Preemptive carprofen for peri-operative analgesia in dogs undergoing Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO): a prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo controlled clinical trial

Eighteen client-owned dogs undergoing Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) were included in this blinded clinical study and randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. Group C (carprofen) received intravenous (IV) carprofen, 4 mg/kg, prior to anesthesia, whereas group P (placebo) received IV saline. General anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen and a constant rate infusion (CRI) of sufentanyl IV. Intra-operatively, assessment of nociception was based on changes in physiological parameters and on the analgesics requirement, whereas in the post-operative period evaluation of pain was performed by using a Hellyer and Gaynor pain score and by comparing the doses of rescue buprenorphine required by the two treatment groups. Although no statistically significant differences in intra-operative sufentanyl doses were found between treatment groups, group C had superior cardiovascular stability, and lower post-operative pain scores and rescue buprenorphine doses than group P. Our results indicate that administration of carprofen prior to surgery was effective in improving peri-operative analgesia in dogs undergoing TPLO.

Epidural Analgesia during Open Radical Prostatectomy Does Not Improve Long-Term Cancer-Related Outcome: A Retrospective Study in Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer

Background A beneficial effect of regional anesthesia on cancer related outcome in various solid tumors has been proposed. The data on prostate cancer is conflicting and reports on long-term cancer specific survival are lacking. Methods In a retrospective, single-center study, outcomes of 148 consecutive patients with locally advanced prostate cancer pT3/4 who underwent retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP) with general anesthesia combined with intra- and postoperative epidural analgesia (n=67) or with postoperative ketorolac-morphine analgesia (n=81) were reviewed. The median observation time was 14.00 years (range 10.87-17.75 yrs). Biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free, local and distant recurrence-free, cancer-specific, and overall survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier technique. Multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to analyze clinicopathologic variables associated with disease progression and death. Results The survival estimates for BCR-free, local and distant recurrence-free, cancer-specific survival and overall survival did not differ between the two groups (P=0.64, P=0.75, P=0.18, P=0.32 and P=0.07). For both groups, higher preoperative PSA (hazard ratio (HR) 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.02, P<0.0001), increased specimen Gleason score (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.06-1.46, P=0.007) and positive nodal status (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.03-2.67, P=0.04) were associated with higher risk of BCR. Increased specimen Gleason score predicted death from prostate cancer (HR 2.46, 95% CI 1.65-3.68, P<0.0001). Conclusions General anaesthesia combined with epidural analgesia did not reduce the risk of cancer progression or improve survival after RRP for prostate cancer in this group of patients at high risk for disease progression with a median observation time of 14.00 yrs.

Attitudes of Swiss veterinarians towards pain and analgesia in dogs and cats.

A survey was performed to evaluate the use of perioperative analgesia in dogs and cats by veterinary practitioners. Questions were grouped in seven sections recording personal data, education in veterinary analgesia, general ideology regarding treatment of perioperative pain, personal experience, assessment, and use of main analgesics to treat perioperative pain. A total of 258 received forms were analyzed. Based on 5 questions, 88 % showed excellent motivation to use perioperative pain therapy. The main reason declared for the use of analgesics was to relieve the patient from pain (64.1 %). Most veterinarians reported to routinely administer analgesics before (71 - 96 %) or after (2 - 23 %) surgery. The most used analgesics were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (carprofen, meloxicam) and opioids (butorphanol, buprenorphine). Animals were routinely evaluated for pain after recovery. Only 43.8 % of veterinarians declared to use loco-regional anaesthesia. Swiss veterinarians appear to recognize well the need for perioperative pain treatment. However, weakness was shown in evaluating pain severity, distinguishing between opioid classes, and using loco-regional anaesthesia.

