Patient-controlled intranasal fentanyl analgesia: a pilot study to assess practicality and tolerability during childbirth

Effect of intravenous acetaminophen versus fentanyl on postoperative pain after transurethral lithotripsy

Background

Postoperative pain is the most common postoperative complication. This study was conducted to assess the effect of acetaminophen versus fentanyl on postoperative pain relief in patients who underwent urologic surgeries.

Methods

This clinical trial was conducted on patients aged 18–65 years. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 2000 mg acetaminophen (propacetamol) or 2 mcg.kg⁻¹ fentanyl intravenously, 15 min before the end of surgery. The postoperative pain was evaluated every 6 h for 24 h using the Visual Analog Scale. Total morphine dose taken in 24 h and hemodynamic status were evaluated.

Results

Eighty patients were enrolled into the trial. The mean score of pain in 6, 12, 18, and 24 h after surgery was lower in the acetaminophen group than in the fentanyl group but the difference was not statistically significant except in 12 and 18 h after surgery (p < 0.05). The amount of administered morphine was higher in the fentanyl group than in the acetaminophen group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The hemodynamic status including systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rates were nearly the same in the two groups but the SpO₂ mean was significantly higher in the acetaminophen group than the fentanyl group.

Conclusions

This trial indicated that intravenous acetaminophen is as effective as intravenous fentanyl in pain relief after urologic surgeries (transurethral lithotripsy).

Practice Bulletin No. 177: Obstetric Analgesia and Anesthesia

Labor causes severe pain for many women. There is no other circumstance in which it is considered acceptable for an individual to experience untreated severe pain that is amenable to safe intervention while the individual is under a physician's care. Many women desire pain management during labor and delivery, and there are many medical indications for analgesia and anesthesia during labor and delivery. In the absence of a medical contraindication, maternal request is a sufficient medical indication for pain relief during labor. A woman who requests epidural analgesia during labor should not be deprived of this service based on the status of her health insurance. Third-party payers that provide reimbursement for obstetric services should not deny reimbursement for labor analgesia because of an absence of "other medical indications." Anesthesia services should be available to provide labor analgesia and surgical anesthesia in all hospitals that offer maternal care (levels I-IV) (). Although the availability of different methods of labor analgesia will vary from hospital to hospital, the methods available within an institution should not be based on a patient's ability to pay.The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists believes that in order to allow the maximum number of patients to benefit from neuraxial analgesia, labor nurses should not be restricted from participating in the management of pain relief during labor. Under appropriate physician supervision, labor and delivery nursing personnel who have been educated properly and have demonstrated current competence should be able to participate in the management of epidural infusions.The purpose of this document is to review medical options for analgesia during labor and anesthesia for surgical procedures that are common at the time of delivery. Nonpharmacologic options such as massage, immersion in water during the first stage of labor, acupuncture, relaxation, and hypnotherapy are not covered in this document, though they may be useful as adjuncts or alternatives in many cases.

An observational feasibility study to assess the safety and effectiveness of intranasal fentanyl for radiofrequency ablations of the lumbar facet joints

Purpose

The purpose of the present observational, feasibility study is to assess the preliminary safety and effectiveness of intranasal fentanyl for lumbar facet radiofrequency ablation procedures.

Patients and methods

This cohort observational study included 23 adult patients. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures, heart rate, oxygen saturation percent, Pasero Opioid-Induced Sedation Scale score, and the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale pain score were assessed prior to the procedure and intranasal fentanyl (100 μg) administration and every 15 minutes after administration, up to 60 minutes post administration. Follow-up of patient satisfaction with pain control and treatment was assessed 24 hours after discharge. The primary outcome was safety as evidenced by adverse events. Secondary outcomes included the above-mentioned vital signs and pain ratings.

Results

No adverse events occurred in the present study and all participants maintained an acceptable level of awareness throughout the assessment period. One-way repeated measures analyses of covariance tests with Bonferroni-adjusted means indicated that oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and heart rate changed from baseline, whereas pain scores were lower at post-administration levels compared with baseline. Finally, the majority of participants reported being satisfied with pain control and treatment.

Conclusion

Preliminary evidence indicates that intranasal fentanyl is safe and effective for lumbar facet radiofrequency ablation procedures. Future rigorous randomized control trials are needed to confirm the present results and to examine the effects of intranasal fentanyl on intraoperative and postoperative opioid use.

Sufentanil sublingual formulation for the treatment of acute, moderate to severe postoperative pain in adult patients

INTRODUCTION

Sufentanil is a highly selective µ-opioid agonist commonly used by intravenous and intrathecal routes for acute pain. Sublingual sufentanil formulation for patient controlled analgesia (PCA) uses an innovative administration device that suspends a 15 µg nanotablet with a fixed lockout interval. The system is a non-invasive, less burdensome method of opioid delivery compared to intravenous and intrathecal routes. Sublingual nanotablet PCA transmucosal bioavailability is 59% and the meaningful analgesic onset time is 60 minutes. Areas covered: This paper focuses on the effectiveness, safety and feasibility of sufentanil PCA sublingual formulation for the management of postoperative pain. The paper is based on PubMed searches and the European Medicine Agency assessment report. Expert commentary: Under-treatment of acute pain is a substantial clinical problem. The initial experiences with the sublingual delivery system are encouraging. Sufentanil sublingual nanotablets intended for PCA device use are approved in Europe, and approval is pending in the United States.