Ropivacaine: A Novel Local Anaesthetic Drug to Use in Otorhinolaryngology Practice

Analgesic Efficacy of Ropivacaine Infiltration on Early Post-Tonsillectomy Pain in Pediatrics

OBJECTIVE

To assess the analgesic efficacy of ropivacaine infiltration in the tonsillar fossa among pediatric patients undergoing tonsillectomy.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CENTRAL.

REVIEW METHODS

Eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were assessed for bias using Cochrane's risk of bias tool (version 2). Our primary outcome was postoperative pain within 24 h, and secondary outcomes included operative time, intraoperative blood loss, time to first analgesia, bleeding, and nausea/vomiting. Data were pooled as mean difference, standardized mean difference, and risk ratio with a 95% confidence interval.

RESULTS

Our review included 11 RCTs, with a total of 712 patients. The quality of studies varied and included low risk (n = 8 RCTs), some concerns (n = 2 RCTs), and high risk (n = 1 RCT) of bias. The primary endpoint of postoperative pain across all time points was significantly reduced in the ropivacaine group compared with the placebo group. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) of the postoperative pain depicted conclusive evidence and unnecessity for further RCTs. The mean operative time was significantly reduced in the ropivacaine group compared with the placebo group. However, there was no significant difference between both groups regarding additional clinical (i.e., mean intraoperative blood loss and mean time to first analgesia) and safety (i.e., rates of bleeding and nausea/vomiting) outcomes.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated the safety and postoperative analgesic efficacy of ropivacaine versus placebo among pediatric patients undergoing tonsillectomy. There was no significant difference between both groups regarding intraoperative blood loss, time to first analgesia, and rate of postoperative bleeding.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

1 Laryngoscope, 134:3018-3029, 2024.

Dexmedetomidine or Fentanyl, Which One Is Better as an Adjunct Drug in Epidural Anesthesia and Causes More Postoperative Pain Reduction? A Comparative Study, a Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives

This study compared dexmedetomidine to fentanyl as an adjunct to ropivacaine for epidural anesthesia in patients undergoing femoral neck fracture surgery.

Methods

A total of 56 patients in two different groups with dexmedetomidine and fentanyl underwent the epidural anesthesia method by ropivacaine. This study compared the onset and duration of sensory block, duration of motor block, visual analog scale (VAS) analgesia, and sedation score. The VAS and hemodynamics (e.g., heart rate and mean arterial pressure) were measured every 5 to 15 minutes, then every 15 minutes to the end of the surgery, and then in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 12th, and 24th hours after surgery.

Results

In the fentanyl group, the onset time of the sensory block was longer (P < 0.001), and the duration of the block was shorter than in the dexmedetomidine group (P = 0.045). In the fentanyl group, the onset time of motor block was longer than in the dexmedetomidine group (P < 0.001). The mean highest VAS score for each patient in the dexmedetomidine group was 4.9 ± 0.6, compared to the fentanyl group (5.8 ± 0.9), with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.001). The sedation score was higher from the 30th minute (P = 0.01) to the 120th minute (P = 0.04) in the patients of the dexmedetomidine group than in the fentanyl group. Side effects, such as dry mouth, hypotension, and bradycardia, were more common in the dexmedetomidine group, and nausea and vomiting were more common in the fentanyl group; however, there were no differences between the groups. There was no respiratory depression in both groups.

Conclusions

This study presented that dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant in epidural anesthesia for orthopedic femoral fracture surgery shortens the onset time of sensory and motor block, increases analgesia length, and prolongs anesthesia. Sedation with dexmedetomidine is better than fentanyl, with fewer side effects, and more effective as preemptive analgesia.

Ropivacaine as the drug of choice for regional anesthesia: why so?

While writing the article, we analyzed all the studies related to ropivacaine for the first half of 2021, which were published in PubMed. Previous review articles on ropivacaine were also analyzed. Purpose: collection and analysis of the latest research results on ropivacaine. Assessment of the place of ropivacaine in modern regional anesthesia.