Diffusion of contrast medium after four different techniques for analgesia of the proximal metacarpal region: an in vivo and in vitro study

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: There is limited information on potential diffusion of local anaesthetic solution after various diagnostic analgesic techniques of the proximal metacarpal region. OBJECTIVE: To document potential distribution of local anaesthetic solution following 4 techniques used for diagnostic analgesia of the proximal metacarpal region. METHODS: Radiodense contrast medium was injected around the lateral palmar or medial and lateral palmar metacarpal nerves in 8 mature horses, using 4 different techniques. Radiographs were obtained 0, 10 and 20 min after injection and were analysed subjectively. A mixture of radiodense contrast medium and methylene blue was injected into 4 cadaver limbs; the location of the contrast medium and dye was determined by radiography and dissection. RESULTS: Following perineural injection of the palmar metacarpal nerves, most of the contrast medium was distributed in an elongated pattern axial to the second and fourth metacarpal bones. The carpometacarpal joint was inadvertently penetrated in 4/8 limbs after injections of the palmar metacarpal nerves from medial and lateral approaches, and in 1/8 limbs when both injections were performed from the lateral approach. Following perineural injection of the lateral palmar nerve using a lateral approach, the contrast medium was diffusely distributed in all but one limb, in which the carpal sheath was inadvertently penetrated. In 5/8 limbs, following perineural injection of the lateral palmar nerve using a medial approach, the contrast medium diffused proximally to the distal third of the antebrachium. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Inadvertent penetration of the carpometacarpal joint is common after perineural injection of the palmar metacarpal nerves, but less so if both palmar metacarpal nerves are injected using a lateral approach. Following injection of the lateral palmar nerve using a medial approach, the entire palmar aspect of the carpus may be desensitised.

Paracetamol for perioperative analgesia. Old substance - new insights

Since paracetamol was first synthesized in 1878 it has become one of the most popular and widely used drugs for the first-line treatment of fever and pain. The reasons for this popularity are a wide variety of formulations, an assumed positive safety record and the wide availability as an over-the-counter drug. However, recently several studies questioned the positive risk-benefit ratio of paracetamol for postoperative pain by observing several possible adverse effects and limitations. The aim of the present review is to give an update of the recent literature on the efficacy of paracetamol for postoperative pain and on the value of the clinical relevance of different adverse effects of paracetamol. Finally, based on the current findings the authors try to assess the role of paracetamol for the treatment of postoperative pain.

Addition of magnesium sulphate to ropivacaine for spinal analgesia in dogs undergoing tibial plateau levelling osteotomy

The aim of this blinded, randomised, prospective clinical trial was to determine whether the addition of magnesium sulphate to spinally-administered ropivacaine would improve peri-operative analgesia without impairing motor function in dogs undergoing orthopaedic surgery. Twenty client-owned dogs undergoing tibial plateau levelling osteotomy were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: group C (control, receiving hyperbaric ropivacaine by the spinal route) or group M (magnesium, receiving a hyperbaric combination of magnesium sulphate and ropivacaine by the spinal route). During surgery, changes in physiological variables above baseline were used to evaluate nociception. Arterial blood was collected before and after spinal injection, at four time points, to monitor plasma magnesium concentrations. Post-operatively, pain was assessed with a modified Sammarco pain score, a Glasgow pain scale and a visual analogue scale, while motor function was evaluated with a modified Tarlov scale. Assessments were performed at recovery and 1, 2 and 3 h thereafter. Fentanyl and buprenorphine were administered as rescue analgesics in the intra- and post-operative periods, respectively. Plasma magnesium concentrations did not increase after spinal injection compared to baseline. Group M required less intra-operative fentanyl, had lower Glasgow pain scores and experienced analgesia of longer duration than group C (527.0 ± 341.0 min vs. 176.0 ± 109.0 min). However, in group M the motor block was significantly longer, which limits the usefulness of magnesium for spinal analgesia at the investigated dose. Further research is needed to determine a clinically effective dose with shorter duration of motor block for magnesium used as an additive to spinal analgesic agents.

