The postoperative analgesic efficacy of intraperitoneal bupivacaine compared with levobupivacaine in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this randomized controlled study was to compare the postoperative analgesic efficacy of intraperitoneal bupivacaine versus levobupivacaine in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: We randomly divided 90 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy into 3 groups. A dose of 0.125% bupivacaine (Group B) 80 ml or 0.125% levobupivacaine (Group L) 80 ml or 0.09% NaCl (Group P) 80 ml was instilled intraperitoneally at the end of the procedure, before removal of the trocars. All patients had a standard anesthetic. Tramadol was administered intravenously via a patient controlled analgesia pump as a rescue analgesic in all patients. Postoperative pain scores were assessed at 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 hours after surgery by using a visual analog scale. The primary end point of this study was to compare tramadol consumption of the three groups at the postoperative 24 h. Total tramadol consumption, first analgesic requirement time and adverse effects were recorded. RESULTS: Group B experienced significantly less pain (P < 0.01) than the placebo group at 6 h, 12 h and 24 h postoperatively during rest. Group L registered significantly lower visual analog scale scores (p < 0.01) than the placebo group at 12 h during rest. During movement, visual analog scale pain scores were lower in group B than Group P (P < 0.01). Additionally, total tramadol consumption was significantly lower in Group B than the other groups. First analgesic requirement time was shorter in the placebo group compared with group B and group L (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to right shoulder pain, total nausea and vomiting. CONCLUSION: Intraperitoneal instillation of bupivacaine 0.125% 80 ml (100 mg) is more effective than levobupivacaine 0.125% 80 ml (100 mg) in reducing the postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Effects of intracisternal tramadol on cerebral and spinal neuronal cells in rat.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to investigate whether tramadol had toxic effect on cerebral neurons and/or spinal cord neurons when it was administered into the cerebrospinal fluid. Due to lipid peroxidation (LPO) and myeloperoxidation (MPO) levels are not specific predictors of neuronal damage, these biochemical markers of tissue damage were evaluated together with the histopathological findings of apoptosis. METHODS: Forty eight Wistar rats were anesthetized and the right femoral artery was cannulated. Mean arterial pressures, and heart rates, arterial carbon dioxide tension, arterial oxygen tension, blood pH were recorded. When the free cerebrospinal fluid flow was seen; 0.04 mL normal saline (Group Sham) or diluted tramadol in 0.04 mL volume (Group T1, T2, T0.5 and T0.1) was administered within 30 seconds from the posterior craniocervical junction of rats. For the Control Group, the free cerebrospinal fluid flow was seen but nothing was injected in it. After 7 days, following the sacrification of the rats, brain tissue, cervical and lumber segments of spinal cord were collected for the histopathological and biochemical examination. RESULTS: There was not a statistically significant difference among all groups regarding the brain LPO levels (P=0.485). The LPO levels of the cervical segment of spinal cord and the lumbar segment of spinal cord were also similar (P=0.146, P=0.939, respectively). The mean MPO levels of the cervical and the lumbar segments of spinal cord were similar among all groups (P=0.693, P=0.377, respectively). There were not any statistically significant difference regarding the total number of red neurons of the brain tissue and the cervical and lumbar segments of spinal cord among all groups (P=0.264, P=0.202, P=0.780, respectively). CONCLUSION: Tramadol had no neurotoxic effect on brain and on spinal cord tissue when administered by the intracisternal route in cerebrospinal fluid in rats.

Prophylactic ketamine to prevent shivering in parturients undergoing Cesarean delivery during spinal anesthesia.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of ketamine 0.25 mg/kg with ketamine 0.5 mg/kg to prevent shivering in patients undergoing Cesarean delivery. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. SETTING: Operating rooms and postoperative recovery rooms. PATIENTS: 120 ASA physical status 1 and 2 pregnant women scheduled for Cesarean delivery during spinal anesthesia. MEASUREMENTS: Patient characteristics, anesthetic and surgical details, Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes, and side effects of the study drugs were recorded. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, oxygen saturation via pulse oximetry, tympanic temperature, severity of shivering, and degree of sedation were recorded before intrathecal injection and thereafter every 5 minutes. Patients were randomized to three groups: saline (Group C, n=30), intravenous (IV) ketamine 0.25 mg/kg (Group K-0.25, n=30), or IV ketamine 0.5 mg/kg (Group K-0.5, n=30). Grade 3 or 4 shivering was treated with IV meperidine 25 mg and the prophylaxis was regarded as ineffective. MAIN RESULTS: The number of shivering patients was significantly less in Group K-0.25 and in Group K-0.5 than in Group C (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, respectively). The tympanic temperature values of Group C were lower at all times of the study than in either ketamine group. Median sedation scores of Group K-0.5 were significantly higher than in Group K-0.25 or Group C at 10, 20, 30, and 40 minutes after spinal anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic IV ketamine 0.25 mg/kg was as effective as IV ketamine 0.5 mg/kg in preventing shivering in patients undergoing Cesarean section during spinal anesthesia.