Perioperative Pain Management Issues Unique to Older Adults Undergoing Surgery: A Narrative Review

Efficacy and Safety of Ultrasound Guided Inter-semispinal Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Posterior Cervical Laminectomy - A Prospective Randomised Controlled Study

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective, randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the safety and efficacy of an ultrasound-guided ISP block for postoperative analgesia in posterior cervical laminectomy.

METHODS

88 patients requiring posterior cervical laminectomy were randomized into two groups, those who underwent ISP block with multimodal analgesia (ISPB group) and those with only multimodal analgesia (control group). Demographic details, intraoperative parameters (blood loss, duration of surgery, perioperative total opioid consumption, muscle relaxants used), and postoperative parameters (numeric rating scale, satisfaction score, mobilization time, and complications) were recorded.

RESULTS

The total opioid consumption (128.41 + 39.65vs 284.09 + 140.92mcg; P < .001), muscle relaxant usage (46.14 + 6.18 mg vs 59.32 + 3.97 mg; P < .001), surgical duration (128.61 + 26.08/160.23 + 30.99mins; P < .01), and intra-operative blood loss (233.18 + 66.08 mL vs 409.77 + 115.41 mL; P < .01) were significantly less in the ISPB group compared to the control. In the postoperative period, the control group's pain score was significantly higher (P < .001) in the initial 48 hours. The Modified Observer Alertness/Sedation Score (MOASS) score and satisfaction scores were significantly better in the ISPB compared to the control (P < .001). The mean time required to ambulate was statistically less in ISPB (4.30 + 1.64hours) when compared to controls (9.48 + 3.07hours) (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

In patients undergoing posterior cervical laminectomy, ISP block is a safe and effective technique with better outcomes than standard multi-modal analgesia alone, in terms of reduced intra-operative opioid requirements and blood loss, better postoperative analgesia, and early mobilization.

Perioperative Anxiety and Depression in Older Adults: Epidemiology and Treatment

The intervals before and after major surgery is a high-risk period for older adults; in this setting, anxiety and depression are common and serious problems. We comprehensively reviewed current evidence on perioperative anxiety and depression in older adults, focusing on epidemiology, impact, correlates, medication risks, and treatment. Principles of perioperative mental healthcare are proposed based on the findings. Prevalence estimates of clinically significant anxiety and depression range from 5% to 45% for anxiety and 6% to 52% for depression, depending on surgical populations and measurement tools. Anxiety and depression may increase risk for surgical complications and reduce patient participation during rehabilitation. Medical comorbidities, pain, insomnia, cognitive impairment, and delirium are common co-occurring problems. Concomitant uses of central nervous system acting medications (benzodiazepines, anticholinergics, and opioids) amplify the risks of delirium and falls. Based on these findings, we propose that anxiety and depression care should be part of perioperative management in older adults; components include education, psychological support, opioid-sparing pain management, sleep management, deprescribing central nervous system active medications, and continuation and optimization of existing antidepressants. More research is needed to test and improve these care strategies.

The Analgesic Effects of Preemptive Ultrasound-Guided Pericapsular Nerve Group Block in Comparison with Erector Spinae Plane Block in Elderly Undergoing Hip Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Perioperative pain management strategies in the elderly undergoing hip arthroplasty need special and safe preemptive care.

Objectives

The primary aim of this study was to compare the analgesic effects of preemptive ultrasound-guided pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block and lumbar erector spinae plane block (L-ESPB) in the elderly undergoing hip arthroplasty. The time to the first postoperative rescue analgesia was measured. The secondary aim was to assess the ease of spinal positioning (EOSP), onset of sensory block, block performance time, and patient satisfaction.

Methods

Before positioning for spinal anesthesia, 69 elderly patients undergoing hip arthroplasty were randomized into three groups (n = 23 per group). The first intervention group received ultrasound-guided PENG block with 20 mL bupivacaine 0.25%; the second intervention group received ultrasound-guided L-ESPB using the same dose of bupivacaine. In the control group, patients received spinal anesthesia without any block.

Results

The time to first postoperative rescue analgesic (morphine) was significantly prolonged in the PENG group (13.3 ± 3.5 h) compared to the L-ESPB (9.5 ± 2.3 h) and control (2.6 ± 0.4 h) groups. The EOSP score was significantly higher in the PENG group compared to the L-ESPB and control groups (P < 0.001). The block performance time and oneset of the sensory block were significantly shorter in the PENG group compared to the L-ESPB group. The highest patient satisfaction scores were observed in the PENG group.

