Double-blind comparison of granisetron, promethazine, or a combination of both for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in females undergoing outpatient laparoscopies.

Purpose: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and postdischarge nausea and vomiting (PDNV) are common problems after surgery. Prophylactic combination antiemetic therapy is recommended for patients at high risk for developing PONV and PDNV. Granisetron, a serotonin antagonist, is an effective antiemetic that is devoid of sedative side effect.

A retrospective comparison of anesthetic management of robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy versus radical retropubic prostatectomy.

Study Objective: To compare anesthetic management and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) and radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) with general anesthesia.

Design: Retrospective database study of RALP and RRP patients at Duke University Medical Center from 6/2003 to 6/2006.

Setting: University teaching hospital.

Regional anesthesia for vascular access surgery.

Background: Approximately 25% of initial arteriovenous fistula (AVF) placements will fail as a result of thrombosis or failure to develop adequate vessel size and blood flow. Fistula maturation is impacted by patient characteristics and surgical technique, but both increased vein diameter and high fistula blood flow rates are the most important predictors of successful AVFs. Anesthetic techniques used in vascular access surgery (monitored anesthesia care, regional blocks, and general anesthesia) may affect these characteristics and fistula failure.

Lidocaine patch for postoperative analgesia after radical retropubic prostatectomy.

In a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy under general anesthesia were randomly assigned to receive a lidocaine patch or placebo applied on each side of the wound at the end of surgery. Data were collected for 24 h after surgery. Seventy patients completed the study (36 lidocaine group, 34 placebo group).

Comparison of postoperative pain outcomes after vertical or Pfannenstiel incision for major gynecologic surgery.

Objective: The Pfannenstiel incision is commonly used for gynecologic surgery. It is not known if this incision is associated with less postoperative pain compared to a vertical midline incision. Therefore, as part of a study to evaluate the postoperative analgesic effects and dose response of intravenous adenosine in patients undergoing open abdominal gynecologic surgery, this manuscript compares postoperative pain and analgesic consumption in patients who had a midline vertical incision or a Pfannenstiel incision.

A randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial comparing transdermal scopolamine plus ondansetron to ondansetron alone for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in the outpatient setting.

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are common complications after ambulatory surgery. We sought to determine whether the use of transdermal scopolamine (TDS) in combination with IV ondansetron (OND) is more effective than one alone for reducing PONV in outpatient settings.

Methods: In a randomized, double blind, multicenter trial, 620 at-risk female patients undergoing outpatient laparoscopic or breast augmentation surgery received either an active TDS patch or a similar appearing sham 2 h before entering the operating room.

Minimally invasive cardiac output monitoring in the perioperative setting.

With advancing age and increased co-morbidities in patients, the need for monitoring devices during the perioperative period that allow clinicians to track physiologic variables, such as cardiac output (CO), fluid responsiveness and tissue perfusion, is increasing. Until recently, the only tool available to anesthesiologists to monitor CO was either a pulmonary artery catheter or transesophageal echocardiograph. These devices have their limitations and potential for morbidity.

Acupuncture for the management of chronic headache: a systematic review.

Objective: The objective of this review was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for treatment of chronic headache.

Methods: We searched the databases of Medline (1966-2007), CINAHL, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2006), and Scopus for randomized controlled trials investigating the use of acupuncture for chronic headache. Studies were included in which adults with chronic headache, including migraine, tension-type headache or both, were randomized to receive needling acupuncture treatment or control consisting of sham acupuncture, medication therapy, and other nonpharmacological treatments.

Acupuncture and related techniques for postoperative pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Postoperative pain management remains a significant challenge for all healthcare providers. The objective of this systematic review was to quantitatively evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture and related techniques as adjunct analgesics for acute postoperative pain management. We searched the databases of Medline (1966-2007), CINAHL, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2006), and Scopus for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using acupuncture for postoperative pain management.

The use of droperidol before and after the Food and Drug Administration black box warning: a survey of the members of the Society of Ambulatory Anesthesia.

Study Objective: To determine the practice of members of the Society of Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA) in the management of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) before and after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black box warning on droperidol.

Design: Survey questionnaire.

Setting: The Society of Ambulatory Anesthesia.

How much are patients willing to pay to avoid postoperative muscle pain associated with succinylcholine?

Study Objective: To determine how much money patients are willing to pay to avoid postoperative muscle pains associated with succinylcholine.

Design: Observational study with survey instrument.

Setting: University-affiliated metropolitan hospital.

Adenosine as a non-opioid analgesic in the perioperative setting.

Adenosine, a ubiquitous metabolic intermediate in the body, is involved in nearly every aspect of cell function, including neuromodulation and neurotransmission. Adenosine A(1) and A(2) receptors are widely distributed in the brain and spinal cord, and are a novel, non-opiate target for pain management. The potential of adenosine as a non-narcotic analgesic in anesthetized patients has been explored in clinical trials, including double-blind studies versus placebo and remifentanil infusion.

Perioperative pain management.

The under-treatment of postoperative pain has been recognised to delay patient recovery and discharge from hospital. Despite recognition of the importance of effective pain control, up to 70% of patients still complain of moderate to severe pain postoperatively. The mechanistic approach to pain management, based on current understanding of the peripheral and central mechanisms involved in nociceptive transmission, provides newer options for clinicians to manage pain effectively.

