Pain management for the Nuss procedure: comparison between erector spinae plane block, thoracic epidural, and control.

Objective: Pectus excavatum is a congenital deformity characterized by a caved-in chest wall. Repair requires surgery. The less invasive Nuss procedure is very successful, but postoperative pain management is challenging and evolving. New pain management techniques to reduce opioid reliance include the erector spinae plane (ESP) block. We retrospectively examined opioid consumption after Nuss procedure comparing three pain management techniques: ESP block, thoracic epidural (TE), and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Methods: This retrospective cohort study compared pain management outcomes of three patient groups. Seventy-eight subjects aged 10-18 years underwent Nuss procedure at our institution between January 2014 and January 2020. The primary outcome measure was opioid consumption measured in morphine milligram equivalents. Secondary measures included pain ratings and length of stay (LOS). Pain was quantified using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Analysis of variance was performed on all outcome measures. Results: Average cumulative opioid use was significantly lower in the ESP block (67 mg) than the TE (117 mg) (p=0.0002) or the PCA group (172 mg) (p=0.0002). The ESP block and PCA groups both had a significantly shorter average LOS (3.3 and 3.7 days, respectively) than the TE group (4.7 days). ESP block performed best for reducing opioid consumption and LOS. Reduced opioid consumption is key for limiting side effects. This study supports use of ESP block as a superior choice when choosing among the three postoperative pain management options that were evaluated. Conclusion: ESP resulted in reduced opioid consumption postoperatively and shorter LOS than TE or PCA for patients undergoing the Nuss procedure for surgical repair of pectus excavatum.

Experience of Botulinum Toxin A Injections for Chronic Migraine Headaches in a Pediatric Chronic Pain Clinic.

OBJECTIVES: Prevalence of chronic migraine in children can reach 7.7%, causing decreased school performance, difficulty with extracurricular activities (including sports, theater, or music), and changes in sleep and mood. Many studies confirm that botulinum toxin type A injections effectively alleviate chronic migraines in adults; however, the literature regarding children is sparse. This study aims to analyze the safety and effectiveness of botulinum type A injections in a group of pediatric patients diagnosed with chronic migraines in a pediatric pain clinic. METHODS: In this retrospective (2013-2018) study, the effects of botulinum toxin type A injections were analyzed using data from 65 pediatric patients diagnosed with chronic migraines. The study group ranged from 11 to 18 years of age. A pediatric pain management physician administered the botulinum using the Phase 3 Research Evaluating Migraine Prophylaxis Therapy program protocol and followed the pain pattern. Dosages, tolerance, and side effects were measured. RESULTS: In this study, 74% of the patients tried more than 6 medications before the injections. There was a decrease in the visual analog scale score of 5.2 ± 2.2 points upon 6-week follow-up. The mean amount of medication used was 173.2 ± 35 units, and patients received an average of 2.8 ± 1.1 units/kg. Adverse events include one patient who developed dizziness and another who had low-grade fevers with enlarged cervical lymph nodes; both resolved within few minutes. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the use of botulinum type A for chronic migraines in pediatric patients. Multicentered, randomized studies with larger population are needed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of this therapy.

Blood pressure measurements during intraoperative pediatric scoliosis surgery.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative hypotension is frequently encountered during surgery and it can be associated with adverse outcomes. Blood pressure monitoring is critical during surgery, but there are no universally agreed upon standards for interpreting values of hypotension and no consensus regarding interventions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of pediatric patients who underwent idiopathic scoliosis surgery by a single surgeon. We used the arterial line for all measures. Intraoperative hypotension was defined as 20% decrease of the baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP), 30% decrease of baseline SBP, or mean arterial pressure less than 60 mmHg. Use of vasopressor agents was also recorded and correlated with blood pressure definitions. RESULTS: Seventy idiopathic scoliosis patients were retrospectively evaluated. There was a significant correlation between the three measures of hypotension. Sixty percent of the patients received vasopressors. There was a significant correlation between a drop of mean arterial pressure to less than 60 mmHg and the use of the ephedrine. We did not find any changes on neuromonitoring measures during the case and there were no intraoperative or one-month postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Blood pressure is only one of the measures anesthesiologists look to for good perfusion during surgery. Pediatric anesthesiologists and orthopedics agree in trying tight blood pressure control during surgery to decrease blood loss, but what the exact definition of that blood pressure number is, is still unclear. We propose that using mean arterial pressure less than 60 mmHg is perhaps a better definition. We provide recommendations for future studies.

Comparison of Pain Scores and Medication Usage Between Three Pain Control Strategies for Pediatric Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery.