Comparison of Bispectral Index (BIS) and Patient State Index (PSI) as objective measures of sedation and analgesia in critically ill/injured patients

Critically ill and injured patients require pain relief and sedation to reduce the body's stress response and to facilitate painful diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Presently, the level of sedation and analgesia is guided by the use of clinical scores which can be unreliable. There is therefore, a need for an objective measure of sedation and analgesia. The Bispectral Index (BIS) and Patient State Index (PSI) were recently introduced into clinical practice as objective measures of the depth of analgesia and sedation. ^ Aim. To compare the different measures of sedation and analgesia (BIS and PSI) to the standard and commonly used modified Ramsay Score (MRS) and determine if the monitors can be used interchangeably. ^ Methods. MRS, BIS and PSI values were obtained in 50 postoperative cardiac surgery patients requiring analgesia and sedation from June to December 2004. The MRS, BIS and PSI values were assessed hourly for up to 6-h by a single observer. ^ The relationship between BIS and PSI values were explored using scatter plots and correlation between MRS, BIS and PSI was determined using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Intra-class correlation (ICC) was used to determine the inter-rater reliability of MRS, BIS and PSI. Kappa statistics was used to further evaluate the agreement between BIS and PSI at light, moderate and deep levels of sedation. ^ Results. There was a positive correlation between BIS and PSI values (Rho = 0.731, p<0.001). Intra-class correlation between BIS and PSI was 0.58, MRS and BIS 0.43 and MRS and PSI 0.27. Using Kappa statistics, agreement between MRS and BIS was 0.35 (95% CI: 0.27–0.43) and for MRS and PSI was 0.21 (95% CI: 0.15–0.28). The kappa statistic for BIS and PSI was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.37–0.52). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves constructed to detect undersedation indicated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.91 (95% CI = 0.87 to 0.94) for the BIS and 0.84 (95% CI = 0.79 to 0.88) for the PSI. For detection of oversedation, AUC for the BIS was 0.89 (95% CI = 0.84 to 0.92) and 0.80 (95% CI = 0.75 to 0.85) for the PSI. ^ Conclusions. There is a statistically significant positive correlation between the BIS and PSI but poor correlation and poor test agreement between the MRS and BIS as well as MRS and PSI. Both the BIS and PSI demonstrated a high level of prediction for undersedation and oversedation; however, the BIS and PSI can not be considered interchangeable monitors of sedation. ^

Why does low dose morphine augment fentanyl analgesia?

Opioids dominate the field of pain management because of their ability to provide analgesia in many medical circumstances. However, side effects including respiratory depression, constipation, tolerance, physical dependence, and the risk of addiction limit their clinical utility. Fear of these side effects results in the under-treatment of acute pain. For many years, research has focused on ways to improve the therapeutic index (the ratio of desirable analgesic effects to undesirable side effects) of opioids. One strategy, combining opioid agonists that bind to different opioid receptor types, may prove successful.^ We discovered that subcutaneous co-administration of a moderately analgesic dose of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) selective agonist fentanyl (20μg/kg) with subanalgesic doses of the less MOR-specific agonist morphine (100ng/kg-100μg/kg), augmented acute fentanyl analgesia in rats. Parallel [35S]GTPγS binding studies using naïve rat substantia gelatinosa membrane treated with fentanyl (4μM) and morphine (1nM-1pM) demonstrated a 2-fold increase in total G-protein activation. This correlation between morphine-induced augmentation of fentanyl analgesia and G-protein activation led to our proposal that interactions between MORs and DORs underlie opioid-induced augmentation. We discovered that morphine-induced augmentation of fentanyl analgesia and G-protein activity was mediated by DORs. Adding the DOR-selective antagonist naltrindole (200ng/kg, 40nM) at doses that did not alter the analgesic or G-protein activation of fentanyl, blocked increases in analgesia and G-protein activation induced by fentanyl/morphine combinations. Equivalent doses of the MOR-selective antagonist cyprodime (20ng/kg, 4nM) did not block augmentation. Substitution of the DOR-selective agonist SNC80 for morphine yielded similar results, further supporting our conclusion that interactions between MORs and DORs are responsible for morphine-induced augmentation of fentanyl analgesia and G-protein activation. Confocal microscopy of rat substantia gelatinosa showed that changes in the rate of opioid receptor internalization did not account for these effects.^ In conclusion, fentanyl analgesia augmentation by subanalgesic morphine is mediated by increased G-protein activation resulting from functional interactions between MORs and DORs, not changes in MOR internalization. Additional animal and clinical studies are needed to determine whether side effect incidence changes following opioid co-administration. If side effect incidence decreases or remains unchanged, these findings could have important implications for clinical pain treatment. ^

