Boo-Young Hwang

Oxycodone vs. Fentanyl Patient-Controlled Analgesia after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Objectives Oxycodone is semi-synthetic opioid, oral and parenteral preparations have been widely used for acute and chronic pain. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and side effects of oxycodone and fentanyl in patient controlled analgesia (PCA) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was conducted. 81 patients were randomly divided into two groups; fentanyl (10 mcg fentanyl and 1.5 mg ketorolac) and oxycodone group (1 mg oxycodone and 1.5 mg ketorolac). After the operation, a blinded observer assessed pain using a numerical rating scale (NRS), infused PCA dose, side effects, sedation levels, and satisfaction. Results Cumulative PCA dose of oxycodone group at 48 h (31.4 ± 16.0 ml) was significantly less than that of fentanyl group (43.8 ± 23.1 ml, P = 0.009). Oxycodone group showed more nausea at 6 - 24 h after the operation (P = 0.001), but there was no difference in satisfaction score (P = 0.073). There were no significant differences in other side effects, sedation and NRS scores between two groups. Conclusion Oxycodone showed comparable effects for pain relief compared to fentanyl in spite of less cumulative PCA dose. Based on these results, we could conclude that oxycodone may be useful as an alternative to fentanyl for PCA after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Gender differences in paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain behavior and analgesic response in rats.

Background Females show greater sensitivity than males to several modalities of experimental pain. However, the gender differences in paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain have not been studied. The current study examined the gender differences in neuropathic pain behavior and the effect of analgesics in a paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain model in rats. Methods Neuropathic pain was induced by intraperitoneal injection of paclitaxel (2 mg/kg) on 4 alternate days in Sprague-Dawley rats of both genders. Mechanical allodynia was measured using a von Frey filament. The gender differences in analgesic responses were determined after administration of morphine (2 or 5 mg/kg), ketamine (2 or 5 mg/kg), or combined morphine (2 mg/kg) and ketamine (2 mg/kg). Results Paclitaxel induced mechanical allodynia, which began to manifest on day 4, peaked within 10 days, and plateaued for at least 2 months after the first paclitaxel injection. No gender difference in the manifestation of mechanical allodynia was observed. A 2 mg/kg dose of ketamine increased the mechanical threshold only in males. The 5 mg/kg dose of ketamine significantly increased the mechanical threshold in both genders. Morphine (2 and 5 mg/kg) dose-dependently increased the mechanical thresholds in both genders. The 2 mg/kg dose of ketamine enhanced the antinociceptive effect of 2 mg/kg morphine only in females. Conclusions No gender difference in paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain or analgesic response to ketamine or morphine was observed in Sprague-Dawley rats. Low dose ketamine enhanced the analgesic effect of morphine on paclitaxel-induced mechanical allodynia but only in female rats.

A Randomized Clinical Trial of Nefopam versus Ketorolac Combined With Oxycodone in Patient-Controlled Analgesia after Gynecologic Surgery.

Objectives: Nefopam is a centrally-acting non-opioid analgesic, which has no effect on bleeding time and platelet aggregation. There has been no study about nefopam and oxycodone combination for postoperative analgesia. In this study, we present efficacy and side effects of nefopam/oxycodone compared with ketorolac/oxycodone in patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) after gynecologic surgery. Methods: 120 patients undergoing gynecologic surgery were divided randomly into two groups: Nefopam group treated with oxycodone 1 mg and nefopam 1 mg bolus; and Ketorolac group treated with oxycodone 1 mg and ketorolac 1.5 mg bolus. After the operation, a blinded observer assessed the pain with a numeric rating scale (NRS), infused PCA dose and sedation score at 1, 4, 24, and 48 h, nausea, vomiting, headache, shivering, pruritus and delirium at 6, 24 and 48 h, and satisfaction at 48 h after the operation. Results: Nefopam group showed less nausea than Ketorolac group within 6 h after the operation. There were no significant differences in demographic data and other complications between both groups. At 48 h after operation, satisfaction and the infused PCA volumes of Nefopam group (34.0± 19.7 ml) showed no significant differences compared to Ketorolac group (30.7± 18.4 ml, P-value= 0.46). Conclusion: Nefopam showed a similar efficacy and lower incidence of nausea within 6 h after the operation to that of ketorolac in PCA. Nefopam may be a useful analgesic drug for the opioid-based PCA after gynecologic surgery. Further evaluation of accurate equivalent dose of nefopam as well as pharmacokinetics of bolus administration is required.

Comparison of patient-controlled epidural analgesia with patient-controlled intravenous analgesia for laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

Background Patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) is known to provide good postoperative analgesia in many types of surgery including laparoscopic surgery. However, no study has compared PCEA with patient-controlled intravascular analgesia (PCIA) in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LARP). In this study, the efficacy and side effects of PCEA and PCIA after LARP were compared. Methods Forty patients undergoing LARP were randomly divided into two groups: 1) a PCEA group, treated with 0.2% ropivacaine 3 ml and 0.1 mg morphine in the bolus; and 2) a PCIA group, treated with oxycodone 1 mg and nefopam 1 mg in the bolus. After the operation, a blinded observer assessed estimated blood loss (EBL), added a dose of rocuronium, performed transfusion, and added analgesics. The numeric rating scale (NRS), infused PCA dose, and side effects were assessed at 1, 6, 24, and 48 h. Results EBL, added rocuronium, and added analgesics in the PCEA group were less than those in the PCIA group. There were no significant differences in side-effects after the operation between the two groups. Patients were more satisfied with PCEA than with PCIA. The NRS and accumulated PCA count were lower in PCEA group. Conclusions Combined thoracic epidural anesthesia could induce less blood loss during operations. PCEA showed better postoperative analgesia and greater patient satisfaction than PCIA. Thus, PCEA may be a more useful analgesic method than PICA after LARP.

Hemorrhagic shock occurring due to a concealed hematoma after insertion of a subclavian venous catheter in a patient undergoing anticoagulation therapy -a case report-

A 74-year-old man who had been receiving warfarin for atrial fibrillation, underwent emergency thrombectomy. A central venous catheter (CVC) was inserted via the left subclavian vein, and heparin was administered to prevent preoperative and postoperative thrombotic events. After an uneventful thrombectomy, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). On the second postoperative day, the patient developed syncope and his blood pressure and oxygen saturation decreased. A computed tomography (CT) revealed a huge hematoma under the pectoralis major muscle. The patient was then treated with continuous renal replacement therapy and mechanical ventilation for multiorgan dysfunction syndrome, which developed due to hemorrhagic shock in the ICU. These findings suggest that when a CVC is inserted in patients requiring anticoagulant therapy, the possible risk of excessive bleeding must be carefully considered. Further, choosing a proper insertion site and performing an ultrasound-guided aspiration may be helpful in preventing these complications.

Anesthetic experience of frontotemporal dementia patient with severe autonomic dysfunction: a case report

Anesthetic experience in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with severe hypotension associated autonomic dysfunction has not yet been reported. Here in case, we report on the case of treatment with vasopressin to refractory hypotension in FTD patient. A 54-year-old male presented with a ten-year history of FTD with frequent syncope. The patient was scheduled to undergo subtotal gastrectomy for resection of stomach cancer. During the operation, sudden hypotension occurred and it was refractory to fluid and 1 unit of blood resuscitation and did not respond to catecholamine. Transesophageal echocardiography showed normal heart with adequate volume state. After intravenous administration of arginine vasopressin, the patients vital signs returned to baseline values. Arginine vasopressin might be considered as a valuable alternative for treatment of severe refractory hypotension in autonomic dysfunction patients with FTD.