Effect of different anesthetic modalities with multimodal analgesia on postoperative pain level in colorectal tumor patients

BACKGROUND According to clinical data,a significant percentage of patients experience pain after surgery,highlighting the importance of alleviating postoperative pain.The current approach involves intravenous self-control analgesia,often utilizing opioid analgesics such as morphine,sufentanil,and fentanyl.Surgery for colo-rectal cancer typically involves general anesthesia.Therefore,optimizing anes-thetic management and postoperative analgesic programs can effectively reduce perioperative stress and enhance postoperative recovery.The study aims to analyze the impact of different anesthesia modalities with multimodal analgesia on patients'postoperative pain.AIM To explore the effects of different anesthesia methods coupled with multi-mode analgesia on postoperative pain in patients with colorectal cancer.METHODS Following the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria,a total of 126 patients with colorectal cancer admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were included,of which 63 received general anesthesia coupled with multi-mode labor pain and were set as the control group,and 63 received general anesthesia associated with epidural anesthesia coupled with multi-mode labor pain and were set as the research group.After data collection,the effects of postoperative analgesia,sedation,and recovery were compared.RESULTS Compared to the control group,the research group had shorter recovery times for orientation,extubation,eye-opening,and spontaneous respiration(P<0.05).The research group also showed lower Visual analog scale scores at 24 h and 48 h,higher Ramany scores at 6 h and 12 h,and improved cognitive function at 24 h,48 h,and 72 h(P<0.05).Additionally,interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 levels were significantly reduced at various time points in the research group compared to the control group(P<0.05).Levels of CD3+,CD4+,and CD4+/CD8+were also lower in the research group at multiple time points(P<0.05).CONCLUSION For patients with colorectal cancer,general anesthesia coupled with epidural anesthesia and multi-mode analgesia can achieve better postoperative analgesia and sedation effects,promote postoperative rehabilitation of patients,improve inflammatory stress and immune status,and have higher safety.

Foot and ankle surgery:Tourniquet placement site to cause as little postoperative pain as possible

There is controversy in the literature on where to place the tourniquet(thigh,calf,ankle)for foot and ankle surgery.While some authors prefer the ankle tourniquet to the calf tourniquet,others state that the surgeon can decide between using the thigh tourniquet or the ankle tourniquet,since there was no difference in postoperative pain between them.Where to place the tourniquet during foot and ankle surgery to cause the least possible postoperative pain to the patient as a result of the tourniquet is a common question in clinical practice.The reality is that,unfortunately,there is no consensus on this issue.Perhaps the only possible way to answer this question would be to conduct a comparative study with sufficient statistical power to reach scientifically sound conclusions.It does not seem easy to carry out such a study,but it would be important to be able to answer the question posed in the title of this Editorial once and for all.

Analysis of factors impacting postoperative pain and quality of life in patients with mixed hemorrhoids:A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Hemorrhoids are among the most common and frequently encountered chronic anorectal diseases in anorectal surgery.They are venous clusters formed by con-gestion,expansion,and flexion of the venous plexus in the lower part of the rec-tum.Mixed hemorrhoids bleed easily and recurrently,and this can result in severe anemia.Hence,they may have a negative effect on the health of the patient and surgical treatment is required.Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy has been widely used since 1937 for the treatment of grade III and IV hemorrhoids.How-ever,most patients experience different degrees of postoperative pain that may cause anxiety.with mixed hemorrhoids post-surgery.METHODS The clinical data of patients with mixed hemorrhoids who underwent Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy were collected retrospectively.The basic character-istics of the enrolled patients with mixed hemorrhoids were recorded,and based on the Goligher clinical grading system,the hemorrhoids were classified as grades III or IV.The endpoint of this study was the disappearance of pain in all patients.Quantitative data were presented as mean±SD,such as age,pain score,and QoL score.Student’s t-test was used to compare the groups.RESULTS A total of 164 patients were enrolled.The distribution of the visual analog scale pain scores of all patients at 3,7,14 and 28 d after surgery showed that post-surgery pain was significantly reduced with the passage of time.Fourteen days after the operation,the pain had completely disappeared in some patients.Twenty-eight days after the surgery,none of the patients experienced any pain.Comparing the World Health Or-ganization Quality of Life-BREF self-reporting questionnaire scores of patients between 14 and 28 d after surgery,we observed that the quality-of-life scores of the patients post-surgery had significantly improved.There were six items that were compared at 14-and 28-d post-surgery.The mean QoL score 28 d after surgery(4.79±0.46)was higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(3.79±0.57).The mean health condition score 28 d after surgery(4.80±0.41)was also higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(4.01±0.62).The mean physical health score 28 d after surgery(32.10±2.96)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(23.41±2.85).The mean psychological health score 28 d after surgery(27.22±1.62)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(21.37±1.70).The mean social relations score 28 d after surgery(12.21±1.59)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(6.32±1.66).The mean surrounding environment score 28 d after surgery(37.13±2.88)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(28.42±2.86).The differences in quality-of-life scores at day 14 and day 28 post-surgery were ob-served to be statistically significant(P<0.001).CONCLUSION Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy can significantly improve the postoperative QoL of patients.Age,sex,and the number of surgical resections were important factors influencing Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy.

