Chronic pain characteristics in COVID-19 survivors after an ICU stay. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The onset and characteristics of chronic pain following an intensive care unit (ICU) stay for COVID-19 have never been thoroughly investigated. STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter cohort study was conducted to describe chronic pain, according to ICD-11, among COVID-19 survivors. The chronic pain was assessed during face-to-face consultations with a pain specialist. RESULTS: Among 204 COVID-19 ICU survivors, 143 patients with mean age of 60 ± 14 years were included nine months after discharge from the ICU. More than half (54%) of patients experienced new-onset chronic pain. In total, 102 different forms of pain were reported in these patients. Secondary pain was the most frequent type, comprising musculoskeletal (40%), post-traumatic (34%), neuropathic (25%), and visceral (13%). Primary chronic pain was rare (7%). The three most common sites of pain were the shoulders, chest, and head. Pain was moderate to severe in 75% of cases, and higher intensity was associated with a greater impact on daily life. Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, perceived stress, and debilitating pain were frequently associated. Intubation was more frequent in patients with chronic pain. Specialized pain centre follow-up was required for 21% of the survivors, which represented 40% of the patients who developed new-onset chronic pain. CONCLUSION: New-onset chronic pain is common after an ICU stay for COVID-19 and may manifest in various forms. Secondary pain caused by ICU management is the most frequent. Patients should undergo screening after ICU discharge to facilitate prompt, thorough, and personalized pain management. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04940208.

Perioperative adverse events attributed to α2-adrenoceptor agonists in patients not at risk of cardiovascular events: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several systematic reviews have reported the benefits of perioperative α2-adrenoceptor agonist use for various conditions, but safety evidence is poorly documented. METHODS: We performed a systematic review focusing on adverse events. We searched the MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, Cochrane, and Clinical Trials Register databases for RCTs comparing the effects of α2-adrenoceptor agonists and placebo during non-cardiovascular surgery under general anaesthesia, for any indication, in patients not at risk of cardiovascular events. The primary outcome was the incidence of severe adverse events during or after α2-adrenoceptor agonist administration. The secondary endpoints were other adverse events. A meta-analysis was carried out on the combined data. Evidence quality was rated by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation method. RESULTS: We included 56 studies (4868 patients). Our review, based on moderate-quality evidence, revealed that hypotension occurred frequently during the preoperative and postoperative periods, for both clonidine and dexmedetomidine. Bradycardia was reported only with dexmedetomidine. In contrast, dexmedetomidine seemed to protect against intraoperative hypertension and tachycardia. Subgroup analysis suggested that the risk of hypotension and bradycardia persisted after cessation of treatment. Interestingly, intraoperative hypotension and postoperative bradycardia were not observed with a bolus dosage of dexmedetomidine less than 0.5 µg kg-1 or with continuous administration alone. CONCLUSIONS: Pooled data for the incidence of adverse events associated with use of α2-adrenoceptor agonists in various perioperative contexts provide high-confidence evidence for a risk of hypotension and bradycardia, and protective effects against hypertension and tachycardia. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: CRD42017071583.