Comodidad materna y reducción del dolor en mujeres con posición fetal occipitoposterior durante el parto con el uso de las posturas de decúbito lateral y manos-rodillas: Ensayo clínico aleatorizado

Objective: To assess the maternal comfort and reduction of pain associated with contractions during labor with “hands-knees” (HK) maternal posture compared with “lateral maternal postures toward the fetal back” in pregnant women with occipitoposterior (OP) fetal position. Methods: In the multicenter trial by randomization, 70 women with OP fetal position during labor took the lateral posture and 65 women the HK posture for at least 30 minutes. We analyzed maternal comfort, perceived pain, influence of epidural analgesia and use of fit-ball on posture HK. Results: Back pain and abdominal pain reduction was higher with HK posture. With lateral posture 78.6% of women expressed comfort versus 73.8% of women with HK posture. Regarding the lateral posture, the comfort with HK posture reduces in multiparous women, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.29, for a confidence interval (CI) 95% 0.12 to 0.76, and epidural analgesia (OR= 0.39; CI 95%: 0.15-1.03), comfort with K posture is higher with reduction of pain (OR= 4.13, 95% CI: 1.34- 12.72) and abdominal pain compared with back pain (OR= 4.05, 95% CI: 1.36-11.85). Conclusions: Women consider comfortable lateral and HK maternal postures during labor. The lateral posture is most comfortable for multiparous and epidural analgesia. The reduction of pain during labor is higher with HK posture, recommending this posture in primiparous women without epidural analgesia.

Monitoring of sedation during neuroaxial blockade.

Abstract Study objective: The arousal state changes during spinal anesthesia. It is not clear if BIS and others devices could monitor the induced neuroaxial blockade sedation. Our objective was evaluate BIS and entropy values when spinal anesthesia is done. Design: We developed a prospective study. Patients: 40 patients were included in this study, ASA I-III, over 60 years old, undergoing spinal anesthesia, without premedication scheduled for orthopedics procedures. Intervention: Spinal anesthesia was performed with the unseated volunteer in the lateral decubitus position with a 25-gauge Whitacre needle at L2-L3 space, andanesthesia was done with 12 mg of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine. Patients were positioned supine for 5 min after spinal anesthesia. Measurements: Observer’s Assessment of Alertness/Sedation OAA/S, response (RE) and state entropy (SE) and BIS, and standard hemodynamic measures. Main results: Statistical analysis were performed by Wilcoxon test or ANOVA, p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.RE and BIS showed a better correlation with the OAA/S scale values (Pk 0.81 and 0.82) than SE (Pk 0.69). The OAA/S, RE and SE showed significative differences from basal values after 30 min of neuroaxial anesthesia (ANOVA p<0.05). BIS showed differences after 40 min (ANOVA p<0.05). There were no differences between BIS and RE values along the study (ANOVA p>0.05). Conclusions: The spinal anesthesia decreased the cortical activity and these were founded by OAA/S scale and depth anesthetics monitors. OAA/S was a more sensitive value of this induced sedation. BIS and RE showed a better correlation with OAA/S scale than SE.

Postoperative epidural hematoma contributes to delayed upper cord tethering after decompression of Chiari malformation type I.

Symptomatic arachnoiditis after posterior fossa surgical procedures such as decompression of Chiari malformation is a possible complication. Clinical presentation is generally insidious and delayed by months or years. It causes disturbances in the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid and enlargement of a syrinx cavity in the upper spinal cord. Surgical de-tethering has favorable results with progressive collapse of the syrinx and relief of the associated symptoms. Case Description: A 30-year-old male with Chiari malformation type I was treated by performing posterior fossa bone decompression, dura opening and closure with a suturable bovine pericardium dural graft. Postoperative period was uneventful until the fifth day in which the patient suffered intense headache and progressive loose of consciousness caused by an acute posterior fossa epidural hematoma. It was quickly removed with complete clinical recovering. One year later, the patient experienced progressive worsened of his symptoms. Upper spinal cord tethering was diagnosed and a new surgery for debridement was required. Conclusions: The epidural hematoma compressing the dural graft against the neural structures contributes to the upper spinal cord tethering and represents a nondescribed cause of postoperative fibrosis, adhesion formation, and subsequent recurrent hindbrain compression.

