[Post traumatic stress during World War I and literature]. / Syndrome post-traumatique lors de la première guerre mondiale et littérature.

World War I was the archetype of an industrial conflict and its consequences have been million dead, some heavily disabling physical traumatisms beside serious neurological/psychological suffering. Some of the sequels had been noticed during previous wars such as Crimea War, Civil War, Franco-Prussian War, and were labeled as shellshock. In literature (Céline, Virginia Woolf, William, March, Gughenno and so on) some situations or characters evoked disorders, which have been described later as post-traumatic syndrome.

Erratum to: Real-time ultrasound-guided epidural catheter insertion in obese parturients.

Erratum to: Can J Anesth/J Can Anesth 2015 DOI 10.1007/s12630-015-0441-9. In the article entitled: "Real-time ultrasound-guided epidural catheter insertion in obese parturients" published in the November 2015 issue, Can J Anesth 2015; DOI: 10.1007/s12630-015-0441-9, the name of the third author is incorrect and should read: Marc Edouard Gentili. The publisher apologizes most sincerely for this error.

[Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) and the "wound shock"]. / Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) et le "wound shock".

Ludwig Wittgenstein was born in 1889 in Vienna. As a scholar in Cambdrige University, his philosophical achievements are still major regarding the foundations of mathematics and language. In 1939, he took a job as a porter at London Guys' Hospital then under the Blitz. Wittgenstein met Drs. Grant and Reeve who worked in a dedicated "traumatic shock" under the auspices of the Medical Research Council unit, a unit which then moved to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle; Wittgenstein followed them as a technician and improved the preparation of fine pieces of histology fixed by paraffin. He also invented a new device to record pulse pressure and paradoxical pulse search in laboratory rats. At the end of the war, he returned to Cambridge until 1949 and died in 1951.

Cherubism and anaesthesia.

Respiratory complications are one of the main problems in paediatric anaesthesia. Cherubism is a rare fami-lial disease causing enlargement of the mandible that may be associated with difficult intubation [1, 2]. A 5-year-old, 20 kg, ASA 1, healthy girl was evaluated for anaesthesia requested for the removal of mandibular lesions (Figure 1). She had a positive family history of cherubism; her father and cousins were affected. Radiogra-phically, the lesions demonstrated multilocular, expansile radiolucencies with mandibular enlargement. The preoperative examination was unremarkable: normal neck flexion, no trismus, and a Mallampati score of 1. A venous catheter was inserted peripherally under N2O inhalation and transdermic lidocaine and prilocaine patch. The general anaesthesia combined sevoflurane and IV sufentanil. Nasotracheal intubation under direct laryngoscopy was uneventful. After the surgery, which lasted 120 minutes, she was admitted to the post anaesthesia care unit for 1 night and discharged the next day without any sequelae.

The effect of a peripheral block on inflammation-induced prostaglandin E2 and cyclooxygenase expression in rats.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral inflammatory pain is associated with an upregulation of spinal cord COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2), with a subsequent increase in central prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels associated with the development of hyperalgesia. In this study, we evaluated the effect of bupivacaine administered via a nerve block or via a systemic route on the spinal expression of PGE2 and COX in a model of peripheral inflammation in rats. METHODS: All rats randomly received three injections: 1) a left subcutaneous hindpaw injection (0.2 mL with either carrageenan 2% w/v or saline), 2) a left sciatic block (0.2 mL with either bupivacaine 0.5% or saline), and 3) a systemic injection (subcutaneous interscapular with 0.2 mL with either bupivacaine 0.5% or saline). Local edema, thermal, and mechanical hyperalgesia as well as cerebrospinal fluid PGE2 concentration and COX-1 and COX-2 expression in the spinal cord in dorsal root ganglions were measured. RESULTS: We confirmed that a bupivacaine block attenuates hyperalgesia and local inflammation in a model of inflammatory pain. This effect was associated with an inhibition of the increase in COX-2 expression induced by peripheral inflammation in dorsal root ganglions and cord. The subsequent production of PGE2 in cerebrospinal fluid was also impaired. Systemic bupivacaine did not modify either the hyperalgesia and local inflammation or COX expression. CONCLUSION: These results constitute a key element strongly suggesting that local anesthetics act at a different level when administered systematically or via a nerve block.

