Intra-operative ketorolac 15 mg versus 30 mg for analgesia following cesarean delivery: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Ketorolac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used as part of multimodal analgesia in women undergoing cesarean delivery. The lowest effective dose of ketorolac that best optimizes analgesia without increasing side effects is unclear. We performed this retrospective study to compare the analgesic efficacy of 15 mg or 30 mg ketorolac administered intra-operatively to our obstetric population. METHODS: We included patients who underwent cesarean delivery under neuraxial anesthesia and received 15 mg or 30 mg of ketorolac intra-operatively. Our multimodal analgesic regimen is standardized and includes 150 µg spinal or 3 mg epidural morphine, 975 mg rectal acetaminophen, and 15-30 mg intravenous ketorolac within 15 min of surgery completion. The primary outcome was opioid use in the first 6 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes were opioid use at 24 and 48 h, opioid dose, pain scores, breastfeeding, postoperative serum creatinine and need for rescue anti-emetics. RESULTS: One-thousand-three-hundred and forty-nine patients were analyzed (15 mg ketorolac n=999; 30 mg n=350). There was no difference between the two groups in patient demographics or intra-operative characteristics. There was no significant difference between groups for opioid use at 6 h after surgery (50.3% vs 52.0%, odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.13 [0.87 to 1.47]). There were also no significant differences between the groups for secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in opioid use between patients receiving either a 15 mg or a 30 mg dose of ketorolac given intra-operatively for postoperative analgesia following cesarean delivery.

Tonic-clonic seizure after unrecognized unintentional dural puncture.

Patients who suffer an unintentional dural puncture have a high risk of developing a post-dural puncture headache. Other neurologic complications have been reported, but seizure is rarely seen. We present a case of a 21-year-old primigravida who experienced an unrecognized unintentional dural puncture that ultimately resulted in a tonic-clonic seizure from intracranial hypotension one week following the dural breach. Her trachea was intubated and she was transferred to the intensive care unit. Two epidural blood patches, performed by neuroradiologists, were needed before the patient experienced complete resolution of her headache. During the re-admission, she also experienced a pulmonary embolus which further lengthened her hospital stay.

Determinants of women's dissatisfaction with anaesthesia care in labour and delivery.

Patient-centred care and factors associated with patient satisfaction with anaesthesia have been widely studied. However, the most important considerations in the setting of obstetric anaesthesia are uncertain. Identification of, and addressing, factors that contribute to patient dissatisfaction may improve quality of care. We sought to identify factors associated with < 100% satisfaction with obstetric anaesthesia care. At total of 4297 women treated by anaesthetists provided satisfaction data 24 h after vaginal and 48 h after caesarean delivery. As 78% of women were 100% satisfied, we studied factors associated with the dichotomous variable, 100% satisfied vs. < 100% satisfied. We evaluated patient characteristics and peripartum factors using multivariable sequential logistic regression. The following factors were strongly associated with maternal dissatisfaction after vaginal delivery: pain intensity during the first stage of labour; pain intensity during the second stage of labour; postpartum pain intensity; delay > 15 min in providing epidural analgesia and postpartum headache (all p < 0.0001). Pruritus (p = 0.005) also contributed to dissatisfaction after vaginal delivery, whereas non-Hispanic ethnicity was negatively associated with dissatisfaction (p = 0.01). After caesarean delivery, the intensity of postpartum pain (p < 0.0001), headache (p = 0.001) and pruritus (p = 0.001) were linked to dissatisfaction. Hispanic ethnicity also had a negative relationship with dissatisfaction after caesarean delivery (p = 0.005). Thus, inadequate or delayed analgesia and treatment-related side-effects are associated with maternal dissatisfaction with obstetric anaesthesia care. Development of protocols to facilitate identification of ineffective analgesia and provide an appropriate balance between efficacy and side-effects, are important goals to optimise maternal satisfaction.

Monitoring, prevention and treatment of side effects of long-acting neuraxial opioids for post-cesarean analgesia.

Long-acting neuraxial opioids such as morphine and diamorphine, administered via spinal or epidural routes, are staple components of a multimodal approach to postoperative analgesia following cesarean delivery. The widespread use of neuraxial opioids is due largely to their significant analgesic efficacy and favorable safety profile. The most common side effects of neuraxial opioids are pruritus, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms appear to be dose-related. The most serious complication of neuraxial opioids is respiratory depression, which occurs in 0-0.9% of cases. Hypothermia has also been reported in association with neuraxial morphine use at cesarean delivery. This article will review recent advances in prophylaxis, treatment and monitoring of the side effects of long-acting neuraxial opioids.