Violencia obstétrica

La presente tesis de Violencia Obstétrica fue realizada con la intención de generar un nuevo y útil conocimiento para la carrera y la facultad en su totalidad, debido a que dicha problemática nos atañe a todos y todas. Actualmente es de gran importancia llevar a cabo una investigación sobre violencia obstétrica en el sistema de sanitario súblico de Mendoza, debido a que es un tema poco estudiado. Este tipo de Violencia contra la mujer fue reconocido recientemente en el año 2009 con la ley nacional 26485, en el mismo año que se promulgó en la provincia la ley 8130 que establece cuales son los derechos de los padres e hijos/as en el proceso de nacimiento (adaptación de la ley nacional 25929 del 2004). En este sentido, la Violencia Obstétrica implica la existencia de la vulneración de una serie de derechos que en los últimos años han empezado a reconocerse legalmente. Sin embargo, en las prácticas rutinarias de los profesionales y personal de salud pública no existen datos de su garantía, ni tampoco sobre la real existencia o no de violencia obstétrica. Se entiende que sólo existen algunos relatos aislados que darían cuenta de la existencia de este tipo de violencia, los que provienen del ámbito privado de ciertas mujeres que expresan sus experiencias y las transmiten a otras. Ésto genera la necesidad de llevar a cabo una investigación que dé como resultado información y conocimiento certero sobre el funcionamiento del sistema sanitario de Mendoza, en cuanto a prácticas violentas y cumplimiento de las leyes, desde una perspectiva de género, a fin de concientizar y analizar futuros cambios o propuestas sobre un tema tan importante.

Uso del misoprostol en la emergencia obstétrica como estrategia para disminuir la muerte materna en la región Piura, Perú

Contiene Guía clínica para uso del misoprostol en ginecología y obstetricia.

Prevención, diagnóstico y manejo de la hemorragia obstétrica. Lineamiento técnico

Los dos principales objetivos de este lineamiento son el unificar criterios de manejo para la hemorragia obstétrica en el primer nivel de atención y en los hospitales del Sistema Nacional de Salud y con esto colaborar con los Objetivos del Desarrollo del Milenio para reducir la RMM en tres cuartas partes entre 1990-2015

Violencia obstétrica. Un enfoque de derechos humanos

La presente publicación describe a detalle la situación actual en México respecto al fenómeno de la violencia obstétrica en los últimos tres años. Tras una investigación exhaustiva y gracias al apoyo de la Fundación Angélica Fuentes, el Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida presenta los resultados y las posibles soluciones a la violencia obstétrica, siempre pensando en las mujeres, pero a sabiendas que tanto el personal de salud como el Estado podrían resultar beneficiados