Walking in PACU after unilateral spinal anesthesia a criteria for hospital discharge: a 100 outpatient survey.

PURPOSE: This study measured time and ability to walk in PACU after unilateral spinal anaesthesia. METHODS: Orthopaedic adult patients ASA 1-2, in the lateral decubitus position and placed on the operative side, received via a 25-gauge Whitacre needle 5 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine plus 2.5 microg of sufentanil. Lateral decubitus was maintained for 15 minutes. Time from the spinal injection to eligibility for discharge was recorded. Discharge criteria were stable hemodynamic and ability to walk without crutches. RESULTS: One hundred consecutive patients (38 females), 48 +/- 15 years-old were included. Unilateral sensory block was noted in 70% of patients. The maximum level of sensory block was at L1-T12 in 30 patients, at T11-T10 in 55 patients, at T9-T8 in 6 patients and at T7-T6 in 9. Criteria for PACU discharge were completed at 140 +/- 14 min (extremes: 55-235). All patients were discharged home uneventfully. CONCLUSION: Unilateral spinal anesthesia combining bupivacaine and sufentanil gives fast ability to walk for discharge.

Lack of impact of intravenous lidocaine on analgesia, functional recovery, and nociceptive pain threshold after total hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The analgesic effect of perioperative low doses of intravenous lidocaine has been demonstrated after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to evaluate whether a continuous intravenous low-dose lidocaine infusion reduced postoperative pain and modified nociceptive pain threshold after total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: Sixty patients participated in this randomized double-blinded study. Patients received lidocaine 1% (lidocaine group) with a 1.5 mg/kg intravenous bolus in 10 min followed by a 1.5 mg . kg . h intravenous infusion or saline (control group). These regimens were started 30 min before surgical incision and stopped 1h after skin closure. Lidocaine blood concentrations were measured at the end of administration. In both groups, postoperative analgesia was provided exclusively by patient-controlled intravenous morphine. Pain scores, morphine consumption, and operative hip flexion were recorded over 48 h. In addition, pressure pain thresholds and the extent of hyperalgesia around surgical incision were systematically measured at 24 and 48 h. RESULTS: In comparison with the placebo, lidocaine did not induce any opioid-sparing effect during the first 24 h (median [25-75% interquartile range]; 17 mg [9-28] vs. 15 mg [8-23]; P = 0.54). There was no significant difference regarding the effects of lidocaine and placebo on pain score, pressure pain thresholds, extent in the area of hyperalgesia, and maximal degree of active hip flexion tolerated. Mean plasma lidocaine concentration was 2.1 +/- 0.4 mug/ml. CONCLUSION: Low dose perioperative intravenous lidocaine after total hip arthroplasty offers no beneficial effect on postoperative analgesia and does not modify pressure and tactile pain thresholds.

