Pain assessment in Nigerians--visual analogue scale and verbal rating scale compared.

The usefulness of 2 methods of pain assessment was determined in a cohort of Nigerians who had pain as a symptom and were receiving physiotherapy for various indication. The English and Yoruba versions of two Pain Rating Scales, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) with 1 to 4 or 1 to 5 intensity scales (VRS-4 or VRS-5) were employed for the assessment of pain in 100 patients. The mean Pain Score on the 4-point VRS Scale was 2.

Failure of lidocaine to modify suxamethonium induced biochemical changes.

Twenty patients were studied in a prospective double-blind randomized trial to determine the effects of intravenous lidocaine pretreatment on suxamethonium induced biochemical changes. Lidocaine 1 mg. kg-1 failed to attenuate changes in serum potassium, significantly decreased serum calcium, and prolonged duration of suxamethonium blockade.

Effect of pre-treatment with lysine acetyl salicylate on suxamethonium-induced myalgia.

The hypothesis that prostaglandin inhibitors might reduce the incidence and severity of suxamethonium-induced myalgia was investigated using lysine acetyl salicylate (LAS) 13 mg kg-1 i.v. 3 min before the administration of suxamethonium in 20 patients.

Parenteral premedication with lorazepam--a dose/response study.

The dose/response characteristics of lorazepam when administered parenterally as a premedicant drug were studied. The parameters studied included its' sedative and amnesic effects as well as effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Intramuscular and intravenous routes using doses 2 mg, 3 mg and 4 mg were compared.

Metabolic response to anaesthesia and lower abdominal surgery in Nigerians. Changes in plasma cortisol and blood sugar.

In ten Nigerian patients undergoing prostatectomy, plasma cortisol was slightly decreased by pre-medication with atropine and pethidine and during general anaesthesia without surgery. This decrease was not statistically significant. There was, however, a statistically significant increase in plasma cortisol after 1 h of surgery and also in the post-operative period.