Sedación paliativa y sedación terminal : orientaciones para la toma de decisiones en la práctica clínica : documentos de apoyo

Publicado en la página web de la Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social: www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud (Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social/ Profesionales / Nuestro Compromiso por la Calidad / Documento de Apoyo al Proceso Asistencial. Sedación Paliativa, Sedación Terminal)

Protocolo para el seguimiento del tratamiento farmacológico individualizado en pacientes con sedación paliativa

Publicado en la página web de la Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social / Profesionales / Nuestro Compromiso por la Calidad / Estrategia de cuidados de Andalucía / Estrategia de cuidados de Andalucía

Breakthrough cancer pain - still a challenge.

Breakthrough cancer pain is defined as transient pain exacerbation in patients with stable and controlled basal pain. Although variable, the prevalence of breakthrough cancer pain is high (33%-95%). According to the American Pain Foundation, breakthrough pain is observed in 50%-90% of all hospitalized cancer patients, in 89% of all patients admitted to homes for the elderly and terminal-patient care centers, and in 35% of all ambulatory care cancer patients. The management of breakthrough cancer pain should involve an interdisciplinary and multimodal approach. The introduction of new fentanyl formulations has represented a great advance and has notably improved treatment. Among these, the pectin-based intranasal formulation adjusts very well to the profile of breakthrough pain attacks, is effective, has a good toxicity profile, and allows for convenient dosing - affording rapid and effective analgesia with the added advantage of being easily administered by caregivers when patients are unable to collaborate.

Valoración del nivel de satisfacción en un grupo de mujeres de Granada sobre atención al parto, acompañamiento y duración de la lactancia.

INTRODUCTION: The satisfaction's analysis is being used as an instrument to create different sanitary reforms to improve the quality and numerous studies aim to the increase the mother's satisfaction directly related to the maternity care. OBJECTIVES: [corrected] Identify the woman satisfaction's degree about birth attention, accompaniment during nativity and the breastfeeding's term. MATERIAL AND METHOD: [corrected] Descriptive transversal study in the university hospital San Cecilio in Granada (España), during the time of August 2011 to 2012, it performed with a second prospective tracing phase to a N = 60 mothers. It used a protocol (Annex 1) after 24 hours in hospital and at 14 days by telephone. After 3 months, it performed a tracing pertaining to the baby food. RESULTS: The global satisfaction's level about birth is high in study population. It has been shown that breastfeeding (P = 0,514) and vaginal birth without epidural (P = 0,320) creates higher satisfaction for mother. On the other hand, birth satisfaction related with duration of breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: Satisfactory mothers' opinion related with birth care and accompaniment during nativity increases in women whose birth happened in a uncomplicated way without epidural and they started early breastfeeding.

Computational and Biological Evaluation of N-octadecyl-N'-propylsulfamide, a Selective PPARα Agonist Structurally Related to N-acylethanolamines.

To further understand the pharmacological properties of N-oleoylethanolamine (OEA), a naturally occurring lipid that activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), we designed sulfamoyl analogs based on its structure. Among the compounds tested, N-octadecyl-N'-propylsulfamide (CC7) was selected for functional comparison with OEA. The performed studies include the following computational and biological approaches: 1) molecular docking analyses; 2) molecular biology studies with PPARα; 3) pharmacological studies on feeding behavior and visceral analgesia. For the docking studies, we compared OEA and CC7 data with crystallization data obtained with the reference PPARα agonist GW409544. OEA and CC7 interacted with the ligand-binding domain of PPARα in a similar manner to GW409544. Both compounds produced similar transcriptional activation by in vitro assays, including the GST pull-down assay and reporter gene analysis. In addition, CC7 and OEA induced the mRNA expression of CPT1a in HpeG2 cells through PPARα and the induction was avoided with PPARα-specific siRNA. In vivo studies in rats showed that OEA and CC7 had anorectic and antiobesity activity and induced both lipopenia and decreases in hepatic fat content. However, different effects were observed when measuring visceral pain; OEA produced visceral analgesia whereas CC7 showed no effects. These results suggest that OEA activity on the PPARα receptor (e.g., lipid metabolism and feeding behavior) may be dissociated from other actions at alternative targets (e.g., pain) because other non cannabimimetic ligands that interact with PPARα, such as CC7, do not reproduce the full spectrum of the pharmacological activity of OEA. These results provide new opportunities for the development of specific PPARα-activating drugs focused on sulfamide derivatives with a long alkyl chain for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction.

