Intrapleural analgesia following thoracoscopic sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis: a prospective, randomized trial

Single and Repeated Intrapleural Ropivacaine Administration: A Plasma Concentration and Pharmacodynamics Study

Background

Intrapleural analgesia has been increasingly recommended for postoperative analgesia after thoracic surgery. However, the analgesic effect provided by a single intrapleural administration is time limited. This study reports the efficacy and safety of repeated intrapleural 0.75% ropivacaine administration after thoracoscopic surgery.

Methods

Twenty patients were randomly divided into two groups: a single administration group receiving a single intrapleural injection of 0.75% ropivacaine 15 mL (single administration group, SA group), and a repeated administration group with an intrapleural injection of 0.75% ropivacaine 15 mL every 4h for 4 doses (repeated administration group, RA group). The primary outcomes of this study were the peak plasma concentration of ropivacaine and 24h morphine consumption. The secondary outcomes were pain score, patient satisfaction, extubation time, hospital length of stay, and adverse reactions.

Results

In SA group, the highest plasma concentration after intrapleural administration of 0.75% ropivacaine 15 mL was 1345±364 μg/L. The highest plasma concentration in RA group after the fourth administration was 1864±492 μg/L. The 24h morphine consumption in RA group was significantly less than that in SA group (9.0±5.66 vs 15.9±3.48 mg, P=0.004). The NRS scores at rest and while coughing of patients in RA group were significantly lower than those in SA group at 5, 9, 13, 17 and 24h after operation. The patients in RA group had higher satisfaction than those in SA group. There was no significant difference in postoperative adverse events, drainage tube placement days and hospital length of stay between the two groups.

Conclusion

Repeated intrapleural administration with 0.75% ropivacaine, 15 mL every 4h for 4 doses after video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomies, can provide a more durable and more effective analgesic effect than single intrapleural administration. Repeated intrapleural administration of ropivacaine is an effective postoperative method of analgesia resulting in higher patient satisfaction. Moreover, it was also able to keep the plasma concentration of ropivacaine within a possible safe range.

Clinical Trial Registration Number

ChiCTR-IOR-17010560.

Comparison of Intrapleural with Paravertebral Levobupivacaine Analgesia for Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Background:

Palmar hyperhidrosis is a benign disease of excessive sweating in the palm that exceeds the physiological state. Thoracoscopic sympathectomy is an effective surgical treatment for localized hyperhidrosis.

Aims:

The aim of this study was to compare paravertebral block (PVB) with intrapleural analgesia in thoracoscopic sympathectomy.

Settings and Design:

A total of 90 patients physical status American Society of Anesthesiologists Classes I or II scheduled for arthroscopic thoracoscopic sympathectomy were enrolled in this study.

Subjects and Methods:

Patients were randomly allocated into three groups; in the controlled (C) group, no regional block was performed. In the intrapleural (I) group or paravertebral (P) group using a volume of 20 ml of levobupivacaine 0.5%. The first request for analgesia postoperatively was our primary concern. Secondary outcomes included pain scores, the cumulative consumption of fentanyl during the 1^st postoperative day, pulmonary functions, blood gases, and complications.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 19.0, Chicago, IL, USA).

Results:

First request of analgesia in paravertebral group was statistically significantly longer when compared with either control or intrapleural group. In addition, total fentanyl dose was significantly higher in control group when compared with the other groups. Groups I and P showed statistically significant less pain scores, better pulmonary function, and blood gases when compared with control group.

Conclusion:

We concluded that either intrapleural or paravertebral analgesia compared with control group in thoracoscopic sympathectomy resulted in later request of analgesia, improved pain control, reduced analgesic requirements postoperatively, preservation of lung function and acid-base balance. The PVB, compared to intrapleural, had an advantage of longer and effective analgesia.

