Safety and effectiveness of butorphanol in epidural labor analgesia:A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Epidural analgesia is the most effective analgesic method during labor.Butorphanol administered epidurally has been shown to be a successful analgesic method during labor.However,no comprehensive study has examined the safety and efficacy of using butorphanol as an epidural analgesic during labor.AIM To assess butorphanol's safety and efficacy for epidural labor analgesia.METHODS The PubMed,Cochrane Library,EMBASE,Web of Science,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,and Google Scholar databases will be searched from inception.Other types of literature,such as conference abstracts and references to pertinent reviews,will also be reviewed.We will include randomized controlled trials comparing butorphanol with other opioids combined with local anesthetics for epidural analgesia during labor.There will be no language restrictions.The primary outcomes will include the visual analog scale score for the first stage of labor,fetal effects,and Apgar score.Two independent reviewers will evaluate the full texts,extract data,and assess the risk of bias.Publication bias will be evaluated using Egger's or Begg's tests as well as visual analysis of a funnel plot,and heterogeneity will be evaluated using the Cochran Q test,P values,and I2 values.Meta-analysis,subgroup analysis,and sensitivity analysis will be performed using RevMan software version 5.4.This protocol was developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA)Protocols statement,and the PRISMA statement will be used for the systematic review.RESULTS This study provides reliable information regarding the safety and efficacy of using butorphanol as an epidural analgesic during labor.CONCLUSION To support clinical practice and development,this study provides evidence-based findings regarding the safety and efficacy of using butorphanol as an epidural analgesic during labor.

Epidural analgesia followed by epidural hydroxyethyl starch prevented post-dural puncture headache:Twenty case reports and a review of the literature

BACKGROUND Accidental dural puncture(ADP)and subsequent post-dural puncture headache(PDPH)remain common complications of epidural procedures for obstetric anesthesia and analgesia.No clear consensus exists on the best way to prevent PDPH after ADP.CASE SUMMARY We report our findings in twenty parturients who underwent an incorporated strategy of epidural analgesia followed by epidural hydroxyethyl starch(HES)to prevent PDPH after ADP with a 16-gauge Tuohy needle during epidural procedures.ADP with a 16-gauge Tuohy needle occurred in nine parturients undergoing a cesarean section(CS)and in eleven parturients receiving labor analgesia.An epidural catheter was re-sited at the same or adjacent intervertebral space in all patients.After CS,the epidural catheter was used for postoperative pain relief over a 48-h period.After delivery in eleven cases,epidural infusion was maintained for 24 h.Thereafter,15 mL of 6%HES 130/0.4 was administered via the epidural catheter immediately prior to catheter removal.None of the parturients developed PDPH or neurologic deficits over a follow-up period of at least two months to up to one year postpartum.CONCLUSION An incorporated strategy of epidural analgesia followed by epidural hydroxyethyl starch may have great efficacy in preventing PDPH after ADP.

Clinical Study of Epidural Analgesia with Clonidine andSumatriptan in Posthysterectomy

A clinical study was conducted to compare the analgestic effect of clonidine with those of sumatriptan and their mixture and their effects on hemodynamics. 40 patients undergoing elective total hysterectomy were randomly divided into 4 groups in terms of the epidurally administered drugs with 10 patients in each group (group C1: clonidine 150 μg, group C2: clonidine 75 μg, group S: sumatriptan 6 mg and group S+C:clonidine 75 μg + sumatriptan 3 mg). MAP, HR,SpO2, VT VAS, VRS and ePDT were measured in the initial 4 h. The demographic data and the doses of intraoperative local anesthetics among the 4 groups were not staistically different. It was found that no significant difference in the pre- and postadministration values of HR, SpO2 and VT. A obvious reduction of MAP appeared in the groups of C1 and C2, but in the other groups the hemodynamical parameters were stable. The groups of C1, C2 and S+C showed significant increase in VAS and VRS, along with increase of ePDT when comapred with the pre-drug level. There was no obvious alteration in group S after the drug administration. It was concluded that (1) single use of sumatriptan is ineffective in the dose given in this study; (2) small dose (150 μg and 75μg) of clonidine has epidurally analgesic effects; (3) combined use of sumatriptan and clonidine is an acceptable way in epidural analgesia, in terms of its analgesic effect and hemodynamic changes.

