Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block to Treat Shoulder Tip Pain After Thoracic Surgery: Report of 2 Cases.

Shoulder tip pain may occur after thoracic surgical procedures. The pain is caused by diaphragmatic irritation and is referred to the shoulder. Shoulder tip pain is often resistant to treatment with conventional analgesics. The sphenopalatine ganglion block has been described to manage many painful conditions. We report here the first use of this block to treat shoulder tip pain in 2 thoracic surgical patients. In both patients, the block produced rapid and sustained relief of the shoulder tip pain. We suggest that sphenopalatine ganglion block be considered to treat postoperative shoulder tip pain after thoracic surgical procedures.

Survey of nulliparous parturients' attitudes regarding timing of epidural analgesia initiation.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: At our hospital, although >90% of nulliparous parturients eventually choose epidural analgesia for labor, many delay its initiation, experiencing considerable pain in the interim. This survey probed parturients' views about the timing of initiation of epidural labor analgesia. DESIGN: Single-center, nonrandomized quantitative survey. SETTING: Labor and delivery suite in a large tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS: Two hundred laboring nulliparous women admitted to the labor and delivery suite. INTERVENTIONS: After their pain was relieved, parturients completed a questionnaire regarding their decision to request labor epidural analgesia. MEASUREMENTS: A variety of factors regarding epidural use were assessed including the influence of painful contractions and of childbirth education class attendance on the decision to request epidural analgesia, and parturients' perception of the timing of epidural initiation on the progress and outcome of labor. MAIN RESULTS: Analysis revealed that the desire of parturients to use epidural analgesia was increased from 27.9% before the onset of painful contractions to 48.2% after (p<0.01). Two-thirds of participants attended a non-physician taught childbirth education class. An antepartum plan to definitely forgo an epidural was 1.8 times more likely among women who attended a childbirth class when compared to those who did not attend. (OR=1.8; 95%CI:1.1-3.1; p=0.04). The most common views affecting decision-making were that epidural analgesia should not be administered "too early" (67.5%), and that it would slow labor (68.5%). Both of these views were more likely to be held if the parturient had attended a childbirth class, OR=2.0 (95%CI:1.1-3.8; p=0.03) and OR=2.0 (95% CI: 1.1 to 3.7; p=0.03), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found that nulliparous parturients have misconceptions about epidurals, which are not supported by evidence-based medicine. Moreover, we found that attendance at childbirth education classes was associated with believing these misconceptions.

Simpson, Semmelweis, and transformational change.

The first anesthetic for childbirth and the first recognition of the importance of hand hygiene in obstetrics coincidentally occurred within 5 months of one another in 1847. More than 150 years later, one would have thought that these milestone events would have been fully integrated into practice. However, individuals resist transformational change, which is defined as a fundamental alteration in their beliefs, attitude, and behavior, even when they are confronted with incontrovertible facts. This resistance to change may explain why, in 2005, a large percentage of health care providers still do not practice acceptable hand hygiene, and the pain of childbirth continues to be extolled by some as a necessary part of womanhood, just as pharmacologic pain relief is discouraged.

Marketing or strategy? Defining the best approach to expand the anesthesiology workforce in Israel.

There is a chronic shortage of anesthesiologists in Israel. The study by Cohen et al. suggests that a marketing campaign may be one method of addressing this shortage. This commentary argues for a more comprehensive strategy based on the US experience. This would not only involve marketing as suggested by Cohen et al. but would also involve a fundamental change in the Israel anesthesia care model, as well as providing substantial financial incentives to young physicians. We believe that a combination of these approaches will help to alleviate the shortage of anesthesia providers in Israel. Creating a new class of physician extenders, namely, anesthesiologist assistants, would also provide an employment pathway for the skilled medical technicians trained by the Israel Defense Forces, and other non-physicians with an interest in anesthesiology.

Prolonged analgesia from Bupisome and Bupigel formulations: from design and fabrication to improved stability.

There is a compelling need for an ultralong-acting local anesthetic. Previously, we demonstrated in mice and humans that encapsulation of bupivacaine into large multivesicular liposomes (Bupisome) prolongs drug residence time and analgesic duration at the injection site while reducing peak plasma concentration. However, we observed considerable leakage of bupivacaine from the liposomes during storage at 4 °C. This deficiency was overcome by modifying the lipid composition of Bupisome and by entrapping them in a Ca-alginate cross-linked hydrogel (Bupigel), forming stable, soft, injectable (3-5 mm) beads. Bupisome are not released from Bupigel, but their encapsulated bupivacaine is released into the bulk solution. Adding 0.5% to 2.0% free bupivacaine to the Bupigel prevented net loss of bupivacaine from the Bupisome after storage at 4 °C for 2 years, and at 37 °C enough bupivacaine was released to prolong analgesia. For injection subcutaneously into mice, the beads are drawn into a syringe, leaving the small amount of free bupivacaine behind. Both Bupisome and Bupigel formulations significantly prolonged analgesia in mice compared to standard bupivacaine, with Bupigel performing better than Bupisome.

A novel liposomal bupivacaine formulation to produce ultralong-acting analgesia.

BACKGROUND: Currently available local anesthetics have relatively brief durations of action. An ultralong-acting local anesthetic would benefit patients with acute and chronic pain. The authors prepared and characterized a novel liposomal bupivacaine formulation using remote loading of bupivacaine along an ammonium sulfate gradient and assessed its efficacy in humans. METHODS: A large multivesicular liposomal bupivacaine formulation was prepared by subjecting small unilamellar vesicles to successive freeze-and-thaw cycles. Bupivacaine hydrochloride was then remotely loaded into the liposomes along an ammonium sulfate gradient ([(NH4)2SO4)]intraliposome/[(NH4)2SO4)]medium > 1000). The liposomes were then characterized for size distribution; drug-to-phospholipid ratio; in vitro release profile at 4 degree, 21 degree C, and 37 degree C; sterility; and pyrogenicity. Six subjects each received six intradermal injections in the lower back with 0.5 ml of 0.5, 1.0, and 2% liposomal bupivacaine; 0.5% standard bupivacaine; saline; and "empty" liposomes. Duration of analgesia was assessed using pinprick testing of the skin directly over the injection sites. Results were compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS: The mean large multivesicular vesicle size was 2439 +/- 544 nm, with a drug-to-phospholipid ratio of 1.8, fivefold greater than results previously reported. In vitro release was slowest at 4 degree C. The median duration of analgesia with 0.5% standard bupivacaine was 1 h. The median durations of analgesia after 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% liposomal bupivacaine were 19, 38, and 48 h, respectively. Neither saline nor "empty" liposomes produced analgesia. CONCLUSIONS: This novel liposomal formulation had a favorable drug-to-phospholipid ratio and prolonged the duration of bupivacaine analgesia in a dose-dependent manner. If these results in healthy volunteers can be duplicated in the clinical setting, this formulation has the potential to significantly impact the management of pain.