Neuroanatomical Basis of Postoperative Pain and Assessment of Its Management in a Series of Patients Undergoing Caesarean Sections

Introduction: In recent decades, the cost of postoperative pain has been the subject of many studies based on protocols developed by scientific societies for its assessment and optimization. At the Regional Hospital of Saint-Louis (Senegal), several protocols have been developed for pain management, but no study has focused on the assessment of postoperative pain management specifically. We therefore initiated this work, the objectives of which were to remind the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological bases of postoperative pain, and to analyze the assessment and management of this pain in patients who have undergone a caesarean section. Materials and methods: This was a prospective and descriptive study, which took place in the gynecology-obstetrics department, over a period from January 2019 to July 2020. All patients who gave birth by cesarean section were included. The data was collected from a survey sheet written for this purpose. For each of the patients, the information was taken every day throughout the duration of postoperative hospitalization. Results: It appears from our work that after a cesarean section, the pain felt evolves on the first postoperative days with a peak during the second day. As in the data reported in the literature, there does not seem to be a difference in terms of pain intensity and analgesia dosage between scheduled and emergency caesarean sections. However, young age and female gender—for other types of surgeries—are risk factors associated with high postoperative pain scores. This trend is probably related to the low pain experience of tested patients. Our initial hypothesis was that acute post-operative pain after caesarean sections could be linked to defects in the perception and processing of pain by caregivers. Indeed, we have shown that awareness-raising, information, and training actions have made it possible to significantly improve the management of pain after a cesarean section. Conclusion: After a cesarean section the pain is intense, especially when the effects of the morphine wear off. However, in our context where morphine and its derivatives are only slightly used, the post-operative pain is maximal rapidly. This pain therefore needs to be researched and treated appropriately. After a campaign to raise awareness among healthcare personnel, it is possible to significantly improve the systematic administration of analgesics.

Analysis of the Effects of Local Injection of Epinephrine and Lidocaine on Postoperative Pain and Bleeding in Children Undergoing Tonsillectomy

Objective:To explore the effects of local injection of epinephrine and lidocaine on postoperative pain and bleeding in children undergoing tonsillectomy.Methods:Sixty-eight children who underwent a tonsillectomy in our hospital from March 2019 to October 2020 were selected.The children were randomly divided into two groups of 34 cases each.The observation group received local anesthetic injections of lidocaine and the control group received local anesthetic injections of epinephrine.The postoperative pain,operation time,blood pressure changes,and intraoperative blood loss of the two groups of children were observed and analyzed.Results:The postoperative pain,operation time,and intraoperative blood loss scores of the children in the observation group were 4.36±0.69,0.36±0.09,and 39.36±1.78 respectively,which were significantly better than those of the children in the control group(P<0.05)at 5.36±0.77,0.79±0.05,and 45.36±1.56,respectively.The systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of the observation group 3 minutes before surgery and 180 minutes after surgery were no different from those of the control group(P>0.05).Conclusion:Local injection of epinephrine and lidocaine effectively relieved postoperative pain and reduced bleeding in children undergoing tonsillectomy as compared to epinephrine alone.