Comparative Study between General Anesthesia versus General Anesthesia Combined with Thoracic Epidural Analgesia on Cytokine Response in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Patients

Background and Objectives: The main benefits of laparoscopic surgery in comparison to open surgery involve the rapid discharge from recovery room, decreased postoperative hospital stays, reduced postoperative discomfort, easier getting back to work and faster return to ordinary daily life as well as cosmetic surgical wounds. The anesthesia type has an essential role in attenuation of the surgical stress and achievement of these advantages. We aimed to determine the outcome of giving general anesthesia in conjunction with thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) compared to general anesthesia alone on stress response to surgery and anesthesia by investigating cytokine reaction (interleukin 6 and 8 levels), hemodynamic changes (BP, HR, RR, SPO2), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores postoperatively in patients subjected for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: This study included 40 patients aged 20 - 60 years old with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA) I and II. They were planned for laparoscopic cholecystectomy at Aswan University Hospital from April 2017 to March 2018. They were randomly allocated into two groups. Group A (n. 20) received general anesthesia only and Group B (n. 20) received general anesthesia in conjunction with thoracic epidural analgesia using fentanyl and bupivacaine in the epidural catheter. Chi-square was applied to differentiate categorical variables, whereas comparison between continuous variables was done by using t-test. Two-tailed p < 0.05 was estimated as statistically significant. Results: As regards IL-6 and IL-8 post-operative there is significant difference (p < 0.05) between two groups during 2nd and 4th hr and 24th hr postoperative, with significantly increased postoperative levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in comparison to their preoperative baseline values. The largest increase in IL6 & IL8 levels was in group A (GA group). VAS score showed significant lower values in TEA group in comparison to GA group. No significant difference between groups as regard intraoperative and postoperative hemodynamic changes. Conclusion: Regional techniques including TEA attenuate and decrease cytokine reaction secondary to surgery which decreases inflammatory process and improves patient outcome and reduces pain score postoperatively.

A Comparative Study on Safety and Efficacy of Caudal, Thoracic Epidural and Intra Venous Analgesia in Paediatric Cardiac Surgery: A Double Blind Randomised Trial

Introduction:Regional anaesthesia combined with general anaesthesia reduces stress response to surgery, duration of ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay and promotes early recovery. Studies on thoracic epidural, caudal analgesia along with general anaesthesia (GA) in paediatric cardiac surgery are limited hence we aimed to compare efficacy and safety of caudal, thoracic epidural and intravenous analgesia in paediatric cardiac surgery. Methodology: This study was conducted in the Department of Anaesthesiology in a tertiary care teaching hospital in southern India from February 2019 to December 2019. 90 children were randomised into group A, group B, group C. Children in group A received caudal analgesia along with GA. Group B children received thoracic epidural along with GA. Group C patients received intravenous analgesia along with GA. Rescue analgesia 1 mcg/kg fentanyl given in all 3 groups if pain score is more than 4. Primary outcome assessed was post-op pain scores. Secondary outcome assessed was duration of ventilation, duration of intensive care unit stay. Results: All patients were comparable in terms of age, sex, weight, mean RACHS score, baseline heart rate and blood pressure. Pain scores were significantly lower in thoracic epidural group compared to other two grou ps. Duration of ventilation was lower in thoracic epidural group (91.17± 43.85) minutes and caudal (199.6 ± 723.59) minutes compared to intravenous analgesia groups (436.37 ± 705.51) minutes. Duration of ICU stay was significantly low in thoracic epidural group (2.73 ± 0.69) days compared to caudal (3.7 ± 2.8) and intravenous analgesia groups (4.33 ± 0.920). We didn’t have any complications like hematoma, transient or permanent neurological sequelae in regional anesthesia groups. Conclusion: Regional anaesthesia along with general anaesthesia was more effective in pain relief than intravenous analgesia with general anaesthesia in paediatric cardiac surgery.