Conclusions

Preemptive pericapsular nerve group block postponed the need for postoperative analgesia and eased spinal positioning compared to L-ESPB in the elderly undergoing hip arthroplasty.

Anesthesia and perioperative pain relief in the frail elderly patient

Demand for anesthesia and analgesia for the frail elderly is continuously increasing as the likelihood of encountering very elderly, very vulnerable, and very compromised patients has, ever so subtly, increased over the last three decades. The anesthesiologist has, increasingly, been obliged to offer professional services to frail patients. Fortunately, there has been a dramatic improvement in medications, methods of drug delivery, critical monitoring, and anesthesia techniques. Specific methodologies peculiar to the frail are now taught and practiced across all anesthesia subspecialties. However, administering anesthesia for the frail elderly is vastly different to giving an anesthetic to the older patient. Frail patients are increasingly cared for in specialized units-geriatric intensive therapy units, post-acute care services, palliative, hospices, and supportive care and aged care facilities. Several medications (e.g., morphine-sparing analgesics) more suited to the frail have become universally available in most centers worldwide so that best-practice, evidence-based anesthesia combinations of drugs and techniques are now increasingly employed. Every anesthetic and pain management techniques in the frail elderly patient are going to be discussed in this review.

Perioperative analgesia in the elderly

The administration of analgesic drugs in elderly patients should take into account age-related physiological changes, loss of efficiency of homeostatic mechanisms, and pharmacological interactions with chronic therapies. Underestimation of pain in patients with impaired cognition is often linked to difficulties in pain assessment. In the preoperative phase, it is essential to assess the physical status, cognitive reserve, and previous chronic pain conditions to plan effective analgesia. Furthermore, an accurate pharmacological history of the patient must be collected to establish any possible interaction with the whole perioperative analgesic plan. The use of analgesic drugs with different mechanisms of action for pain relief in the intraoperative phase is a crucial step to achieve adequate postoperative pain control in older adults. The combined multimodal and opioid-sparing strategy is strongly recommended to reduce side effects. The use of various adjuvants is also preferable. Moreover, the implementation of non-pharmacological approaches may lead to faster recovery. High-quality postoperative analgesia in older patients can be achieved only with a collaborative interdisciplinary team. The aim of this review is to highlight the perioperative pain management strategies in the elderly with a special focus on intraoperative pharmacological interventions.

Pain Management in the Postoperative Period for People With Dementia: An Integrative Review

Objective

With the increased global prevalence of older people with dementia, more will present for surgery over the coming decades. Therefore, the objective of this study was to synthesize the existing research about how pain in managed for people with dementia in the postoperative period and discuss the implications for clinical practice.

Methods

For this integrative review, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health literature, Medline/Pubmed, ProQuest, ERIC, and Health Source Nursing were searched to identify original empirical research published between 2000 and 2021. Tasks were divided between reviewers to ensure independent study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment.

Results

Eleven articles were eligible. The evidence is incompletely developed therefore the review focused on pain assessment, the types and amount of pain relief, that people with dementia receive less analgesia than people without dementia and the challenges for effective pain management. Most studies were surgery for hip fracture so there is scope to look at outcomes for other types of surgery. Analgesia was administered but it was noted that even over a 20-year period, people with dementia received less than cognitively intact people. Pain management could have a stronger evidence-base with more psychometric development of pain assessment tools. Challenges are due to the impaired ability of the person with dementia to communicate pain and that clinicians have difficulty understanding pain behavior in people with dementia.

Conclusion

Adequate pain management for people with dementia in the postoperative period is important for a faster and better recovery.

Pain Management in the Elderly: A Narrative Review

With the increase in life expectancy in the United States, octogenarians and nonagenarians are more frequently seen in clinical practice. The elderly patients have multiple preexisting comorbidities and are on multiple medications, which can make pain management complex. Moreover, the elderly population often suffers from chronic pain related to degenerative processes, making medical management challenging. In this review, the authors collated available evidence for best practices for pain management in the elderly.

Pain With Differing Insufflation Pressures During Robotic Sacrocolpopexy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether decreasing insufflation pressure reduces postoperative pain and opioid use in women undergoing robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy.