Clinical Observation of Chinese Medicinal Prescriptions for Swelling and Pain in The Postoperative Treatment of Mixed Hemorrhoids

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)on reducing swelling and pain in patients with mixed hemorrhoids.Methods:Sixty patients with mixed hemorrhoids who were admitted to the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Qiqihar from January 2023 to January 2024 were selected and divided into two groups.The treatment group(n=30)was treated with mixed hemorrhoid ligation combined with traditional Chinese swelling and pain medicine,and the control group(n=30)was only treated with mixed hemorrhoid ligation.The pain level,edema score,and prognosis of the two groups after the intervention were analyzed.The clinical efficacy was used as the evaluation criterion to compare the clinical effects of different treatment options.Results:After the treatment,the pain score,edema score,and prognostic wound score of the treatment group were all lower than those of the control group(P 0.05).The total clinical effectiveness of the treatment group(100%)was higher than that of the control group(76.67%),(χ^(2)=4.2857,P<0.05).Conclusion:The application of traditional Chinese swelling and pain medicine in treating patients with mixed hemorrhoids effectively reduced the patient’s pain,reduced the degree of wound edema,promoted wound healing,and improved the patient’s prognosis.The curative effect was significant and had a positive impact.

Comparison of external treatment of Acupuncture and moxibustion and intervention of Chinese and Western Medicine on postoperative pain of hemorrhoids:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of postoperative pain of hemorrhoids compared with traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine.Methods CNKI,PubMed,Cochrane Library,Science Direct,Wan Fang,VIP,CBM,WOS,Bailian Yun Library and other databases were systematically retrieved from January 1,2017 to October 31,2022 for clinical randomized controlled trials of acupuncture versus traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine for postoperative pain in hemorrhoids.The two evaluators independently retrieved,sifted through literature and extracted data for inclusion in a randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for the treatment of hemorrhoid pain that matched the study.Literature quality assessment was performed using RevMan5.4 for meta-analysis.Results A total of 540 related literature articles were retrieved,of which 139 were from CNKI,104 from Wan Fang,26 from VIP,7 from PubMed,9 from Cochrane Library,35 from WOS,173 from CMB,1 from Science Direct and 46 from the Bailian Yun Library,Screening resulted in inclusion of 10 RCTs including 870 patients.Meta analysis showed no statistically significant difference between the degree of pain in 2 hours[MD=-0.01,95%CI(-0.23,0.24),P=0.95].And it showed that the total effective rate of the two groups was[RR=1.14,95%CI(1.06,1.24),P=0.001],intervention for 2 days pain degree was[MD=0.41,95%CI(0.13,0.69),P=0.004],the length of hospital stay was[SMD=1.10,95%CI(0.73,1.48),P<0.00001],the incidence of adverse reaction was[RR=0.15,95%CI(0.03,0.79),P=0.03],the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Drug treatment is effective quickly,analgesia effect is better than acupuncture in early treatment,but the effect is not lasting.Acupuncture treatment is slow to start but the effects of acupuncture will gradually become apparent at a later stage.However,due to the poor quality of collection,multicenter,large sample size and double-blind randomized controlled trials are still needed.

Pain threshold, anxiety and other factors affect intensity of postoperative pain in gastric cancer patients: A prospective cohort study

Objective: This prospective cohort study explored factors related to postoperative pain in gastric cancer patients.Methods: A total of 236 patients who underwent gastrectomy were enrolled. All patients enrolled in the study completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(HADS) questionnaire and Life Orientation Test-Revised(LOT-R) questionnaire on the day before surgery. Heat pain threshold(HPT), cold pain threshold(CPT) and pressure pain threshold(PPT) were measured for all patients one day prior to surgery and demographic details were collected. All patients were connected to a patient-controlled intravenous analgesia(PCIA) pump at the end of the surgery. The occurrence of postoperative pain was used as a dependent variable, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to screen for factors affecting postoperative pain.Results: In total, 83 patients(35.2%) had postoperative pain. Body mass index(BMI) ≥28 kg/m^(2) [odds ratio(OR): 2.67;95% confidence interval(95% CI): 1.07-6.67], total gastrectomy(OR: 2.64;95% CI: 1.42-4.91),preoperative anxiety score ≥8(OR: 2.37;95% CI: 1.12-5.02), heat pain threshold ≤4.9 s(OR: 2.14;95% CI:1.06-4.32), pressure pain threshold ≤4 g(OR: 2.05;95% CI: 1.05-4.03), and female gender(OR: 1.99;95% CI:1.04-3.83) were risk factors for postoperative pain.Conclusions: Obesity, wide range of gastrectomy, high preoperative anxiety, low HPT and PPT, and female gender are associated with increased risk for postoperative pain.

