 (non-PONV, range 30-60) (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The frequency of PONV observed in patients undergoing bimaxillary surgery is substantial, necessitating the identification and management of risk factors to enhance perioperative care and patient outcomes. By improving PONV management and addressing postoperative pain, health-care providers can enhance the perioperative experience and patient outcomes in bimaxillary surgery.

Effectiveness Of Computed Tomography-Guided Nasotracheal Intubation Procedure On Predicting Tube Advancement Difficulty And Preventing Epistaxis: A Prospective Case-Control Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of computed tomography-guided nasotracheal intubation procedure in predicting tube advancement difficulty and preventing epistaxis. METHODS: The prospective study was conducted at Erciyes University Faculty of Dentistry from April 2018 to June 2019 and comprised maxillofacial surgery patients of either gender aged 18-50 years who were due to undergo bimaxillary orthognathic surgery, which was defined as American Society of Anaesthesiology grade I or II. The space where the tube was to be passed in the internal nasal valve region was measured horizontally and vertically using computed tomography. A single experienced anaesthesiologists intubated all the patients who were later divided into 'easy' group A and 'difficult' group B on the basis of the effort required to advance the tube through the nasal passage. Data was analysed using JASP version 0.14.1.0). RESULTS: Of the 60 patients, 42(70%) were females and 18(30%) were males. The overall mean age was 29.0±10.5 years and the mean body mass index value was 23.6±4.0 kg/m 2 (p>0.05). There were 28(46.6%) patients in group A, and 32(53.3%) in group B. Median distances were significantly shorter and epistaxis was significantly higher in group B compared to group A (p<0.001). The cut-off values to reveal the distance at which difficulty may be experienced while advancing the tube, determined through receiver operating characteristic analysis, were 1.09 cm for vertical and 0.39cm for horizontal distances. CONCLUSIONS: The nasotracheal intubation procedure under the guidance of computed tomography could help predict the difficulty of tube advancement, and could thus prevent epistaxis and other related nasal intubation complications. Clinical trial number: NCT05525754.

Effect of platelet indices on postoperative pain and edema in bimaxillary surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the influence of platelet volume indices (PVI) on postoperative pain and edema in patients undergoing bimaxillary surgery and assessed the associations between PVI parameters and other clinical factors. METHODS: We examined the medical records of 50 patients aged 18-40, treated between 2019 and 2020. Platelet indices (platelet count [PLT]), mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, plateletcrit (PCT), and platelet large cell ratio) were analyzed. Postoperative pain and edema were assessed based on the frequency of intravenous (IV) analgesic administration and 3D imaging. A lasso-penalized regression was used for the analysis. RESULTS: Significant positive correlations were observed between PLT and postoperative edema on the first (T1-0) and third (T3-0) postoperative days. Furthermore, PLT was positively associated with the number of IV analgesic drug administrations from 24 to 72 hours after surgery. Additionally, a discernible positive correlation was identified between PCT levels and the quantity of IV analgesic drugs administered within the first 24 hours after surgery. CONCLUSION: Platelet indices, particularly PLT and PCT levels, were associated with postoperative pain and edema in patients undergoing bimaxillary surgery. These indices have the potential to serve as biomarkers for predicting and managing postoperative complications of orthognathic surgery. Further studies are required to explore the clinical utility and implications of these findings.

Using Intravenous Ibuprofen for Preventive Analgesia in Orthognathic Surgery.

PURPOSE: Preventive analgesia aims to manage postoperative pain caused by nociceptive and central stimulation. The purpose of this study was to research the effect of a single-dose intravenous (IV) ibuprofen administration for preventive analgesia on postoperative pain management in orthognathic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, double blind, and randomized study was performed on a total of 40 adult patients who planned to undergo bimaxillary osteotomy, between 2018 and 2019. Thirty minutes before the surgery, 800 mg of IV ibuprofen and 100 mL of saline were applied to group 1 (ibuprofen; n = 20) and group 2 (placebo; n = 20), respectively. Postoperative analgesia was maintained with tramadol infusion via a patient-controlled analgesia pump. Postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 hours after surgery, rescue analgesic requirement, total tramadol dose, and adverse effects were recorded. RESULTS: VAS scores between the groups at 1, 6, 9, and 24 hours and also the average of 24-hour VAS scores were similar (P > .05). However, VAS scores at 3 hours were significantly higher in group 2 (P = 0.06). Also, rescue analgesic intake of paracetamol was significantly higher in group 2 in the third hour (P = .08). Rescue analgesic intake of paracetamol and tramadol consumption during the postoperative 24 hours were similar (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Using single-dose IV ibuprofen administration just before orthognathic surgery for preventive analgesia reduced VAS scores and postoperative opioid consumption in patients. However, further studies in a large population are needed to estimate the preventive analgesia effect of ibuprofen in orthognathic surgery.