A comparison of ondansetron with promethazine for treating postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients who received prophylaxis with ondansetron: a retrospective database analysis.

Background: There are little data on the efficacy of antiemetics for treating postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients who received prior PONV prophylaxis.

Methods: In this retrospective database analysis, we compared the efficacy of ondansetron with that of promethazine for treating PONV in adults receiving general anesthesia who failed ondansetron prophylaxis.

Results: Three thousand sixty-two patients received ondansetron and 752 received promethazine after failure of ondansetron prophylaxis.

Use of neostigmine in the management of acute postoperative pain and labour pain: a review.

Neostigmine is a parasympathomimetic agent that has been recently investigated for use as an adjunct analgesic agent in the perioperative and peripartum period. A number of studies have investigated the intrathecal, epidural, caudal and intra-articular routes of administration of this agent, as well as the addition of neostigmine to local anaesthetics used for brachial plexus block and intravenous regional anaesthesia. While the intrathecal administration of neostigmine produced useful analgesic effects in the postoperative period in some studies, the high incidence of adverse events, mainly nausea and vomiting, limit the clinical usefulness of this route of administration.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of medications used for moderate sedation.

The ability to deliver safe and effective moderate sedation is crucial to the ability to perform invasive procedures. Sedative drugs should have a quick onset of action, provide rapid and clear-headed recovery, and be easy to administer and monitor. A number of drugs have been demonstrated to provide effective sedation for outpatient procedures but since each agent has its own limitations, a thorough knowledge of the available drugs is required to choose the appropriate drug, dose and/or combination regimen for individual patients.

The kaolin-activated Thrombelastograph predicts bleeding after cardiac surgery.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship of the kaolin-activated Thrombelastograph (TEG) with postoperative bleeding and laboratory tests of coagulation in the setting of cardiac surgery with the routine use of -aminocaproic acid.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: An adult heart center at a tertiary referral, university hospital.

Gabapentin and postoperative pain--a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of perioperative gabapentin administration for the control of acute postoperative pain. We searched Medline (1966-2006), the Cochrane Library (2006), Scopus, CINAHL and bibliographies from clinical trials and review articles. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing gabapentin with inactive controls in surgical patients.

Risk factors for postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Knowledge of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) risk factors allows anesthesiologists to optimize the use of prophylactic regimens. Modern PONV risk research began in the 1990s with publication of studies using logistic regression analysis to simultaneously identify multiple independent PONV predictors and publication of meta-analyses and systematic reviews. This literature shows that female gender post-puberty, nonsmoking status, history of PONV or motion sickness, childhood after infancy and younger adulthood, increasing duration of surgery, and use of volatile anesthetics, nitrous oxide, large-dose neostigmine, or intraoperative or postoperative opioids are well established PONV risk factors.

A randomized, prospective double-blind comparison of the efficacy of generic propofol (sulphite additive) with diprivan.

Background And Objective: We compared the dose requirement and side effect profile of total intravenous anaesthesia using Diprivan to generic propofol at a specific anaesthetic target level utilizing the bispectral index monitor to determine efficacy differences between the two products.

Methods: Sixty women undergoing abdominal hysterectomy were induced with propofol 2 mg kg-1 and maintained with infusion (20-200 microg kg-1 min-1) adjusted to maintain a bispectral index of 50-65. Plasma propofol concentration was measured at 1 and 2 h post induction in 25 patients.

Transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation with the ReliefBand for the prevention of nausea and vomiting during and after cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia.

We randomized 94 patients undergoing cesarean delivery with spinal anesthesia to receive transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation using the ReliefBand at the P6 point (active group) or an active ReliefBand applied to the dorsum of the wrist (sham control group). The ReliefBand was applied 30-60 min preoperatively and left in place for 24 h. There was no statistically significant difference between the active and sham control groups in the incidence of intraoperative/postoperative nausea (30% versus 43%/23% versus 41%), vomiting (13% versus 9%/26 versus 37%), need for rescue antiemetics (23% versus 18%/34% versus 39%), or complete response (55% versus 57%/51% versus 34%).

Role of analgesic adjuncts in postoperative pain management.

Postoperative pain remains a major problem. A multi-modal analgesic approach is recommended to optimize pain management and reduce opiate-related adverse effects. Several analgesic adjuncts have been investigated, and many have proved to have a useful analgesic effect.

The effectiveness of rescue antiemetics after failure of prophylaxis with ondansetron or droperidol: a preliminary report.

Study Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of treating established postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) with an antiemetic acting at a different receptor with that of treating PONV with the antiemetic used for prophylaxis.

Design: Analysis of data collected in a previously published randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Setting: Outpatient surgical procedures from 50 institutions in North America.

Presurgical intravenous parecoxib sodium and follow-up oral valdecoxib for pain management after laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery reduces opioid requirements and opioid-related adverse effects.

Background: Opioids are associated with numerous adverse effects. It is unclear if reduced postoperative opioid consumption lowers the incidence and severity of opioid-related adverse effects. This analysis -- from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial -- tested if the reduction of opioid consumption among patients who received intravenous preoperative parecoxib 40 mg, followed by oral valdecoxib 40 mg qd postoperatively, in Days 1-4 after outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery, reduced opioid-related symptoms.