Multimodal Analgesia in the Aesthetic Plastic Surgery: Concepts and Strategies

Novel multimodal analgesic regimen for perioperative pain management after hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) is a widely used local therapeutic approach for intermediate to advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), exhibiting considerable efficacy. However, the prevalence of postoperative pain highlights the importance of pain management. Owing to the limitations inherent in existing pain management strategies, this study investigates and assesses the analgesic effectiveness of a multimodal treatment protocol in mitigating pain after HAIC procedures.

AIM

To provide patients with a more comprehensive and effective pain management strategy.

METHODS

A total of 100 patients with primary HCC who underwent HAIC were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 50) and a multimodal group (n = 50). Baseline characteristics and perioperative data were collected. Upon enrollment, patients in the multimodal group received parecoxib (40 mg) 30 minutes before HAIC, followed by 48 hours of patient-controlled analgesia with sufentanil. In contrast, the control group underwent standard preoperative preparation (psychological support) and received dezocine (5 mg) intraoperatively, with intravenous flurbiprofen (100 mg) administered every 12 hours for 48 hours postoperatively.

RESULTS

Compared to the control group, the multimodal analgesia group exhibited significantly lower resting and movement visual analog scale pain scores at postoperative 0, 2, 4, 6, and 12 hours (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the multimodal group experienced a reduced incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, as well as a lower overall frequency of adverse events, compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Patient satisfaction was also significantly higher in the multimodal group than in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrates that multimodal analgesia is effective in reducing postoperative pain, minimizing adverse reactions, and improving patient satisfaction in HCC patients undergoing HAIC. This approach provides valuable clinical strategies for optimizing pain management in this patient population.

The Utility of Erector Spinae Plane Blocks in Breast Surgery: A Practical Review

Background

In plastic surgery, breast surgery patients are among the most susceptible to postoperative pain. Amidst the opioid epidemic, healthcare goals seek to optimize nonopioid multimodal pain control by including regional analgesia. The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is among several regional blocks used in breast surgery. Although the paravertebral block has previously served as the gold standard, new research focused on ESPB may shift standards.

Methods

A comprehensive PubMed review was performed in September 2023 to identify articles related to ESPB use in breast surgery. Non-English and unavailable articles were excluded. Data extracted included publication year, techniques, and outcomes.

Results

Sixty-eight publications were included, of which 31 were randomized control trials (45.6%). Most were published between 2021 and 2023 (n = 40, 58.8%). Most articles that evaluated pain and opioid use suggested that ESPB performed better than nonblocked groups (n = 26, 38.2% of total articles and n = 4, 5.88% of total articles) and performed similarly to other blocks. However, articles that evaluated the pectoral nerve block suggested it outperformed ESPB in these aspects (n = 6 articles, 8.82%). ESPB was shown to be a safe and procedurally short block to perform, effective in the hands of novice providers.

Conclusions

ESPB offers reliable outcomes, improving pain control and decreasing opioid consumption. In turn, this can decrease healthcare costs and patient morbidity.

Comparison of the Preemptive/Preventive Effect of Dexmedetomidine and Ketorolac on Post-operative Pain of Appendectomy Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives

The primary objective was to test the hypothesis that the preemptive/preventive effect of Dexmedetomidine would attenuate the post-operative pain more effectively compared to ketorolac and control groups.

Methods

This study was conducted in Shahid Mohamadi Hospital. Sixty patients undergoing appendectomy operations were randomized in 3 groups. Group A received intravenous Dexmedetomidine bolus (1 μg/kg) and infusion (0.5 μg/kg/h). Group B received slow intravenous bolus ketorolac 30 mg. Group C was the control group. Post-operatively fentanyl (5µg/mL) as patient control analgesia (PCA) was provided only on demand. The primary outcome was the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores recorded at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours postoperatively. The secondary outcome was the 24-hour cumulative fentanyl PCA dose. Tertiary outcomes; changes in blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, SpO2 perioperatively. Quaternary outcomes were PONV, shivering.

Results

In the Dexmedetomidine group the mean ± SD pain VAS scores 1.15 ± 1.98 and 0.95 ± 1.76 were significantly lower at 12 and 24 hours after operation (P = 0.004 and P = 0.003) compared to the other two (ketorolac and control) groups. The cumulative volume dose of fentanyl PCA 21.35 ± 11.77 mL was less in the Dexmedetomidine group compared to ketorolac (28.35 ± 9.82 mL, P = 0.629) and control (40.35 ± 12.90 mL, P = 0.003) groups.

Conclusions

Preemptive/preventive effects of Dexmedetomidine were greatest after operation compared to the ketorolac and control groups in the terms of pain scores and amount of analgesia needed postoperatively.

Use of Muscle Relaxants for Acute Postoperative Pain: A Practical Review

Background

Skeletal muscle relaxants have emerged as a broad category of analgesic adjuncts, aiming to improve pain relief and reduce opioid reliance. These drugs induce muscle relaxation and reduce muscle spasms, and therefore, they are commonly used in surgical procedures involving muscle manipulation, such as abdominal surgery, breast surgery, and spine surgery. However, their analgesic efficacy and opioid-sparing effects are poorly explored.

Methods

A scoping review of literature was performed with several electronic databases. We used a search string with a sequence of text words and word variants related to central muscle relaxants, pain management, postoperative pain, and specific muscle relaxants.

Results

Review of literature shows significant heterogeneity among the studies in terms of surgical procedures, patient populations, choice of muscle relaxant, and timing and duration of administration, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings and the ability for pooled analysis.

Conclusions

Given the lack of evidence, we recommend that the use of skeletal muscle relaxants be reserved for patients in whom an optimal multimodal analgesic technique is not adequate. Also, there may be a limited role for these drugs in patients at high risk of postoperative pain undergoing surgical procedures with expected high opioid requirements. Due to the concerns of potential adverse effects, the decision to use muscle relaxants in vulnerable populations should be made carefully, weighing the benefits against the risks.

Analgesic Efficacy of COX-2 Inhibitors in Periodontal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of COX-2 inhibitors versus other drugs in periodontal surgery. Two researchers searched PubMed, Google Scholar, ACM Digital, BASE, EBSCOhost, Scopus, or Web of Science for clinical trials using various combinations of words. All articles that met the selection criteria were assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool. For data analysis, the inverse variance and mean difference statistical method was used with Review Manager 5.3 software for Windows. According to the conclusion of each study (qualitative evaluation), only one clinical trial had results in favor of a COX-2 inhibitor when compared to placebo, one clinical study informed that a COX-2 was better that an active control, four studies showed similar analgesic efficacy to active controls, and one clinical study informed the analgesic effect of one celecoxib-caffeine combination in comparison with celecoxib alone and placebo (n = 337). The COX-2 inhibitors showed a decrease in the rescue analgesic consumption (n = 138; I2 = 15%; mean difference = −0.31; 95%CIs = −0.6 to −0.01), and lower pain intensity at four hours (n = 178; I2 = 0%; mean difference = −2.25; 95%CIs = −2.94 to −1.55; p = 0.00001) when compared to active controls after periodontal surgery. In conclusion, the data indicate that COX-2 agents produce better pain relief in comparison to placebo and other drugs after periodontal surgery.