Postoperative accurate pain assessment of children and artificial intelligence: A medical hypothesis and planned study

Although the pediatric perioperative pain management has been improved in recent years,the valid and reliable pain assessment tool in perioperative period of children remains a challenging task.Pediatric perioperative pain management is intractable not only because children cannot express their emotions accurately and objectively due to their inability to describe physiological characteristics of feeling which are different from those of adults,but also because there is a lack of effective and specific assessment tool for children.In addition,exposure to repeated painful stimuli early in life is known to have short and long-term adverse sequelae.The short-term sequelae can induce a series of neurological,endocrine,cardiovascular system stress related to psychological trauma,while long-term sequelae may alter brain maturation process,which can lead to impair neurodevelopmental,behavioral,and cognitive function.Children’s facial expressions largely reflect the degree of pain,which has led to the developing of a number of pain scoring tools that will help improve the quality of pain mana-gement in children if they are continually studied in depth.The artificial inte-lligence(AI)technology represented by machine learning has reached an unprecedented level in image processing of deep facial models through deep convolutional neural networks,which can effectively identify and systematically analyze various subtle features of children’s facial expressions.Based on the construction of a large database of images of facial expressions in children with perioperative pain,this study proposes to develop and apply automatic facial pain expression recognition software using AI technology.The study aims to improve the postoperative pain management for pediatric population and the short-term and long-term quality of life for pediatric patients after operational event.

Quality Control of Postoperative Acute Pain Service

To establish an effective method of continuous quality control of acute pain service, a retrospective study on incident reporting during postoperative anal-gesia period was conducted. Incidents were reported and analyzed in 1507 patients who received epidural postoperative analgesia, and the results of satisfaction of pain relief was compared with those of incident analysis. In this study, an incident was defined as any factor that might or had affected patient's safety during analgesia period. Our results showed that 1203 incidents were reported in 641 of 1507 patients, of which 122 incidents were critical. 78. 3 % of all incidents were detect-ed by acute pain service stuff. The most common incidents included complica-tions, insufficient analgesia and problems with delivery circuits. Human factors were involved in 28. 9 % of the incidents, most being associated with technical failure due to unskillfu1ness, poor communications between APS stuff and pa-tients and lack of cooperation with surgeons and nurses. The general satisfactionrate of the patients was 90. 8 %. There was a very significant difference between the satisfaction of the patients who suffered from incidents and who did not (P<t0.001). It is concluded that incidents affect the satisfaction of the patients who received postoperative pain relief. Incident reporting is a more effective method for quality control of acute pain service.

Diabetic Patients Develop Greater Intensity of Postoperative Pain than Non-Diabetics after Open Cholecystectomy: A Pilot Study

Background: Pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown that inflammatory pain intensity is increased under diabetes condition. Open cholecystectomy (OC) is a surgical procedure with predictable postoperative pain. However, the comparison of postoperative pain due to open cholecystectomy in diabetic and non-diabetic patients remains unknown. The research question to answer was whether diabetic patients undergoing OC development greater intensity of postoperative pain than non-diabetic patients. Methods: The study was conducted between June 2016 and February 2018 at the Regional Hospital of High Specialty “Dr. Juan Graham Casasús” of Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Seventy patients in two groups of 35 patients each scheduled for OC under general anesthesia were studied. Pain was assessed using the 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). The primary endpoint was to know NRS pain scores after awaking of general anesthesia. Secondary outcomes included the time of onset of pain and comparing NRS scores between diabetic and non-diabetic patients undergoing OC. Results: Diabetic patients reported significantly greater intensity pain than non-diabetic patients. The mean overall pain score in the diabetic and non-diabetic patients was 7.2 ± 0.3 and 5.3 ± 0.3 (P = 0.0002), respectively. Furthermore, 60% of diabetic patients had severe pain (NRS ≥ 8) compared to 20% of non-diabetics (P = 0.006). The time to onset postoperative pain was about 35 minutes in both groups (P = 0.876). Conclusions: Diabetic patients undergoing OC have greater intensity postoperative pain and also more frequency of patients with severe pain scores compared with non-diabetic patients. Therefore, analgesic treatment in those patients should consider this point in order to provide a satisfactory postoperative analgesia.