Antiinflammatory effect of peripheral nerve blocks after knee surgery: clinical and biologic evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Nerve blocks provide analgesia after surgery. The authors tested whether nerve blocks have antiinflammatory effects. METHODS: Patients had combined sciatic (single-shot) and continuous femoral block (48 h) (block group) or morphine patient-controlled analgesia after total knee arthroplasty. Pain at rest and upon movement was monitored at 1 (D1), 4 (D4), and 7 days (D7) and 1 (M1) and 3 months (M3) after surgery. Knee inflammation was evaluated (skin temperature, knee circumference) before surgery and at D1, D4, D7, M1, and M3. Plasma cytokine concentrations (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1beta, tumor necrosis factor [TNF], IL-10, soluble receptor 1 of TNF [sTNF-R1]) were measured before surgery and at 4 h, D1, D4, and D7 after surgery. Capsule and synovial membrane cytokines were measured (IL-6, TNF, IL-1, IL-10). Knee flexion was evaluated before surgery and at D1, D4, D7, M1, and M3. Morphine use and recovery time to autonomy were monitored. RESULTS: Pain at rest and upon movement was lower in the block group than in patient-controlled analgesia patients between D1 and D7 (analysis of variance, P < 0.005). Knee flexion was improved in the block group for D1 to M1 (analysis of variance, P < 0.0001). Block group patients recovered nonassisted mobilization (t test, P = 0.04) and toilet use (t test, P = 0.03) more rapidly. Knee circumference and skin temperature were lower in the block group between D1 and D7 (analysis of variance, P < 0.05). Synovial membrane IL-1 (P < 0.05) and IL-10 (P < 0.01) increased, and plasma IL-6 and sTNF-R1 peaked at 24 h, with no difference between groups. CONCLUSION: Nerve blocks inhibited clinical inflammation after total knee arthroplasty, with no change in tissue and plasma cytokine concentrations.

Woman and Anesthetist in Bir Hakeim.

Louise-Marie Lemanissier was a French physician who, after The Appeal of 18 June, joined with her husband the doctors of the Free French Forces (FFL) during World War II. The 1st Free French Division moved to Bir Hakeim on February 13, 1942, and the Lemanissier couple joined it in the Hadfield Spears Mobile Surgical Ambulance. Louise-Marie Lemanissier performed anesthesia among other duties. Anesthesia techniques seem to have been limited to the use of the Ombredanne's mask. After 17 days, the 1st Free French Division broke the siege on June 10, 1942, to join with the British troops. The couple returned to Syria until the end of war, and then returned to France. Louise-Marie Lemanissier passed her medical thesis in 1947, devoted to serotherapy in the treatment of Diphtheria. She died in 2007 in her hundredth year.

Peri-anaesthetic cardiac arrest with administration of enalapril, spironolactone and ß-blocker.

none.

Opioid-induced sedation in the postanesthesia care unit does not insure adequate pain relief: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Sedation can occur during intravenous titration of morphine for acute pain control in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). We designed this case-control study to evaluate the relationship between opioid-induced sedation in the PACU and adequacy of early postoperative analgesia. METHODS: Intravenous morphine was titrated in 2 mg (body weight < or =60 kg) or 3 mg (body weight >60 kg) boluses every 5 min to treat moderate-to-severe pain in the PACU. Pain was assessed using a 11-point verbal rating scale (VRS) with scores > or =3 representing moderate-to-severe pain. The 6-point Ramsay score was used to assess the level of sedation with scores >3 representing clinically significant sedation. Twenty-six patients, with a Ramsay sedation score >3 and a pain VRS > or =3 at discharge from the PACU, were evaluated 24 h after surgery to assess (a) the recall of early postoperative pain in the PACU, (b) quality of sleep on the first night after surgery, (c) pain on the 24th postoperative hour, and (d) satisfaction with pain management at 24 h after surgery. Two patients discharged from the PACU with VRS pain scores <3 were matched to each of the patients with pain scores > or =3 and Ramsay score >3, as part of a 52 patient control group. RESULTS: Patients with Ramsay scores >3 and pain scores > or =3 more frequently reported moderate-to-severe pain in the PACU (severe/moderate/no pain: 18%/25%/57% vs 58%/16%/26%, P = 0006, for the control and the sedated group, respectively), poorer quality of sleep the night after surgery (well/moderate/bad: 48%/42%/10% vs 23%/23%/54%, P = 0.001, for the control and the sedated group, respectively), and higher pain scores at the 24th hour after surgery (severe/moderate/no pain: 6%/44%/50% vs 50%/42%/8%, P < 0.0001, for the control and the sedated group, respectively). In addition, their overall satisfaction with pain control during the first 24 postoperative hours was lower (satisfied/moderately satisfied/not satisfied: 96%/2%/2% vs 50%/30%/20%, P < 0.0001, for the control and the sedated group, respectively). CONCLUSION: Clinically significant opioid-induced sedation in the PACU does not insure adequate self-reported pain relief.