Acupuncture and rehabilitation of the painful shoulder: study protocol of an ongoing multicentre randomised controlled clinical trial [ISRCTN28687220]

BACKGROUND Although the painful shoulder is one of the most common dysfunctions of the locomotor apparatus, and is frequently treated both at primary healthcare centres and by specialists, little evidence has been reported to support or refute the effectiveness of the treatments most commonly applied. According to the bibliography reviewed, physiotherapy, which is the most common action taken to alleviate this problem, has not yet been proven to be effective, because of the small size of sample groups and the lack of methodological rigor in the papers published on the subject. No reviews have been made to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating this complaint, but in recent years controlled randomised studies have been made and these demonstrate an increasing use of acupuncture to treat pathologies of the soft tissues of the shoulder. In this study, we seek to evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy applied jointly with acupuncture, compared with physiotherapy applied with a TENS-placebo, in the treatment of painful shoulder caused by subacromial syndrome (rotator cuff tendinitis and subacromial bursitis). METHODS/DESIGN Randomised controlled multicentre study with blind evaluation by an independent observer and blind, independent analysis. A study will be made of 465 patients referred to the rehabilitation services at participating healthcare centres, belonging to the regional public health systems of Andalusia and Murcia, these patients presenting symptoms of painful shoulder and a diagnosis of subacromial syndrome (rotator cuff tendinitis and subacromial bursitis). The patients will be randomised into two groups: 1) experimental (acupuncture + physiotherapy); 2) control (TENS-placebo + physiotherapy); the administration of rescue medication will also be allowed. The treatment period will have a duration of three weeks. The main result variable will be the change produced on Constant's Shoulder Function Assessment (SFA) Scale; as secondary variables, we will record the changes in diurnal pain intensity on a visual analogue scale (VAS), nocturnal pain intensity on the VAS, doses of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) taken during the study period, credibility scale for the treatment, degree of improvement perceived by the patient and degree of improvement perceived by the evaluator. A follow up examination will be made at 3, 6 and 12 months after the study period has ended. Two types of population will be considered for analysis: per protocol and per intention to treat. DISCUSSION The discussion will take into account the limitations of the study, together with considerations such as the choice of a simple, safe method to treat this shoulder complaint, the choice of the control group, and the blinding of the patients, evaluators and those responsible for carrying out the final analysis.

Tapia's syndrome: pathogenetic mechanisms, diagnostic management, and proper treatment: a case series.

BACKGROUND Tapia's syndrome is an uncommon disease described in 1904 by Antonio Garcia Tapia, a Spanish otolaryngologist. It is characterized by concomitant paralysis of the hypoglossal (XIIth) and pneumogastric (Xth) nerves. Only 69 cases have been described in the literature. Typically, the reported patients presented with a history of orotracheal intubation. Common symptoms are dysphonia, tongue deviation toward the affected side, lingual motility disturbance, and swallowing difficulty. CASE PRESENTATION In the report, we describe three cases of Tapia's syndrome in three Caucasian patients who underwent surgery with general anesthesia. Two of these patients underwent neck abscess drainage, and the third had an open reduction of a shoulder fracture. The clinical symptoms of Tapia's syndrome appeared after extubation. All three of our patients recovered their lost function at 3 months after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS We underline the importance of performing airway endoscopy and a specific program of swallowing rehabilitation for the proper management of Tapia's syndrome.