Which one is more effective for the clinical treatment of chronic pain in knee osteoarthritis: radiofrequency neurotomy of the genicular nerves or intra-articular injection?

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of intra-articular injection and radiofrequency (RF) neurotomy of genicular nerves in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain. METHODS: Seventy-three patients with knee OA were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to Group IA (intra-articular 2.5 mL of bupivacaine, 2.5 mg of morphine and 1 mL of betamethasone, 6 mL of fluid injection) or Group RF (RF neurotomy of the genicular nerves). The outcome measures included a pain scale (visual analog scale, VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Index of Osteoarthritis. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in baseline VAS-pain. In Group RF, a significant reduction was observed in VAS-pain at the first month (P < 0.001) and the third month (P < 0.001) in comparison to Group IA. Also in Group RF, a significant reduction was observed in WOMAC total scores in the first month (P < 0.001) in comparison to Group IA. CONCLUSION: This study is the first controlled study in the literature which compares RF genicular nerve to intra-articular injections. This study demonstrated that genicular nerve RF neurotomy is a safe and efficient treatment modality and provides functional improvement along with an analgesia in patients with chronic knee OA.

Pain prevention with intraoperative ketamine in outpatient children undergoing tonsillectomy or tonsillectomy and adenotomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of ketamine in the prevention of postoperative pain after tonsillectomy. DESIGN: Randomized, prospective, double-blind study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: 90 ASA physical status I and II patients, aged 5 to 15 years, scheduled for tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were divided into three groups. The pain preventive group received intravenous (IV) ketamine 0.5 mg/kg in 2 mL saline before the tonsils were surgically removed, followed by a continuous IV infusion of ketamine at 6 micro/(kg/min). In the ketamine group, 2 mL saline was given before the tonsils were surgically removed; saline infusion (10 mL/h) was continued until bleeding control, and 0.8 mg/kg ketamine was given during bleeding control in 2 mL saline. In the control group, only saline was given. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Cardiorespiratory system data, recovery from anesthesia and discharge parameters, tramadol requirement, and complications were recorded. Recovery from anesthesia and discharge parameters were similar among the groups. Total dose of tramadol was lower in the pain preventive group than in the other groups. In the pain preventive group, verbal pain scale scores were lower in the early postoperative period in the fourth and sixth hours (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ketamine decreases postoperative analgesic requirements and has analgesic effects when used before surgery in tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy.

Effects of intravenous lidocaine on QTd and HRV changes due to tracheal intubation during sevoflurane induction.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of IV lidocaine on autonomic cardiac function changes in tracheal intubation (TI) during sevoflurane anaesthesia by using more reliable parameters, namely, the analysis of QT dispersion and heart rate variability (HRV) from Holter monitoring. In this prospective, double-blind study, 44 American Society of Anaesthesiologists class I-II patients scheduled for hysterectomy were randomly and equally divided into 2 groups; a control sevoflurane group (group S, n = 22) and a lidocaine sevoflurane group (group LS, n = 22). Before the induction of anaesthesia, the electrocardiograms (ECG) of all patients were recorded for 3 minutes as baseline parameters. In both groups, the anaesthesia was induced with 7% sevoflurane in O(2 )at 6L min(-1) via a facemask for 2 minutes. However, before the induction of sevoflurane anaesthesia in group LS, 1 mg kg(-1) of lidocaine was given intravenously (IV). For muscle relaxation during TI, vecuronium was given to all participants. Three minutes after administration of vecuronium, TI was performed and an ECG was recorded synchronously for another 3 minutes. The results from the later records were used as postintubation parameters. Baseline and postintubation data were analysed. When compared to baseline values, postintubation LF/HF and SDNN values were increased in group S (P = 0.005, P = 0.001, respectively), whereas postintubation LF and HF values were decreased in group LS (P = 0.014, P = 0.041, respectively). Under the influence of sevoflurane anaesthesia, TI resulted in sympathetic activation. However, this activation was attenuated by the administration of IV 1 mg kg(-1) lidocaine 5 minutes prior to TI.

The protective effect of nitroglycerin on gastrointestinal and renal side effects of lornoxicam in rats.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study is firstly, to determine the preventive effect of chronic usage of combination of nitroglycerin and lornoxicam on gastrointestinal and renal side effects and secondly, to investigate the oxidative and antioxidative effects of this combination in rats. METHODS: Thirty-seven Wistar male rats were divided into five groups for 15 days; isotonic group (n = 8, sodium chloride 0.09, Group ISO), lornoxicam group (n = 8, lornoxicam 1.3 mg/kg, Group L), nitroglycerin group (n = 6, nitroglycerin 1 mg/kg, Group NTG), lornoxicam-nitroglycerin combination group (n = 8, 1.3 mg/kg lornoxicam + 1 mg/kg nitroglycerin, Group L-NTG), and control group (n = 7, no drug was administered, Group C). Nitric oxide, malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase, interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha concentrations were measured before drug injection and on fifteenth day in all blood samples. Gastrointestinal and renal biopsies were performed on fifteenth day. RESULTS: Two rats died on tenth and twelfth days in Group L. There were significant differences in Group L compared to the other groups for the lesions of stomach and kidney (p = 0.01, p = 0.028 respectively). Gastric ulceration was occurred in a rat in Group L. Malondialdehyde, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 levels decreased in NTG and L-NTG groups, whereas catalase and glutathion levels increased in NTG, L and L-NTG groups compared to control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Lornoxicam may cause gastrointestinal and renal side effects without oxidative stress. Adding nitroglycerin to lornoxicam for chronic treatment may prevent these side effects and enhance antioxidative effect compared to the use of lornoxicam alone in rats.