METHODS

In a single-blinded randomized trial, women with pelvic organ prolapse underwent robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy at either 12 mm Hg (experimental) or 15 mm Hg (standard) insufflation pressure. The primary outcome was pain rating on a visual analog scale (VAS) on postoperative day 1 within 24 hours of surgery. Secondary outcomes included VAS pain rating at outpatient follow-up, inpatient and outpatient use of opioids, operative time, and estimated blood loss. A margin of 15 mm was considered clinically different on the VAS, and at 80% power, a sample size of at least 64 participants was needed to show significance.

RESULTS

From April 27, 2021, to May 17, 2022, 80 women were enrolled, with 41 in the experimental group and 39 in the standard group. All participants underwent surgery as planned and attended a 2-week postoperative follow-up. Participants in the experimental group had less pain on postoperative day 1 with median VAS of 17.0 mm (interquartile range 26.0) compared with 29.0 mm (interquartile range 32.0, P=.007) in the standard group. No differences were noted in the secondary outcomes of operative time, estimated blood loss, or length of stay. Participants in the experimental group were noted to use fewer opioids while an inpatient (P=.04) and outpatient (P=.02). In multivariable analyses, lower insufflation pressure and increasing age were negatively associated with postoperative VAS scores.

CONCLUSION

Lowering insufflation pressure (12 mm Hg) during robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy safely reduced postoperative pain and opioid use compared with standard pressure (15 mm Hg).

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinialTrials.gov, NCT04858438.

Association of Reported Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) Adverse Drug Reactions With Opioid Prescribing After Total Joint Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are indicated for postoperative pain management, but use may be precluded by the report of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The effect of NSAID ADR labeling on opioid prescribing after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association between NSAID ADRs and postoperative opioid prescribing after TJA, a common surgical procedure.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study of adults who underwent total joint (knee or hip) replacement in a single hospital network between April, 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019. Demographic information, clinical and surgical characteristics, and prescription data were obtained from the electronic health record. We studied the association between reported NSAID ADRs and postoperative opioid prescribing in a propensity score-matched sample over 1 year of follow-up.

RESULTS

NSAID ADRs were reported by 9.6% of the entire cohort (n = 584/6091). NSAID ADR was associated with 41% higher odds of receipt of opioid prescriptions at 181 to 365 days after hospital discharge (95% confidence interval: 13%-75%) in a propensity score-matched sample. Over 98% of individuals received an opioid prescription at the time of hospital discharge, with no difference in overall median opioid dose prescribed by NSAID ADR status. However, more patients with NSAID ADRs (7.6% vs 4.7%) received cumulative opioid doses ≥ 750 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) at discharge (P = .004).

CONCLUSION

Reported NSAID ADR was associated with increased risk for prolonged receipt of opioids at 181 to 365 days postoperatively. Patients with NSAID ADRs more frequently received cumulative opioid doses ≥ 750 MME at discharge after TJA. Clarification and evaluation of reported NSAID ADRs may be particularly beneficial for surgical patients at high risk for prolonged receipt of opioids.

Optimising Medications in Older Vascular Surgery Patients Through Geriatric Co-management

BACKGROUND

Prescribing of potentially inappropriate medications and under-prescribing of guideline-recommended medications for cardiovascular risk modification have both been associated with negative outcomes in older adults. Hospitalisation represents an important opportunity to optimise medication use and may be achieved through geriatrician-led interventions.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to evaluate whether implementation of a novel model of care called Geriatric Comanagement of older Vascular (GeriCO-V) surgery patients is associated with improvements in medication prescribing.

METHODS

We used a prospective pre-post study design. The intervention was a geriatric co-management model, where a geriatrician delivered comprehensive geriatric assessment-based interventions including a routine medication review. We included consecutively admitted patients to the vascular surgery unit at a tertiary academic centre aged ≥ 65 years with an expected length of stay of ≥ 2 days and who were discharged from hospital. Outcomes of interest were the prevalence of at least one potentially inappropriate medication as defined by the Beers Criteria at admission and discharge, and rates of cessation of at least one potentially inappropriate medication present on admission. In the subgroup of patients with peripheral arterial disease, the prevalence of guideline-recommended medications on discharge was determined.

RESULTS

There were 137 patients in the pre-intervention group (median [interquartile range] age: 80.0 [74.0-85.0] years, 83 [60.6%] with peripheral arterial disease) and 132 patients in the post-intervention group (median [interquartile range] age: 79.0 (73.0-84.0) years, 75 [56.8%] with peripheral arterial disease). There was no change in the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use from admission to discharge in either group (pre-intervention: 74.5% on admission vs 75.2% on discharge; post-intervention: 72.0% vs 72.7%, p = 0.65). Forty-five percent of pre-intervention group patients had at least one potentially inappropriate medication present on admission ceased, compared with 36% of post-intervention group patients (p = 0.11). A higher number of patients with peripheral arterial disease in the post-intervention group were discharged on antiplatelet agent therapy (63 [84.0%] vs 53 [63.9%], p = 0.004) and lipid-lowering therapy (58 [77.3%] vs 55 [66.3%], p = 0.12).

