Postoperative analgesia after total hip arthroplasty: i.v. PCA with morphine, patient-controlled epidural analgesia, or continuous "3-in-1" block?: a prospective evaluation by our acute pain service in more than 1,300 patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the most appropriate postoperative analgesic technique after hip surgery. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: 1,338 ASA physical status I, II, and III patients scheduled for elective unilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA). INTERVENTIONS: During the first 48 postoperative hours, pain relief was provided by intravenous (i.v.) patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine (Group 1), continuous "3-in-1" block (Group 2), or patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) (Group 3). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: During a 7.5-year period, pain scores, supplemental analgesia, satisfaction score, technical problems, and side effects were collected by our acute pain service. Postoperative pain relief was comparable in the three groups. More paracetamol was required in Group 2 (1.0 +/- 1.2 g/48 h) and Group 3 (0.9 +/- 1.3 g/48 h) than in Group 1 (0.5 +/- 1.1 g/48 h) (p < 0.01). However, only 8% of patients in Group 2 and 12% of patients in Group 3 needed an opioid. A higher incidence of technical problems was noted in Group 3 (23.4%) than in Group 1 (2.3%) or Group 2 (5.5%) (p < 0.001). A lower incidence of side effects was observed in Group 2 (23.5%) when compared with Group 1 (58.8%) and Group 3 (71.9%) (p < 0.001). Satisfaction score was significantly higher in Group 2 than in the other two groups [80 +/- 16 vs. 87 +/- 14 vs. 81 +/- 14 in Groups 1, 2, and 3 respectively (p = 0.003)]. CONCLUSION: After THA, i.v. PCA with morphine, continuous "3-in-1" block, and PCEA provided comparable pain relief. Because it induces the fewest technical problems and side effects, continuous "3-in-1" block is the preferred technique.

Chest pain relief by nitroglycerin does not predict active coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: The belief that chest pain relief with nitroglycerin indicates the presence of active coronary artery disease is common. However, this hypothesis has not been tested. OBJECTIVE: To define the diagnostic and prognostic value of chest pain relief with nitroglycerin. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Urban community teaching hospital. PATIENTS: 459 consecutive patients with chest pain admitted through the emergency department who received nitroglycerin from emergency services personnel or an emergency department nurse. Follow-up was obtained by telephone contact at 4 months. MEASUREMENTS: Chest pain relief was defined as a decrease of at least 50% in patients' self-reported pain within 5 minutes of the initial dose of sublingual or spray nitroglycerin. Active coronary artery disease was defined as any elevated serum enzyme levels, coronary angiography demonstrating a 70% or greater stenosis, or a positive exercise test result. RESULTS: Nitroglycerin relieved chest pain in 39% of patients (181 of 459). In patients with active coronary artery disease as the likely cause of their chest pain, 35% (49 of 141) had chest pain relief with nitroglycerin. In contrast, in patients without active coronary artery disease, 41% (113 of 275) had chest pain relief (P > 0.2). Four-month clinical outcomes were similar in patients with or without chest pain relief with nitroglycerin (P > 0.2). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that, in a general population admitted for chest pain, relief of pain after nitroglycerin treatment does not predict active coronary artery disease and should not be used to guide diagnosis.

Behavioral treatment of chronic low back pain: clinical outcome and individual differences in pain relief.

The response of 111 chronic low back pain patients to a comprehensive behavioral treatment program emphasizing relaxation procedures is examined. Over the course of treatment, significant reductions were obtained on measures of subjective tension, EMG activity, and pain. Many patients also decreased their intake of analgesic/narcotic agents and reported an increase in activity level. In order to examine individual differences in pain relief, the 28 patients who had the greatest decreases in pain were compared to those who had the least decreases in pain. Patients who had the best outcome in terms of pain relief were significantly more likely to show improvements in other outcome measures. In addition, these patients rated their pain initially as more severe, had continuous pain for fewer years, and were less likely to be on disability or to have had multiple surgical procedures. These results are discussed in the light of recent data from other behavioral treatment studies with chronic low back pain patients and implications for behavioral assessment and treatment are discussed.

Results of treatment of recurrent dorsoradial wrist neuromas.

Dorsoradial wrist neuromas diagnosed and treated by traditional techniques remain the most difficult for which to achieve satisfactory pain relief. Between 1981 and 1985, 52 patients with dorsoradial wrist neuromas were treated by neuroma resection and implantation of the nerves innervating the neuroma into the brachioradialis muscle. Critical to this treatment schema was preoperative use of nerve blocks to diagnose overlapping patterns of the cutaneous nerves in this region. Of patients for whom this technique was the first surgical treatment of their neuroma (primary group), 100% achieved good to excellent pain relief. Among patients in whom the neuroma had been operated on once previously (first recurrence group), 88% achieved good to excellent pain relief with the technique described in this article. Of patients treated who had had 3 or more previous "neuroma" operations (multiple recurrence group), this technique resulted in excellent pain relief in 56%. Factors contributing to a poorer result in the multiple recurrence group included duration of pain longer than 24 months and the patient's unemployment. The diagnostic and surgical approach detailed in this article has yielded clinical results that recommend this approach not only as the primary treatment of choice but also as the treatment to help patients with pain from recurrent dorsoradial neuromas. The apparent susceptibility of the superficial branch of the radial nerve (SBRN) to form painful neuromas has been well documented. Once established, the neuroma appears particularly resistant to treatment. Based on experimental and cadaveric studies, we have formulated a treatment plan for patients with dorsoradial wrist neuromas.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Is outcome for low risk obstetric patients influenced by parity and intervention?