De brujas y parteras : Disciplinamiento y violencia obstétrica

Las ciencias médicas y el cuerpo de las mujeres han establecido un vínculo de creciente intervención y medicalización, que evidencia el mecanismo del discurso médico hegemónico al momento de desplegar un disciplinamiento de los cuerpos, especialmente los femeninos y aquellos en posición feminizada. En este trabajo se problematizará el lugar de la mirada en el nacimiento de la clínica (Foucault, (1963), 2003), que cambia en función del vínculo entre médico y paciente. La clínica ha dispuestos diferentes tipos de tecnologías orientadas a las mujeres en un determinado ciclo vital: la etapa reproductiva (Fernández, 2012), que marca la intervención de las situaciones de embarazo, parto y puerperio. Se analizará entonces las intervenciones clínicas orientadas a la figura de la mujer -madre- reproductora y a las escenas guionadas que la medicina propone en el tratamiento obstétrico. De acuerdo a la Ley 26.485 la Violencia Obstétrica "es aquella que ejerce el personal de salud sobre el cuerpo y los procesos reproductivos de las mujeres, expresada en un trato deshumanizado, un abuso de medicalización y patologización de los procesos naturales, de conformidad con la Ley 25.929" (Art. 6). Al analizar la violencia obstétrica, se hará énfasis en la vulneración del ejercicio cívico de la voz de las mujeres (Cháneton & Oberti, 2003), en el momento en que las mujeres reclaman sus derechos en el ámbito de la salud.

De brujas y parteras : Disciplinamiento y violencia obstétrica

Las ciencias médicas y el cuerpo de las mujeres han establecido un vínculo de creciente intervención y medicalización, que evidencia el mecanismo del discurso médico hegemónico al momento de desplegar un disciplinamiento de los cuerpos, especialmente los femeninos y aquellos en posición feminizada. En este trabajo se problematizará el lugar de la mirada en el nacimiento de la clínica (Foucault, (1963), 2003), que cambia en función del vínculo entre médico y paciente. La clínica ha dispuestos diferentes tipos de tecnologías orientadas a las mujeres en un determinado ciclo vital: la etapa reproductiva (Fernández, 2012), que marca la intervención de las situaciones de embarazo, parto y puerperio. Se analizará entonces las intervenciones clínicas orientadas a la figura de la mujer -madre- reproductora y a las escenas guionadas que la medicina propone en el tratamiento obstétrico. De acuerdo a la Ley 26.485 la Violencia Obstétrica "es aquella que ejerce el personal de salud sobre el cuerpo y los procesos reproductivos de las mujeres, expresada en un trato deshumanizado, un abuso de medicalización y patologización de los procesos naturales, de conformidad con la Ley 25.929" (Art. 6). Al analizar la violencia obstétrica, se hará énfasis en la vulneración del ejercicio cívico de la voz de las mujeres (Cháneton & Oberti, 2003), en el momento en que las mujeres reclaman sus derechos en el ámbito de la salud.

De brujas y parteras : Disciplinamiento y violencia obstétrica

Las ciencias médicas y el cuerpo de las mujeres han establecido un vínculo de creciente intervención y medicalización, que evidencia el mecanismo del discurso médico hegemónico al momento de desplegar un disciplinamiento de los cuerpos, especialmente los femeninos y aquellos en posición feminizada. En este trabajo se problematizará el lugar de la mirada en el nacimiento de la clínica (Foucault, (1963), 2003), que cambia en función del vínculo entre médico y paciente. La clínica ha dispuestos diferentes tipos de tecnologías orientadas a las mujeres en un determinado ciclo vital: la etapa reproductiva (Fernández, 2012), que marca la intervención de las situaciones de embarazo, parto y puerperio. Se analizará entonces las intervenciones clínicas orientadas a la figura de la mujer -madre- reproductora y a las escenas guionadas que la medicina propone en el tratamiento obstétrico. De acuerdo a la Ley 26.485 la Violencia Obstétrica "es aquella que ejerce el personal de salud sobre el cuerpo y los procesos reproductivos de las mujeres, expresada en un trato deshumanizado, un abuso de medicalización y patologización de los procesos naturales, de conformidad con la Ley 25.929" (Art. 6). Al analizar la violencia obstétrica, se hará énfasis en la vulneración del ejercicio cívico de la voz de las mujeres (Cháneton & Oberti, 2003), en el momento en que las mujeres reclaman sus derechos en el ámbito de la salud.