Pulsed radiofrequency to stellate ganglion for brachial plexus injury-induced complex regional pain syndrome: A case series.

Brachial plexus injury (BPI) occurs commonly in young adults following trauma. This may result in the development of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) following injury, which is difficult to treat. We present a group of patients with CRPS secondary to BPI. These patients were managed with neuromodulation of the stellate ganglion (SG) with pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) and followed up for a period of 3 months to assess for pain relief and a decrease in the intake of medications after the intervention. PRF to SG was found to have significant pain relief lasting around three months.

Stellate Ganglion Blocks for Refractory Central Poststroke Pain: A Case Series.

Central poststroke pain (CPSP) is a neuropathic pain secondary to cerebrovascular accidents. This is characterized by pain and other sensory abnormalities, which correspond with the area of the injured brain. Despite advancements in therapeutic options, this clinical entity is still challenging to treat. We present 5 patients with CPSP, who were refractory to pharmacotherapy and were successfully managed with stellate ganglion blocks. A significant decrease in pain scores and improvement in functional disabilities were noted in all patients following the intervention.

Efficacy of splanchnic nerve neurolysis in the management of upper abdominal cancer pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and Aims: Neurolytic splanchnic nerve block (NSNB) is practised in intractable abdominal pain secondary to intra-abdominal malignancies. This review evaluated the efficacy of NSNB. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane databases were searched for articles published from January 2001 to October 2023. Two independent reviewers extracted the data from the included studies. The quality of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (RoB 2), and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used for cohort studies. Results: Fourteen articles (4 RCTs, 3 non-randomised prospective, and 7 retrospectives) were included. Ten articles were quantitatively assessed and demonstrated significant pain relief at 1 week (standardised mean difference (SMD): 3.46 [2.09, 4.83], P < 0.001, I2 = 95%), 2 weeks (SMD: 4.45 [2.61, 6.29], P < 0.001, I2 = 95%), 4 weeks (SMD: 3.35 [2.23, 4.47], P < 0.001, I2 = 97%), 8 weeks (SMD: 3.7 [2.71, 4.7], P < 0.001, I2 = 86%), 12 weeks (SMD: 4.01 [2.66, 5.36], P < 0.001, I2 = 95%), and 24 weeks (SMD: 2.54 [1.71,3.37], P < 0.001, I2 = 84%). Daily narcotic consumption and quality of life (QOL) significantly improved post neurolysis, but survival rates showed controversial results. Significant heterogeneity was reported, and sub-group analysis revealed a moderate level of variability [I2 = 47.3%] pertaining to study design as a source of heterogeneity. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Pro GDT recommendation for the primary objective was 'high' for the analysis of RCTs and 'very low' evidence quality for observational studies. Only transient minor complications were reported. Conclusion: NSNB appears to be an efficacious technique that provides substantial pain relief, reduces opioid consumption, and ameliorates QOL.

Comparison between dexmedetomidine and fentanyl bolus in attenuating the stress response to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation: a randomized double-blind trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation lead to a sympathoadrenal response. We compared the efficacy of dexmedetomidine with fentanyl bolus to attenuate this response. METHODS: One hundred patients admitted for routine surgical procedures under general anesthesia were enrolled in this double blind, randomized, controlled study. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: Group F received injection of fentanyl 2 µg.kg-1 and Group D received injection of dexmedetomidine 0.5 µg.kg-1 diluted up to 5 mL by adding normal saline intravenously over 60 seconds. Five minutes thereafter, following induction with propofol and vecuronium, tracheal intubation was performed after 3 minutes of mask ventilation. Hemodynamic parameters were observed at an interval of 2 minutes before tracheal intubation and at an interval of 1 minute for 5 minutes after tracheal tube cuff inflation. Continuous variables are presented as mean with 95% confidence interval, and t-test was applied for comparing the difference of means between two groups after checking the normality condition. Chi-square test was applied to test the independence of attributes of categorical variables. Repeated measures two-way ANOVA was performed to compare the outcome variables between the two groups. RESULTS: The difference in heart rate and mean arterial pressure of patients in two groups after laryngoscopy and intubation was not statistically significant at any point of time. The hemodynamic changes did not require any intervention in the form of administration of rescue medication. CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine 0.5 µg.kg-1 is as effective as fentanyl 2 µg.kg-1 in attenuating the hemodynamic response accompanying laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER & REGISTRY URL: CTRI/2017/09/009857 [ctri.nic.in].

Management of Obstetric Analgesia in the Developing Countries during the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic: A Narrative Review.

Coronavirus disease (COVID), also known as COVID-19, has brought the immense challenges for the health-care system globally. All the branches of medicine are equally involved in managing these patients. During this pandemic, care of obstetric patients in terms of obstetric analgesia becomes crucial. Hence, the purpose of this review was to draft a basic model of strategies related to the provision of safe obstetric analgesia during this coronavirus pandemic, which will assist the health-care providers across the developing countries to formulate their own protocols depending upon the resource availability. All research articles related to obstetric analgesia during the COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to December 01, 2020 available on PubMed, Cochrane, Google scholar, and Embase are included in this study. The keywords used for data search were "obstetric analgesia during COVID-19," "coronavirus pandemic," "Labor pain," "obstetric pain management guidelines," and "regional anesthesia during COVID-19." Eventually, our review yielded the most recentmodel for the provision of safe and effective obstetric analgesia practices during the COVID-19 pandemic across the developing countries.