A systematic Review of the Safety and Effectiveness of Epidural Analgesia for Labor Analgesia

Objective To re-evaluate the systematic review of the safety and effectiveness of epidural analgesia(EA)for labor analgesia.Methods The Cochrane database,PubMed,EMBASE,EBSCO,Web of Science,ScienceDirect,China Biomedical Literature database,CNKI,Wanfang and VIP databases were searched,and the search time was limited to August 2020.Two researchers screened the literature and extracted data according to the inclusion criteria.AMSTAR was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies.Pain intensity and pain relief satisfaction were used as the main indicators for re-evaluation of the effectiveness.Midwifery rate,cesarean section rate,back pain,fever,nausea and vomiting,umbilical artery pH value,and newborn Apgar score were used as the main indicators to re-evaluate the safety.Results and Conclusion A total of 9 meta-analyses were included.The safety and effectiveness of EA and opioid intravenous analgesia,acupuncture stimulation,inhalation analgesia,no analgesia,and continuous delivery were evaluated separately.The included systematic reviews showed that EA could increase the rate of device-assisted delivery,causing maternal fever,and prolonging the first and second stages of labor.But the incidence of back pain,nausea,and vomiting was lower.Therefore,analgesia had a good effect with better satisfactory degree.Current evidence shows that EA is safe and effective for labor analgesia,but the quality of the reports of current studies is not high.

Regional anesthesia in a patient with primary ciliary dyskinesia:A case report

BACKGROUND Primary ciliary dyskinesia(PCD)is an inherited autosomal-recessive disorder of impaired mucociliary clearance characterized by chronic respiratory diseases,otolaryngological diseases,central nervous system abnormalities,reproductive system abnormalities,and cardiac function abnormalities.General anesthesia in these patients is associated with a higher incidence of respiratory complications than in patients without the disease.CASE SUMMARY A 16-year-old male patient was referred to the emergency room complaining of right ankle pain due to distal tibiofibular fracture.Three years prior,he had been diagnosed with PCD.At that time,he had experienced several episodes of pneumonia,sinusitis,and chronic middle ear infections,for which he underwent surgical interventions.At the current admission,he presented with cough and sputum but no other respiratory symptoms.A chest computed tomography scan revealed centrilobular ground-glass opacities in both lower lobes and a calcified nodule in the left lower lobe.For the surgical procedure and postoperative pain management,combined spinal-epidural anesthesia was employed.The patient’s postoperative pain score was measured by the numerical rating scale(NRS).On the day of surgery,his NRS was 5 points.By the second postoperative day,the NRS score had decreased to 2–3 points.The epidural catheter was removed on the fourth day following the operation.The patient was subsequently discharged no respiratory complications.CONCLUSION We performed combined spinal-epidural anesthesia in a patient with PCD.The patient experienced no additional respiratory complications and was discharged with a low NRS score for pain.

Women’s Awareness and Attitudes towards Labor Analgesia Influencing Practice between Developed and Developing Countries

Childbirth experience is one of the most intense pain that majority of women will endure during their lifetime. Concerns about pain in labor remain a hot topic, and its popularity gets more common day by day as more women become aware of their rights to achieve a better quality of care during labor. There are various non-pharmacologic (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, hydrotherapy, intradermal water injections and acupuncture) and pharmacologic treatments (nitrous oxide, opioids and regional analgesia techniques: spinal, epidural and combined epidural analgesia) available today. Among these, epidural analgesia offers the most effective form of pain relief and is considered to be the gold standard of labor analgesia. Despite having labor analgesic services, most women still go through painful labor due to lack of knowledge regarding it, particularly in developing countries. The main source of information regarding pain reliefs is from friends and relatives, revealing the lack of information from caregiver’s side. So this study reflects that there is a wide gap in the communication between pregnant women and obstetricians. It supports the fact that obstetricians through the practice of routinely offering labor analgesia can significantly improve the maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnancy. Provision of standardized epidural analgesia information at an appropriate time in their pregnancy may benefit them by the practice of mutual decision-making. Thus, it may prevent women from making a difficult choice of cesarean section to avoid the fear of painful labor.