Clinical Observation on 100 Cases of Postoperative Pain of Anal-Intestinal Diseases Treated with Vitamine K Blocking at Changqiang Point

Since the latter half of 1996, we have used vitamine K blocking at Changqiang (GV 1) for relieving the postoperative pain of anal fissure with satisfactory results. A report follows.……

Effects of Electroacupuncture on Pain Threshold and Prostaglandin E2 in Spinal Cord in Postoperative Pain Rat

Objective:Electroacupuncture(EA)is good at post-surgical pain.But point selection method in treating incision-induced pain remains a major clinical challenge.We reasoned that different acupoints may work though adjusting prostaglandin E2 in spinal cord.We wish to explore the analgesic mechanism of electroacupuncture on plantar incision pain rats and provide more therapeutic ideas for acupuncture analgesia.Methods:A total of 50 male rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group,a model group,an EA 1,EA 2 and a drug group(n=10,each).A rat model of left plantar incision pain was established.The rats in EA1 group was needled at ipsilateral Yanglingquan(GB34)and Taixi(KI3).The rats in EA2 group was needled at ipsilateral Quchi(LI11)and Hegu(LI4).EA stimulation(2/100 Hz,1-2-3 mA)was administered 30 minutes immediately after operation.The rats in drug group were fed with Fenbid by gavage 20 minutes before incision(30 mg/kg,p.o.).The hot plate pain detector was used to measure the thermal pain threshold(TPT)before and 24 hours after operation Prostaglandin E2 content of spinal cord was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)at 1 and 24 hours after operation.Results:Compared with sham operation group,the TPT in model group decreased 41%.Compared with the model group,the TPT increased 56%in EA1,29%in EA2,190%in drug group(P>0.05).At 1 h after operation,compared with the sham operation group,PGE_2 in model group increased 15%.Compared with the model group,PGE_2 in drug group decreased 5%.At 24 hours after operation,compared with sham operation group,PGE_2 in model group increased 9%.Compared with model group,it decreased 4%in EA 1 group,8%in drug group and increased 3%in EA2 group.Conclusion:Both the drug and the electroacupuncture can adjust the 24-hour pain threshold and PGE_2 in spinal cord.The curative effects of the drug are better than that of electroacupuncture.The proximal point is better than that of the distal point.Electroacupuncture can treat postoperative pain by regulating PGE_2 in spinal cord.

Preoperative administration of intramuscular dezocine reduces postoperative pain for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Postoperative pain is the most common complaint after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This study was carried out to evaluate whether preoperative administration of intramuscular dezocine can provide postoperative analgesia and reduce postoperative opioid consumption in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients （ASA Ⅰ or Ⅱ ） scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly assigned into intramuscular dezocine group （group 1） or intramuscular normal saline group （group 2）. Dezocine and equal volume normal saline were administered intramuscularly 10 rain before the induction of anesthesia. After operation, the severity of postoperative pain, postoperative fentanyl requirement, incidence and severity of side-effects were assessed. Postoperative pain and postoperative patient-controlled fentanyl consumption were reduced significantly in group l compared with group 2. The incidence and severity of side effects were similar between the two groups. Preoperative single-dose administration of intramuscular dezocine 0.1 mg/kg was effective in reducing postoperative pain and postoperative patient-controlled fentanyl requirement in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Effect of local wound infiltration with ropivacaine on postoperative pain relief and stress response reduction after open hepatectomy