Maternal and perinatal morbidity were examined to assess the influence of parity and intervention procedures among 1032 women considered low risk at commencement of labour. A diagnosis of fetal distress, failure to progress during labour, maternal problems after delivery and consultation with or transfer of the neonate to a paediatrician occurred more frequently amongst nulliparous women (p less than 0.001). Failure to progress in labour was found to be influenced by parity (primigravida), maternal age (less than 20 years) and also by the use of epidural anaesthetic for pain relief (p less than 0.001). Prevalence of abnormal delivery was found to be influenced by parity (primigravida), failure to progress in labour and diagnosis of fetal distress. The use of epidural anaesthesia for pain relief was also found to increase the rate of abnormal delivery (p less than 0.001). Statistically significant differences occurred between the groups of patients, with patients of private specialists having the highest rates for induction (34%), use of epidural for pain relief (40%) and abnormal delivery (46%).

A clinical survey of controlled-release morphine sulphate for cancer pain relief in a Japanese hospice.

Seventy-six cancer patients were studied on the use of controlled-release morphine sulphate (MS Contin) for cancer pain relief in the hospice of Yodogama Christian Hospital in Japan. The mean initial and maximum dosages were 81.4 mg and 178.6 mg respectively. While 46 patients (61%) did not need an increase in the initial dosage, 26 patients (34%) needed an increase ranging between 8 and 125%. Four patients (5%) required an increment of more than 500% of the initial dosage, because of apparent nerve involvement. This clinical survey showed that the total effectiveness was 92% and that 90% of the patients could experience control of pain with a daily dosage of 240 mg or less of MS Contin. Side effects observed were as follows: drowsiness 21%, nausea 11%, vomiting 8%, constipation 8%, confusion 7%, hallucination 3%. In conclusion, MS Contin offers effective cancer pain relief with minimal side effects in the majority of patients.

On-demand nalbuphine for post-operative pain relief.

Twenty-five patients with moderate to severe pain after major upper abdominal surgery chose to receive nalbuphine on demand from a Cardiff Palliator for pain relief. An initial i.v. injection of nalbuphine 20 mg was followed by 5 mg given over 90s in response to each successful demand. A maximum of 20 doses (100 mg) hr-1 of nalbuphine was available, plus additional bolus doses. Twelve patients obtained good pain relief and completed the 5 hour observation period. 13 patients withdrew from the study, 8 because of inadequate pain relief and 2 because of side-effects. At least half the patients who complained of inadequate pain relief at the time had no subsequent memory of the events. Despite high dosage in some cases (up to 200 mg in an hour) no clinically important cardiovascular or respiratory effects were observed.

Continuous epidural perfusion of morphine and bupivacaine for post-thoracotomy analgesia. Comparison between thoracic and lumbar epidural analgesia

Relief of postoperative pain and the incidence of side effects occurring after continuous epidural infusion of morphine and bupivacaine were evaluated in patients undergoing a thoracotomy. We also studied the relevance of a close proximity of the epidural catheter to the metameric segment were the pain originated. The study involves 17 patients divided into two groups. In one series (lumbar group) (LG) the catheter was located at the lumbar region and in the other series (thoracic group) (TG) the catheter was localized at the thoracic area. The study was carried out during the first 48 hours following surgery. Bupivacaine 2% and 0.2 mg/ml of morphine hydrochloride were administered at an initial rate of 1.5 ml/h. The total dose required for pain relief was greater in LG than in TG (p less than 0.05). There were no significant group differences in the hemodynamic and respiratory parameters measured in this study. Only respiratory rate was occasionally lower in LG. Three patients presented postoperative atelectasis (2 in TG and 1 in LG) and required bronchoscopy. One patient of LG complained pruritus and another one of the same group presented nausea and vomiting. The epidural perfusion was interrupted in only one patient of TG due to the presence of arterial hypotension. The association of narcotics and local anesthetics in continuous epidural perfusion was an excellent method for achieving pain relief with minimum side effects. We conclude that both thoracic and lumbar epidural routes are advisable for post-thoracotomy pain relief.

Effect of repeated irradiation of low-power He-Ne laser in pain relief from postherpetic neuralgia.

In order to investigate the efficacy of repeated irradiation of low-power helium-neon laser in pain relief, we irradiated 36 outpatients suffering from postherpetic neuralgia. Each patient underwent 20 trials of irradiation on several points around the painful area at a frequency of 2 or 3 times a week. The efficacy of the laser at the end of 20 trials was noticed on 88.9%, and the degree of pain relief was 55.3%, which correlated with the number of trials. These results suggest that the irradiation of He-Ne laser is an effective and safe treatment for postherpetic neuralgia.

Cryohypophysectomy for the relief of pain in malignant disease.

Fifty consecutive patients with metastatic carcinoma who underwent cryohypophysectomy were studied. Of these, 26 had breast cancer, 19 had prostatic cancer, one had malignant melanoma, one had cancer of the kidney, and three had metastatic adenocarcinoma from an unknown primary tumour. After cryohypophysectomy, excellent pain relief was obtained in 48% of patients, good or acceptable pain relief was obtained in 40%, and poor or no relief in 12%. Two patients died: one of aspiration pneumonia and one of an unknown cerebral cause. Sixteen patients developed diabetes insipidus, of whom three required therapy with vasopressin; eight patients developed a cerebrospinal fluid leak, two of whom required surgical repair; and four patients developed meningitis, which resolved in three after antibiotic therapy. Results are compared with those from other published reports. pain relief from cryohypophysectomy is surmised to be due to the production of endorphins, but no proof of this is available.