Ondansetron versus ondansetron with dexamethasone to prevent intrathecal-morphine pruritus for caesarean patients: randomised double-blind trial.

The objective of this randomised, double blinded clinical trial was to evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic administration of 4 mg ondansetron as monotherapy versus combination therapy of 4 mg ondansetron plus 8 mg dexamethasone for the prevention of intrathecal morphine-associated pruritus in caesarean section within 24 h. A total of 194 patients were included, 96 patients in the monotherapy group and 98 in the combination group. One hour after the operation, 11.5% of patients in ondansetron group had failure of prophylaxis for pruritus compared to 13.5% of patients in the combination group (p = .66). This decreased throughout the follow-up to reach 0.0% and 1.0% at 24 h in the ondansetron vs. the combination groups respectively. There was no superiority of combining ondansetron with dexamethasone over the use of ondansetron as prophylactic antipruritic in parturients receiving intrathecal morphine for caesarean section.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? The incidence of pruritus has been reported to be between 36% and 60% in patients undergoing caesarean section with intrathecal morphine. Ondansetron has been identified as possible antipruritic agent while the antipruritic effect of dexamethasone is inconclusive.What do the results of this study add? The study demonstrated that there was no superiority of combining ondansetron with dexamethasone over the use of ondansetron as prophylactic antipruritic in parturients receiving intrathecal morphine for caesarean section. Moreover, it seems that there is no effect of combining ondansetron with dexamethasone over ondansetron alone on antiemetic consequences.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Ondansetron could be an effective antipruritic if used solely for patients undergoing caesarean section.

The effect of IV dexamethasone versus local anesthetic infiltration technique in postoperative nausea and vomiting after tonsillectomy in children: A randomized double-blind clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Local anesthetic infiltration and corticosteroids had shown effectiveness in reducing post tonsillectomy nausea, vomiting and pain. OBJECTIVES: To compare the effect of intravenous dexamethasone versus pre-incision infiltration of local anesthesia in pediatric tonsillectomy on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The secondary objective was postoperative pain. METHODS: A randomized double-blind clinical trial was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Children admitted to undergo tonsillectomy aged between 4 and 13 years from January 2015 to August 2015 were enrolled and divided into two groups. Both groups had general anesthesia. Group I received intravenous dexamethasone 0.5 mg/kg (maximum dose 16 mg) with placebo pre-incision infiltration. Group II received pre-incision infiltration a total of 2-4 ml local anesthesia mixture with saline and an equivalent volume of intravenous saline. RESULTS: Group I consisted of 64 patients while group II had 65 patients. In the PACU, 15.6% of patients in group I experienced vomiting compared to 3.1% in group II (p-value = 0.032). After 24 h, the incidence of PONV was significantly higher in group I compared to group II (26.6% vs. 9.2% respectively, p-value = 0.019). At 48 h postoperatively, PONV was significantly higher in group I (p-value = 0.013). The incidence was similar in both groups after three, four and five postoperative days. Baseline pain and pain during swallowing were significantly different at 6, 12 and 24 h as well as days 1 through 5. Pain upon jaw opening was significantly different at 6, 12 and 24 h between the two groups. Pain while eating soft food was significantly different at 24 h and days 2 through 5. In the PACU, 20.3% of patients in group I received diclofenac compared to 3.1% in group II (p-value = 0.005). From day 1 till day 5, analgesic consumption was significantly higher in group I. CONCLUSION: Local anesthetic infiltration in addition to NSAIDS and paracetamol could serve as a multimodal analgesia and decrease PONV. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02355678.

Effect of clonidine versus dexmedetomidine on pain control after laparoscopic gastric sleeve: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded study.

BACKGROUND: The use of opioids in surgeries for morbidly obese patients could cause respiratory depression. Therefore, alternative analgesics are needed to improve anesthetic management for obese patients. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of dexmedetomidine and clonidine on pain as well as analgesic consumption at 24 h postoperatively in patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric sleeve. The secondary objective was to compare patients' and surgeons' satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 obese and morbidly obese patients scheduled to undergo laparoscopic gastric sleeve were randomly assigned into two groups. 10 min after induction of general anesthesia, one group received 0.8-1.2 µg/kg/30 min intravenous (IV) clonidine through 500 mL lactated Ringer's solution and placebo (normal saline solution) through syringe pump. The second group received IV dexmedetomidine through syringe pump at a rate 0.5-0.8 µg/kg/h and placebo through 500 mL lactated Ringer's solution. Data on pain, analgesic consumption, and return to normal activity in addition to patients' and surgeons' satisfaction were collected. RESULTS: Both groups were similar with respect to demographic and intraoperative hemodynamic characteristics. Fentanyl consumption, surgery duration and hospital stay were similar for the two groups. Pain scores on walking were significantly lower in the clonidine group at 12 h postoperatively (P = 0.014) compared with dexmedetomidine group. The number of patients who consumed pethidine was significantly lower in the clonidine group at 12 h postoperatively (P = 0.045). CONCLUSION: This study concluded that clonidine and dexmedetomidine yielded similar outcomes with a difference in pain and analgesic consumption at 12 h postoperatively.

Early inflammation and risk of long-term development of heart failure and mortality in survivors of acute myocardial infarction predictive role of C-reactive protein.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to study the relationship between C-reactive-protein (CRP), obtained within 12 to 24 h of symptoms onset, and long-term risk of death and heart failure (HF) in survivors of acute myocardial infarction (MI). BACKGROUND: A robust inflammatory response is an integral component of the response to tissue injury during MI. The magnitude of the early inflammatory response to ischemic injury might be an important determinant of long-term outcome. METHODS: We prospectively studied 1,044 patients admitted with acute MI and discharged from hospital in stable condition. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 23 months (range, 6 to 42 months), 113 patients died and 112 developed HF. In a multivariable Cox regression model adjusting for clinical variables and predischarge ejection fraction, compared with patients in the first CRP quartile, the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for death progressively increased with higher quartiles of CRP (second quartile 1.4 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6 to 2.9]; third quartile 2.3 [95% CI 1.2 to 4.6]; fourth quartile 3.0 [95% CI 1.5 to 5.7]; for trend, p = 0.0002). Compared with patients in the first CRP quartile, the adjusted HRs for HF were: second quartile, 1.1 (95% CI 0.5 to 2.3); third quartile, 1.9 (95% CI 1.0 to 3.6); and fourth quartile, 2.1 (95% CI 1.2 to 3.9) (for trend, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: C-reactive-protein is a marker of long-term development of HF and mortality in patients with acute MI and provides prognostic information beyond that provided by conventional risk factors and the degree of left ventricular systolic dysfunction.