An evaluation of a polyamine-deficient diet for the treatment of inflammatory pain.

Polyamines are thought to be involved in the regulation of numerous metabolic and electrophysiological processes in the nervous system. In this study we evaluated the effect of a synthetic polyamine-deficient diet on pain in a carrageenan (Car)-induced inflammatory rat model. Inflammation was induced with a unilateral subcutaneous injection of Car in a plantar hindpaw in rats fed without (control group) or with (deficiency group) a polyamine-deficient diet. Ipsilateral and contralateral hyperalgesia was evaluated using the Randall-Sellito pressure test. Heart rate changes were also recorded under general anesthesia. Then, the effects of a bupivacaine sciatic nerve block and subcutaneous injection of naloxone or ketamine were evaluated for Car-induced hyperalgesia. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance followed by unpaired Student's t-test (significance P < 0.05). Before Car injection, no significant difference was observed in response to mechanical stimuli between the control and the deficiency groups (n = 114 in pooled data). Car injection induced significant ipsilateral and contralateral hyperalgesia in the control groups, whereas a significant analgesic effect appeared in the deficient groups on both the ipsilateral and contralateral hindpaws. This analgesic effect was confirmed by the electrocardiogram recording that showed a significant increase in heart rate in the control group after Car injection compared with the deficiency group that showed a decrease in heart rate under general anesthesia. Bupivacaine sciatic nerve block had no significant effect on hypoalgesia phenomena induced by polyamine deficiency. Naloxone administration had no effect in the control group but reversed the analgesic effect in the deficiency group. Ketamine administration induced a significant analgesic effect in the control group and partly reversed the analgesic effect in the deficiency group. In conclusion, a synthetic polyamine-deficient diet had a significant general analgesic effect on Car-induced mechanical hyperalgesia. The mechanism of analgesic action remains to be elucidated.

Intra-articular ropivacaine 0.75% and bupivacaine 0.50% for analgesia after arthroscopic knee surgery: a randomized prospective study.

PURPOSE: Intra-articular administration of local anesthetic solution provides analgesia after arthroscopic knee surgery. Bupivacaine is considered the gold standard local anesthetic in this indication, but ropivacaine, which is less toxic than bupivacaine, can consequently be administered in higher doses, potentially increasing the duration of analgesia. We compared the analgesic effect of intra-articular injection of ropivacaine 225 mg and bupivacaine 150 mg in patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery. TYPE OF STUDY: Double-blind, randomized prospective clinical study. METHODS: The study included 45 patients scheduled for knee meniscus repair under arthroscopy, who were allocated randomly into 3 groups to receive, intra-articularly, 30 mL of isotonic saline, bupivacaine 0.5%, or ropivacaine 0.75% solutions at the end of surgery. Postoperatively, pain was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) at rest and on mobilization. Propacetamol was given when patients complained of pain. RESULTS: VAS scores at rest and on mobilization were higher in the saline group compared with the ropivacaine group (P = .006 and P = .01, respectively). No difference in VAS scores was documented between bupivacaine and the saline groups. The median delay between the intra-articular administration and propacetamol administration was shorter in the saline group (15 minutes; range, 15 to 120 minutes) compared with the ropivacaine group (240 minutes; range 15 to 720 minutes) but no difference was documented between the bupivacaine group (30 minutes; range, 15 to 360 minutes) and the other 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: This level I study documents that intra-articular ropivacaine 0.75% provides better analgesia than bupivacaine 0.5% after knee arthroscopic surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I.