Operative anesthesia and pain control

Sex-Differences in Post-Procedural Pain Experiences After Thermal Liver Ablations for Liver Tumors: A Retrospective Study

INTRODUCTION

Literature shows differences in pain experiences between sexes. The exact influence of thermal liver ablation on experienced pain is still not well-known. This study aims to investigate the maximum pain intensity at the recovery between men and women after percutaneous thermal liver ablation.

METHODS

Patients treated with percutaneous thermal liver ablation (radiofrequency or microwave ablation) in Maastricht University Medical Center + between 2018 and 2022 for primary or secondary liver tumors were included retrospectively. Outcomes included maximum numerical rating scale (NRS, scale:0-10) score at the recovery room, prevalence of post-procedural pain (defined as NRS score ≥ 4), duration of anesthesia, length of stay at recovery, and complications. Regression analyses were adjusted for age, ASA-score, BMI, tumor type, maximum diameter of lesion, chronic pain in patients' history, and history of psychological disorder.

RESULTS

183 patients were included of which 123 men (67%). Results showed higher average maximum NRS scores in women patients compared to men (mean:3.88 versus 2.73), but not after adjustments (aß:0.75, 95%CI:-0.13-1.64). Women suffered more from acute post-procedural pain (59% versus 35%; aOR:2.50, 95%CI:1.16-5.39), and needed analgesics more often at the recovery room (aOR:2.43, 95%CI:1.07-5.48) compared to men. NRS score at recovery arrival did not significantly differ (aß:0.37, 95%CI:-0.48-1.22). No differences were seen in the length of stay at the recovery, duration of anesthesia, procedure time, and complication rate. Location of the tumor (subcapsular or deep), total tumors per patient, and distinction between primary and secondary tumors had no influence on the NRS.

CONCLUSION

This retrospective single-center study shows higher post-procedural pain rates after thermal liver ablation in women, resulting in higher analgesics use at the recovery room. The results suggest considering higher dosage of analgesics during thermal liver ablation in women to reduce post-procedural pain. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3: Non-controlled retrospective cohort study.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Intraperitoneal Bupivacaine in Laparoscopic Gynecologic Surgery

OBJECTIVE

We set out to evaluate whether the instillation of bupivacaine versus a saline solution into the peritoneal cavity at time of laparoscopic gynecologic surgery will reduce postoperative pain and postoperative opioid consumption.

DATA SOURCES

We searched six databases: Web of Science, SCOPUS, Cochrane CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.Gov, MEDLINE and PubMed. Our search strategy had no restriction on time or languages and included all studies that met our search algorithm up to March of 2021.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION

We included only randomized trials that met our search strategy for the outcomes of 1) pain intensity 24 hours after surgery, 2) pain intensity 6 hours after surgery, and 3) length of hospital stay.

TABULATION INTEGRATION AND RESULTS

We analyzed continuous data using mean difference (MD) with relative 95% confidence interval (CI). We included 8 randomized clinical trials. We found that intraperitoneal bupivacaine showed significant difference from the saline group regarding pain intensity 24 hours after surgery (MD= -0.73 [-1.10, -0.36]) (P = 0.01) and pain intensity 6 hours after surgery (MD= -1.12 [-2.22, -0.02]) (P = 0.05). Overall, patients allocated to the placebo group seemed to need other analgesics earlier than patients allocated to the bupivacaine group (MD=145.08 [51.37, 238.79] (P = 0.02)). There was no significant difference regarding the length of hospital stay (MD= -0.44 [-1.44, 0.56]) (P = 0.39).

CONCLUSION

Bupivacaine significantly reduced the visual analog pain score for pain compared with that of the placebo at 6 and 24 hours postoperatively. There was no significant difference in hospital stay.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION

CRD42021254268.

Sophoricoside attenuates neuronal injury and altered cognitive function by regulating the LTR-4/NF-κB/PI3K signalling pathway in anaesthetic-exposed neonatal rats

Introduction

This study examined the protective effects of sophoricoside on neuronal injury and cognitive dysfunction in anaesthetic-exposed neonatal rats.

Material and methods

Neuronal injury was induced in rat pups by exposure to isoflurane (0.75%) with 30% oxygen for 6 h on P7. The protective effects of sophoricoside were evaluated by assessing cognitive function using the neurological score and Morris water maze. Neuronal apoptosis was assessed in hippocampus tissue using a TUNEL assay. The cytokine and macrophage inflammatory protein levels were assessed by ELISA. Western blot assays and RT-PCR were performed to assess the expression of NF-κB, TLR-4, Akt, and PI3K proteins in neuronal tissues. Immunohistochemical and histopathological changes were observed in the brain tissues of isoflurane-induced neuronal injury rats.

Results

The sophoricoside treatment improved cognitive and neuronal function in rats exposed to isoflurane. Cytokine and MIP levels in the brain tissues of isoflurane-exposed rats decreased. However, sophoricoside treatment attenuated the expression of TLR-4, PI3K, and Akt protein in the brain tissues of isoflurane-exposed rats. The histopathology improved in the sophoricoside-treated isoflurane-exposed rats.

Conclusions

Sophoricoside treatment protects against neuronal injury and reduced cognitive function in isoflurane-induced neuronal injury rats by regulating TLR-4 signalling.

Evaluation the efficacy of prophylactic tamsulosin in preventing acute urinary retention and other obstructive urinary symptoms following colporrhaphy surgery

Background and Aim:

Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is defined as a disability in urinary excision after surgery. There are several strategies to prevent POUR, such as tamsulosin, which is a selective antagonist at alpha-1A and alpha-1B-adrenoceptors which reduces the bladder outlet resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of prophylactic tamsulosin in preventing acute urinary retention and other obstructive urinary symptoms following colporrhaphy surgery.

Materials and Methods:

This study was a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. A total of 130 patients who were candidates for colporrhaphy were divided into two groups: the intervention group (65 subjects received 0.4 mg tamsulosin in a single dose at the time of sleeping) and the control group (65 subjects received placebo at the same time as the intervention group). The incidence of acute urinary retention and other obstructive urethral symptoms and the mean urination volume after catheterization were recorded 24 h after operation. Patients’ demographic and clinical data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software using Chi-square and Fisher's tests.

Results:

There was a significant difference in the incidence of acute urinary retention, decrease in urine flow diameter, and the mean residual urine volume Post Void Residual (PVR) in the bladder, and the incidence of these symptoms decreased in the tamsulosin recipient group. The incidence of other symptoms of acute urinary retention was not significantly different when compared between both the groups.

Conclusion:

It seems that the use of prophylactic tamsulosin is more effective in decreasing the incidence of acute urinary retention, decreasing the PVR in the bladder, and decreasing the diameter of the urine flow in patients after colporrhaphy.