AIM To prospectively evaluate the effect of local wound infiltration with ropivacaine on postoperative pain relief and stress response reduction after open hepatectomy.METHODS A total of 56 patients undergoing open hepatectomy were randomly divided into two groups:a ropivacaine group(wound infiltration with ropivacaine solution)and a control group(infiltration with isotonic saline solution).A visual analog scale(VAS)at rest and on movement was used to measure postoperative pain for the first 48 h after surgery.Mean arterial pressure(MAP),heart rate(HR),time to bowel recovery,length of hospitalization after surgery,cumulative sufentanil consumption,and incidence of nausea and vomiting were compared between the two groups.Surgical stress hormones(epinephrine,norepinephrine,and cortisol)were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the results were compared. RESULTS VAS scores both at rest and on movement at 24 h and48 h were similar between the two groups.Significantly lower VAS scores were detected at 0,6,and 12 h in the ropivacaine group compared with the control group(P<0.05 for all).MAP was significantly lower at 6,12,and 24 h(P<0.05 for all);HR was significantly lower at 0,6,12,and 24 h(P<0.05 for all);time to bowel recovery and length of hospitalization after surgery(P<0.05 for both)were significantly shortened;and cumulative sufentanil consumption was significantly lower at 6,12,24,and 36 h(P<0.05 for all)in the ropivacaine group than in the control group,although the incidence of nausea and vomiting showed no significant difference between the two groups.The levels of epinephrine,norepinephrine,and cortisol were significantly lower in the ropivacaine group than in the control group at 24 and 48 h(P<0.01 for all). CONCLUSION Local wound infiltration with ropivacaine after open hepatectomy can improve postoperative pain relief,reduce surgical stress response,and accelerate postoperative recovery.

Effectiveness and safety of continuous wound infiltrationfor postoperative pain management after open gastrectomy

AIM: To prospectively evaluate the effectiveness and safety of continuous wound infiltration(CWI) for pain management after open gastrectomy. METHODS: Seventy-five adult patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA) Physical Status Classification System(ASA) grade 1-3 undergoing open gastrectomy were randomized to three groups. Group 1 patients received CWI with 0.3% ropivacaine(group CWI). Group 2 patients received 0.5 mg/m L morphine intravenously by a patient-controlled analgesia pump(PCIA)(group PCIA). Group 3 patients received epidural analgesia(EA) with 0.12% ropivacaine and 20 μg/m L morphine with an infusion at 6-8 m L/h for 48 h(group EA). A standard general anesthetic technique was used for all three groups. Rescue analgesia(2 mg bolus of morphine, intravenous) was given when the visual analogue scale(VAS) score was ≥ 4. The outcomes measured over 48 h after the operation were VAS scores both at rest and during mobilization, total morphine consumption, relative side effects, and basic vital signs. Further results including time to extubation, recovery of bowel function, surgical wound healing,mean length of hospitalization after surgery, and the patient's satisfaction were also recorded.RESULTS: All three groups had similar VAS scores during the first 48 h after surgery. Group CWI and group EA, compared with group PCIA, had lower morphine consumption(P < 0.001), less postoperative nausea and vomiting(1.20 ± 0.41 vs 1.96 ± 0.67, 1.32 ± 0.56 vs 1.96 ± 0.67, respectively, P < 0.001), earlier extubation(16.56 ± 5.24 min vs 19.76 ± 5.75 min, P < 0.05, 15.48 ± 4.59 min vs 19.76 ± 5.75 min, P < 0.01), and earlier recovery of bowel function(2.96 ± 1.17 d vs 3.60 ± 1.04 d, 2.80 ± 1.38 d vs 3.60 ± 1.04 d, respectively, P < 0.05). The mean length of hospitalization after surgery was reduced in groups CWI(8.20 ± 2.58 d vs 10.08 ± 3.15 d, P < 0.05) and EA(7.96 ± 2.30 d vs 10.08 ± 3.15 d, P < 0.01) compared with group PCIA. All three groups had similar patient satisfaction and wound healing, but group PCIA was prone to higher sedation scores when compared with groups CWI and EA, especially during the first 12 h after surgery. Group EA had a lower mean arterial pressure within the first postoperative 12 h compared with the other two groups.CONCLUSION : CWI with ropivacaine yields a satisfactory analgesic effect within the first 48 h after open gastrectomy, with lower morphine consumption and accelerated recovery.