Pain relief following thoracic surgical procedures: A literature review of the uncommon techniques

Thoracic surgical procedures can be either thoracotomy or thoracoscopy. In thoracotomy, the incision could be either muscle-cutting or muscle-sparing incision. The posterolateral thoracotomy incision is used for most general thoracic surgical procedures. This incision, which involves division of the latissimus dorsi and serratus anterior muscles, affords excellent exposure of the thoracic cavity. However, it is associated with significant morbidity, including impaired pulmonary function, postoperative chest pain, and restricted arm and shoulder movement. Various muscle-sparing incisions have been proposed to decrease the morbidity. Postthoracotomy pain originates from pleural and muscular damage, costovertebral joint disruption, and intercostal nerve damage during surgery. Inadequate pain relief after surgery affects the quality of patient's recovery and exposes the patients to postoperative morbidities. There is a tendency nowadays among thoracic surgeons and anesthesiologists toward the area of enhanced recovery after thoracic surgery which requires careful titration of the anesthetic drugs in awake patients undergoing thoracoscopic procedures. There is a common feeling among thoracic anesthesiologists that potthoracoscopy procedures produce less pain intensity versus thoracotomy which is partially true. However, effective management of acute pain following either thoracotomy/thoracoscopy is needed and may prevent these complications and reduce the likelihood of developing chronic pain. In this report, we are going to review the newly introduced postthoracotomy/thoracoscopy pain relief modalities with special reference to the new tendency of awake thoracic surgical procedures and its impact on enhanced recovery after surgery.

Transareolar Single-Port Needlescopic Thoracic Sympathectomy Under Intravenous Anesthesia Without Intubation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES

Transareolar single-port needlescopic thoracic sympathectomy under intravenous anesthesia without intubation has rarely been attempted in managing primary palmar hyperhidrosis (PPH). The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of this minimally invasive technique.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From May 2012 to May 2015, 168 male patients with severe PPH underwent single-port endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) and were randomly allocated to groups A or B. Patients in group A underwent nonintubated transareolar ETS with a 2-mm needle endoscope, while those in group B underwent intubated transaxillary ETS with a 5-mm thoracoscope.

RESULTS

All procedures were performed successfully. The palms of all patients became dry and warm immediately after surgery. The mean resuscitation time was significantly shorter in nonintubated patients than in intubated patients. Postoperative sore throat occurred in 4 patients in group A and in 32 patients in group B (P < .01). The mean incision length was significantly shorter in group A than in group B. The mean postoperative pain scores were markedly higher in group B than in group A. The mean cost of anesthesia was considerably lower in nonintubated patients than in intubated patients. The mean cosmetic scores were higher in group A than in group B (P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Nonintubated transareolar single-port ETS with a needle endoscope is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive therapeutic procedure, which allows a smaller incision with less pain and excellent cosmetic results. This novel procedure can be performed in a routine clinical practice for male patients with severe PPH.

Postoperative pain relief using intermittent intrapleural analgesia following thoracoscopic anterior correction for progressive adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Background

Thoracoscopic anterior scoliosis instrumentation is a safe and viable surgical option for corrective fusion of progressive adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and has been performed at our centre on 205 patients since 2000. However, there is a paucity of literature reporting on or examining optimum methods of analgesia following this type of surgery. A retrospective study was designed to present the authors’ technique for delivering intermittent local anaesthetic boluses via an intrapleural catheter following thoracoscopic scoliosis surgery; report the pain levels that may be expected and any adverse effects associated with the use of intrapleural analgesia, as part of a combined postoperative analgesia regime.

Methods

Records for 32 patients who underwent thoracoscopic anterior correction for AIS were reviewed. All patients received an intrapleural catheter inserted during surgery, in addition to patient-controlled opiate analgesia and oral analgesia. After surgery, patients received a bolus of 0.25% bupivacaine every four hours via the intrapleural catheter. Patient’s perceptions of their pain control was measured using the visual analogue pain scale scores which were recorded before and after local anaesthetic administration and the quantity and time of day that any other analgesia was taken, were also recorded.

Results

28 female and four male patients (mean age 14.5 ± 1.5 years) had a total of 230 boluses of local anaesthetic administered in the 96 hour period following surgery. Pain scores significantly decreased following the administration of a bolus (p < 0.0001), with the mean pain score decreasing from 3.66 to 1.83. The quantity of opiates via patient-controlled analgesia after surgery decreased steadily between successive 24 hours intervals after an initial increase in the second 24 hour period when patients were mobilised. One intrapleural catheter required early removal due to leakage; there were no other associated complications with the intermittent intrapleural analgesia method.