Beneficial effect of low-dose ketamine addition to epidural administration of morphine-bupivacaine mixture for cancer pain in two cases.

Two patients experiencing cancer pain with neuropathic components were treated with epidural administration of a mixture of ketamine (1 mg/mL) + morphine (1 mg/mL) + bupivacaine (1 mg/mL) injected daily by epidural port. No serious adverse effect was observed throughout the therapy. The patients were mostly pain-free and have gotten better quality of life during 110- and 48-day follow-up when the therapy was given by epidural route. Low doses of epidural ketamine added to morphine and bupivacaine increase the mean duration of satisfactory analgesia without severe adverse effects and restore quality of life when traditional therapy fails.

The analgesic effect of nitroglycerin added to lidocaine on intravenous regional anesthesia.

We evaluated the analgesic effect of nitroglycerine (NTG) when added to lidocaine in IV regional anesthesia. Thirty patients undergoing hand surgery were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group (group C, n = 15) received a total dose of 40 mL with 3 mg/kg of lidocaine diluted with saline, and the NTG group (group NTG, n = 15) received an additional 200 mug NTG. Hemodynamic variables, tourniquet pain measured before and 1, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min after tourniquet inflation, and analgesic requirements were recorded during the operation. After the tourniquet deflation, at 1 and 30 min and 2 and 4 h, visual analog scale (VAS) score, time to first analgesic requirement, total analgesic consumption in the first 24 h after operation, and side effects were noted. Shortened sensory and motor block onset time (3.2 +/- 1.1 versus 4.5 +/- 1.2 min; P = 0.01 and 3.3 +/- 1.6 versus 5.2 +/- 1.8; P = 0.009 in group NTG and group C, respectively), prolonged sensory and motor block recovery times (6.8 +/- 1.6 versus 3.1 +/- 1.2 min P < 0.0001 and 7.3 +/- 1.3 versus 3.6 +/- 0.8 P < 0.0001 in group NTG and group C, respectively), shortened VAS scores of tourniquet pain (P = 0.023), and improved quality of anesthesia were found in group NTG (P < 0.05). VAS scores were lower in group NTG after tourniquet release and in the postoperative period (P = 0.001). First analgesic requirement time was longer in group NTG (225 +/- 74 min versus 39 +/- 33 min) than in group C (P < 0.0001). Postoperative analgesic requirements were significantly smaller in group NTG (P < 0.0001) but the side effects were similar in both groups. We conclude that the addition of NTG to lidocaine for IV regional anesthesia improves sensory and motor block, tourniquet pain, and postoperative analgesia without side effects.

Effect of single-dose fentanyl on the cardiorespiratory system in elderly patients undergoing cataract surgery.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of fentanyl on the cardiorespiratory system in elderly patients undergoing cataract surgery with phacoemulsification method. DESIGN: Randomized, prospective, double-blind study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: 70 ASA physical status I, II, and III patients (>60 years) who underwent cataract surgery with topical anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The fentanyl group (35 patients) received fentanyl in 0.7 microg/kg bolus doses in a 2-mL balanced salt solution prior to surgery. The control group (35 patients) received a 2-mL balanced salt solution without any analgesic drug. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO(2)), respiratory rate (RR), end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO(2)), inspired CO(2) concentration, and sedation scores were measured preoperatively and at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 minutes intraoperatively. Postoperatively, patients were questioned about the presence of intraoperative pain. In the fentanyl group, no significant differences were observed in SPB, DBP, MAP, RR, or peripheral SpO(2). In the control group, RR was higher than baseline values at 10, 15, and 20 minutes. Diastolic blood pressure was higher than baseline values at 20 minutes. End-tidal CO(2) and inspired CO(2) levels were higher than baseline levels in both groups at all measurement times. Intraoperative ETCO(2) levels were higher in the fentanyl group than the control group (p < 0.01). Finally, no hypoxemia was observed in either group. CONCLUSION: Fentanyl can be used safely in 0.7-microg/kg dosages in elderly patients to improve patient comfort without any cardiorespiratory side effects, when undergoing cataract surgery with topical anesthesia.