Effect of Preemptive Ketamine Administration on Postoperative Visceral Pain after Gynecological Laparoscopic Surgery

The pain following gynecological laparoscopic surgery is less intense than that following open surgery; however, patients often experience visceral pain after the former surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of preemptive ketamine on visceral pain in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery. Ninety patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Group 1 received placebo. Group 2 was intravenously injected with preincisional saline and local infiltration with 20 m L ropivacaine（4 mg/m L） at the end of surgery. Group 3 was intravenously injected with preincisional ketamine（0.3 mg/kg） and local infiltration with 20 m L ropivacaine（4 mg/m L） at the end of surgery. A standard anesthetic was used for all patients, and meperidine was used for postoperative analgesia. The visual analogue scale（VAS） scores for incisional and visceral pain at 2, 6, 12, and 24 h, cumulative analgesic consumption and time until first analgesic medication request, and adverse effects were recorded postoperatively. The VAS scores of visceral pain in group 3 were significantly lower than those in group 2 and group 1 at 2 h and 6 h postoperatively（P〈0.05 and P〈0.01, respectively）. At 2 h and 6 h, the VAS scores of incisional pain did not differ significantly between groups 2 and 3, but they were significantly lower than those in group 1（P〈0.01）. Groups 1 and 2 did not show any differences in visceral pain scores at 2 h and 6 h postoperatively. Moreover, the three groups showed no statistically significant differences in visceral and incisional pain scores at 12 h and 24 h postoperatively. The consumption of analgesics was significantly greater in group 1 than in groups 2 and 3, and the time to first request for analgesics was significantly longer in groups 2 and 3 than in group 1, with no statistically significant difference between groups 2 and 3. However, the three groups showed no significant difference in the incidence of shoulder pain or adverse effects. Preemptive ketamine may reduce visceral pain in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery.

PECS Block Provides Effective Postoperative Pain Management for Breast Cancer Surgery—A Retrospective Study

We investigated the efficacy of ultrasound-guided pectoral nerves (PECS) block for modified radical mastectomy surgery retrospectively. Methods: We measured that pain scores and the use of additional analgesic drugs were recorded in the postoperative care unit within 24 hours after the operation. Postoperative complications (i.e., nausea and vomiting) were noted. Results: Patients who received the PECS block under general anesthesia (PECS group) reported lower visual analog scale pain scores at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 hours after the operation than patients who did not receive PECS block under general anesthesia (control group). Moreover, the use of additional analgesic drugs during the first 24 hours after surgery was lower in the PECS group than in the control group. While in the postoperative care unit, the PECS group had less nausea and vomiting than the control group. Conclusion: The PECS block provides effective postoperative analgesia within the first 24 hours after breast cancer surgery.

Early and Late Postoperative Pain and Side Effects after Mastectomy: A Comparison of Ketamine and Thiamylal Administered for Anesthetic Induction

Objective: To compare acute and long-term postoperative pain and side effects in patients undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer under general anesthesia induced with ketamine or thiamylal. Methods: Twenty four ASA physical status I-III patients undergoing mastectomy were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Ketamine group received intravenous ketamine, 1 mg/kg, and thiamylal group received intravenous thiamylal, 4 mg/kg, at the induction of general anesthesia. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane, N2O and fentanyl. The intensity of pain was assessed by using visual analog scale (VAS) 3 and 16 hr and 2, 3 and 4 weeks after surgery. Postoperative side effects, including nausea, vomiting and hallucination were also recorded. Results: At 16 hr after surgery, VAS in ketamine group was significantly lower than that in thiamylal group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the VAS at 3 hr and 2, 3 and 4 weeks after surgery. There were no differences in the incidence of side effects such as nausea, vomiting and hallucination between the two groups. Conclusion: Intravenous ketamine at the induction of anesthesia could reduce acute postoperative pain but not long-term pain after mastectomy.

Knowledge of Nursing Staff on Postoperative Pain: The Case of the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala, Cameroon

Background and objective: Pain is a major concern in the surgical environment, but its management remains insufficient due to several factors related to the nursing staff, the organization of the structure or the patient himself. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of the nursing staff on postoperative pain at the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study carried out at the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala from September to December 2018. Participants were consecutively selected among members of nursing staff in charge of operated patients in the visceral surgery, trauma surgery, surgical reanimation, gynaecology and obstetrics services. Socio-professional data and data related to knowledge of postoperative pain were collected from this personnel using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Results: With regard to knowledge of postoperative pain, the proportion of correct answers to the knowledge questions was 61.4%. This proportion varied significantly with the specific training received on pain and the specialization of the nursing staff (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the study reveal knowledge in this population that deserves to be improved with a view to better management of patients undergoing surgery.