CONCLUSIONS

Geriatric co-management was associated with an improvement in guideline-recommended antiplatelet agent prescribing aimed at cardiovascular risk modification for older vascular surgery patients. The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications was high in this population, and was not reduced with geriatric co-management.

Efficacy of pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block on perioperative pain management in elderly patients undergoing hip surgical procedures: a protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

INTRODUCTION

An increasing number of elderly patients suffer from hip diseases associated with moderate to severe perioperative pain during the accelerating global ageing process. Optimal analgesia can decrease perioperative complications and facilitate elderly patients' perioperative recovery. Pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block is a relatively new, analgesia adequate and motor-sparing block technique for perioperative pain management of hip diseases. However, the efficacy of PENG block remains unclear as the limited clinical evidence. Then, we will perform a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the efficacy of PENG block for perioperative pain management.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

PubMed, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese BioMedical Literature, Wanfang and VIP databases will be searched from inception to August 2022 to identify randomised controlled trials of elderly patients accepting PENG block for hip diseases. The primary outcome will be the pain intensity after pain management. Secondary outcomes will be quadriceps strength, perioperative rescue analgesia information and perioperative complications. Assessment of heterogeneity will be primarily inspected by forest plots. If there is no indication of funnel plot asymmetry, a random-effects meta-analysis will be performed. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation and trial sequential analysis will be conducted to evaluate the evidence quality and control the random errors. Funnel plots and Egger's regression test will be performed to evaluate publication bias.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval was not required for this systematic review protocol. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022313895.

Postoperative Opioid Use Following Single-Level Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Compared with Posterolateral Lumbar Fusion

OBJECTIVE

To compare postoperative opioid morphine milligram equivalents (MME) prescriptions for opioid-naïve patients undergoing single-level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) versus posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) and total postoperative MME prescribed based on operative duration.

METHODS

Patients undergoing single-level TLIF or PLF from September 2017 to June 2020 were identified from a single institution. Patients were first grouped based on procedure type (TLIF or PLF) and subsequently regrouped based on median operative duration. Statistical tests compared patient demographics and opioid prescription data between groups. Multivariate regressions were performed to control for demographics, operative time, and procedure type.

RESULTS

Of 345 patients undergoing single-level PLF or TLIF, 174 (50.4%) were opioid-naïve; 101 opioid-naïve patients (58.0%) underwent PLF and 73 (42.0%) underwent TLIF. Patients undergoing TLIF received more opioid prescriptions (1.99 vs. 1.26, P < 0.001) and total MME (91.2 vs. 66.8, P = 0.002). After regrouping patients based on operative duration, independent of procedure type, there were no differences in postoperative opioid prescriptions, and Spearman rank correlation coefficient between total MME and operative duration was r = 0.014. Multivariate analysis identified TLIF as an independent predictor of increased postoperative opioid prescriptions (β = 0.64, P < 0.001), prescribers (β = 0.49, P = 0.003), and MME (β = 24.4, P = 0.030).

CONCLUSIONS

Opioid-naïve patients undergoing single-level TLIF receive a greater number of postoperative opioids than patients undergoing single-level PLF, and TLIF was an independent predictor of increased postoperative opioid prescribers, prescribers, and MME. There were no differences in postoperative opioid prescriptions when assessing patients based on operative duration.

Paracetamol for multimodal analgesia

Pain and related disability remain a major social and therapeutic problem. Comorbidities and therapies increase drug interactions and side effects making pain management more compounded especially in the elderly who are the fastest-growing pain population. Multimodal analgesia consists of using two or more drugs and/or techniques that target different sites of pain, increasing the level of analgesia and decreasing adverse events from treatment. Paracetamol enhances multimodal analgesia in experimental and clinical pain states. Strong preclinical evidence supports that paracetamol has additive and synergistic interactions with anti-inflammatory, opioid and anti-neuropathic drugs in rodent models of nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Clinical studies in young and adult elderly patients confirm the utility of paracetamol in multimodal, non-opioid or opioid-sparing, therapies for the treatment of acute and chronic pain.