Introduction Assessment and management of postoperative pain in the pediatric population after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery can be challenging; the optimal approach to pain control remains controversial. Recent studies show that use of intraoperative nerve blocks may reduce the need for opioids to control pain in the postoperative period. However, it is unclear which block type is most beneficial in the pediatric outpatient setting. This study compared effectiveness of pain control among three different pain management strategies. Methods We retrospectively reviewed charts of patients aged 12-17 years who received an elective ACL reconstruction between 2013 and 2017. The three groups were femoral nerve block, combined femoral and sciatic block, and intraarticular injection of bupivacaine (n = 50 per group). The primary variable was postoperative pain scores (visual analog scale 1-10) in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Results Less than 50% of patients in the combined nerve block group had opioids intraoperatively or in the PACU compared with nearly 100% of patients in the other two groups (p < 0.0001). Also, for patients receiving opioids, the total intraoperative morphine equivalents and PACU pain scores (all patients) were significantly less in the combined block group (p < 0.001). For patients receiving opioids in the PACU, the total morphine equivalents were significantly higher in the intraarticular injection group compared with the nerve block groups (p < 0.0001). Conclusion Patients in the combined femoral and sciatic nerve block group had significantly better pain scores in the PACU with less cumulative morphine equivalent consumption compared with the femoral nerve block group and the intraarticular injection group.

Epidural Catheter in a Child with Metastatic Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Pain and symptom management is a cornerstone of palliative and hospice medicine. The aim of this article is to educate clinicians about the uncommon causes of bleeding from an epidural catheter for hospice pain management. A case of a 12-year-old female with progressive metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma-left forearm primary who had exhausted all treatment options is reported. She had a very significant cancer-related pain, which was not amenable to hospice management at home. A tunneled epidural catheter was placed so that she could receive better pain management at home as her life expectancy was very short. The patient had massive bleeding coming from the tunnel site developing big clots around dressings on the third day after the catheter placement. All methods for stopping the bleeding were employed but it stopped only after the epidural catheter was removed. In conclusion, the development of pain management strategy using multidisciplinary inputs with appropriate, timely use of interventional pain management techniques provides satisfactory pain relief for these patients and reduces distress in patients and relatives during this difficult period. Multiple approaches exist for pain management; however, systemic medications sometimes cause additional side effects (nausea, vomiting, constipation, drowsiness, respiratory depression). Unfortunately, some interventional procedures may also have side effects (bleeding, infection, ineffectiveness).

Retrospective study of intranasal dexmedetomidine as a prophylactic against emergence delirium in pediatric patients undergoing ear tube surgery.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effect of intranasal dexmedetomidine on emergence delirium (ED) in pediatric patients who underwent ear tube surgeries. Due to the brief nature of the surgery and low levels of pain experienced, an IV is rarely needed, limiting the medications available to anesthesiologists to manage postoperative delirium that may arise during recovery from inhalational anesthesia. Intravenous dexmedetomidine is an alpha-2 agonist anesthetic that is used in pediatric patients for the management of ED in various surgical procedures. However, intranasal medication has not been evaluated specifically in ear tube surgeries for ED prevention. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of pediatric patients at Nemours Children's Hospital who had undergone ear tube insertion or removal surgery between 2013 and 2015, controlling for confounding variables such as age, surgery duration, and anesthesiologist. We used the post anesthesia emergence delirium (PAED) tool, an instrument created to assess ED in the clinical setting. We analyzed the data for significant differences in PAED score and time in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) between patients treated with intranasal dexmedetomidine and the control group that did not receive the medication. RESULTS: We found no significant difference between the PAED scores of those patients treated with intranasal dexmedetomidine prior to ear tube surgeries and those who did not receive the medication, and no difference in the duration of PACU stay. CONCLUSION: These results conflict with other research on intranasal dexmedetomidine and its potential to prevent ED in pediatric patients. This information should prompt further prospective investigation into the most efficacious use of dexmedetomidine for ED prevention, both in terms of timing and dosage required.

Manejo del síndrome de abstinencia por interrupción del baclofeno / Management Baclofen Withdrawal Syndrome

La terapia con baclofeno intratecal es un tratamiento que puede aliviar algunos de los síntomas de la espasticidad severa. Actualmente, la infusión de baclofeno intratecal se utiliza principalmente para el manejo de la espasticidad asociada con parálisis cerebral, lesiones cerebrales o de columna vertebral, traumatismo craneoencefálico, encefalopatía anóxica, esclerosis múltiple, distonía, secuelas de accidente cerebrovascular y síndrome del hombre rígido, especialmente para los pacientes que no responden a otros tratamientos. Los pacientes pueden sufrir efectos secundarios en sistema nervioso central con este manejo, como consecuencia de un error de dosificación del baclofeno en la bomba. El cese repentino de la administración del baclofeno intratecal puede causar síntomas, que van desde leves hasta graves. Presentamos un caso de síndrome de abstinencia por baclofeno intratecal y su manejo exitoso en un paciente en que se desarrolló espasticidad severa.

Intrathecal baclofen therapy is a treatment that can relieve some symptoms of severe spasticity. Currently intrathecal baclofen infusion is used primarily for spasticity associated with cerebral palsy, brain or spinal injury, traumatic brain injury, anoxic encephalopathy, multiple sclerosis, dystonia, stroke and stiff-man syndrome, particularly for those patients who are unresponsive. Patients can present central nervous system side effects, this can occur as a result of the pump delivering an incorrect dose of baclofen. Sudden cessation of Intrathecal baclofen administration can cause mild to severe symptoms. We report a case of Intrathecal baclofen withdrawal syndrome developing severe spasticity and its management.