Conclusions

Local anaesthetic administration via an intrapleural catheter is a safe and effective method of analgesia following thoracoscopic anterior scoliosis correction. Post-operative pain following anterior thoracic scoliosis surgery can be reduced to ‘mild’ levels by combined analgesia regimes.

Intrapleural analgesia after endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy

PURPOSE

To compare analgesia traditionally used for thoracic sympathectomy to intrapleural ropivacaine injection in two different doses.

METHODS

Twenty-four patients were divided into three similar groups, and all of them received intravenous dipyrone. Group A received intravenous tramadol and intrapleural injection of saline solution. Group B received intrapleural injection of 0.33% ropivacaine, and Group C 0.5% ropivacaine. The following aspects were analyzed: inspiratory capacity, respiratory rate and pain. Pain was evaluated in the immediate postoperative period by means of the visual analog scale and over a one-week period.

RESULTS

In Groups A and B, reduced inspiratory capacity was observed in the postoperative period. In the first postoperative 12 hours, only 12.5% of the patients in Groups B and C showed intense pain as compared to 25% in Group A. In the subsequent week, only one patient in Group A showed mild pain while the remainder reported intense pain. In Group B, half of the patients showed intense pain, and in Group C, only one presented intense pain.

CONCLUSION

Intrapleural analgesia with ropivacaine resulted in less pain in the late postoperative period with better analgesic outcomes in higher doses, providing a better ventilatory pattern.

Respiratory chest pain: diagnosis and treatment

Chest pain from respiratory causes is a common complaint and may indicate the presence of a serious or even life-threatening pathologic condition. Most chest pains are the result of irritation or inflammation of the parietal pleura, as the visceral pleura is insensate, although pain may arise from direct malignant invasion or trauma to the chest wall. Rapid recognition with appropriate understanding of the anatomy and physiology of chest pain from respiratory causes is vital to ensure timely and appropriate therapy.

Evidence-based review of the surgical management of hyperhidrosis

The great majority of the currently available evidence supporting sympathectomy for primary hyperhidrosis is observational, coming from a variety of prospective and restrospective clinical series as well as comparative studies. A cumulative experience in over 6000 patients suggests that ETS is a safe, reproducible, and effective procedure, and most patients are satisfied with the results of the surgery. The currently available experimental data comes from clinical trials that compared alternative levels of sympathetic chain disruption; these trials speak only to the relative merits of one surgical technique over another and do not provide an assessment of the overall impact of surgery in the general population of patients with primary hyperhidrosis. Furthermore, it is difficult to compare series and generalizability is compromised by a lack of uniform definitions and measures at both the exposure and outcome levels. There is marked heterogeneity with respect to study population and entry criteria, with significant variability of site and severity of excess sweating as well as the degree of preoperative conservative management of hyperhidrosis before surgical referral. Also the operative approach varies widely among studies, and the optimal procedure remains elusive: unilateral versus staged nonsimultaneous bilateral versus concomitant bilateral sympathectomy; ganglionic resection versus ablation using electrocoagulation or harmonic scalpel; clipping of the chain to maintain reversibility in the event of intolerable symptoms versus permanent disruption. In addition, the lack of uniform outcome measures makes these data difficult to interpret, and standardized metrics of surgical results are necessary, such as objective quantification of sweating by gravimetry or use of the SF-36 Health Survey Questionnaire as an estimate of patient quality of life. A multicenter, adequately powered, randomized controlled trial comparing surgical to medical management of hyperhidrosis is unlikely given the current enthusiasm for same-day thoracoscopic sympathectomy among surgeons, a largely positive literature replete with encouraging results, and well-informed hyperhidrosis patients who want to be cured of a socially debilitating illness. Future clinical trials in this area will likely compare surgical techniques. For such comparisons, procedures must be standardized and outcome measures validated for both symptoms of the disease and surgical complications. Finally, the studies must have large numbers of patients and adequate long-term follow-up if they are to detect differences in results among procedures with very high technical success rates.