妇科术后硬膜外腔注射吗啡镇痛效果观察

对妇科术后硬膜外腔注射吗啡镇痛效果进行观察分析探讨 .对 3a来我院使用术后硬膜外腔注射吗啡镇痛效果进行评定 .对血压、脉博等情况观察进行总结分析 .结果 :硬膜外腔注射吗啡术后镇痛效果优 85 6% ,良 6 8% .副作用主要有血压下降达 2 7 8%、恶心呕吐 15 5%、头晕 2 3 0 % .结果表明 :术后硬膜外腔注射吗啡镇痛效果好 ,方法简便、经济实惠、安全性高 ,可大力推广使用 .副作用可对症治疗 .血压下降要严密观察 ,建议术前、术中血压偏低 。

芬太尼复合吗啡硬膜外术后镇痛效果观察

目的 :观察芬太尼复合吗啡硬膜外泵注用于子宫切除术患者的镇痛效果及不良反应。方法 :4 0例择期手术患者 ,ASAI—Ⅱ级 ,随机分为 2组 ,每组 2 0例。A组选用 0 .13%布比卡因 +0 .0 4 %吗啡 +格拉司琼 3mg +生理盐水至10 0毫升 ;B组选用 0 .0 0 3%芬太尼 +0 .0 3%吗啡 +格拉司琼 3mg +生理盐水至 10 0毫升。关腹后先给负荷量A组吗啡1mg +生理盐水至 3毫升 ;B组吗啡 0 .5mg +生理盐水至 3毫升 ,连接镇痛泵以 2ml/h速度泵入镇痛药液进行镇痛。结果 :1、综合镇痛质量两组无明显差异 (P >0 .0 5 ) ;2、两组恶心呕吐、皮肤搔痒等发生率无显著差异 (P >0 .0 5 )。结论 :两组均取得满意的镇痛效果 ,芬太尼复合吗啡配方 ,负荷量及两药剂量均减少 ,副作用无明显增加 ,适合用于术后止痛。

Comparison of bupivacaine, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine with sufentanil for patient-controlled epidural analgesia during labor： a randomized clinical trial

Ropivacaine and levobupivacaine have been introduced into obstetric analgesic practice with the proposed advantages of causing less motor block and toxicity compared with bupivacaine. However, it is still controversial whether both anesthetics are associated with any clinical benefit relative to bupivacaine for labor analgesia. This study aimed to compare the analgesic efficacy, motor block and side effects of bupivacaine, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine at lower concentrations for patient-controlled epidural labor analgesia. Methods Four hundred and fifty nulliparous parturients were enrolled in this randomized clinical trial. A concentration of 0.05%, 0.075%, 0.1%, 0.125% or 0.15% of either bupivacaine （Group B）, ropivacaine （Group R） or levobupivacaine （Group L） with sufentanil 0.5 ug/ml was epidurally administered by patient-controlled analgesia mode. Effective analgesia was defined as a visual analogue scale score was 〈30 mm. The relative median potency for each local anesthetic was calculated using a probit regression model. Parturients demographics, sensory and motor blockade, obstetric data, maternal side effects, hourly volumes of local anesthetic used, and others were also noted. Results There were no significant differences among groups in the numbers of effective analgesia, pain scores, hourly local anesthetic amount used, sensory and motor blockade, labor duration and mode of delivery, side effects and maternal satisfaction （P 〉0.05）. The relative median potency was bupivacaine/ropivacaine： 0.828 （0.602-1.091）, bupivacaine/levobupivacaine： 0.845 （0.617-1.12）, ropivacaine/levobupivacaine： 1.021 （0.774-1.354）, respectively. However, a significantly less number of effective analgesia and higher hourly local anesthetic use were observed in the concentration of 0.05% than those of 〉0.1% within each group （P 〈0.05）. Conclusions Using patient-controlled epidural analgesia, lower concentrations of bupivacaine, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine with s＇ufentanil produce similar analgesia and motor block and safety for labor analgesia. The analgesic efficacy mainly depends on the concentration rather than the type of anesthetics.

Effect of epidural analgesia with 0.075% ropivacaine versus 0.1% ropivacaine on the maternal temperature during labor： a randomized controlled study

Background A wealth of evidence has indicated that labor epidural analgesia is associated with an increased risk of hyperthermia and overt clinical fever. Recently, evidence is emerging that the epidural analgesia-induced fever is associated with the types of the epidural analgesia and the variations in the epidural analgesia will affect the incidence of fever. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of epidural analgesia with 0.075% or 0.1% ropivacaine on the maternal temperature during labor. Methods Two hundred healthy term nulliparas were randomly assigned to receive epidural analgesia with either 0.1% ropivacaine or 0.075% ropivacaine. Epidural analgesia was initiated with 10 ml increment of the randomized solution and 0.5 IJg/ml sufentanyl after a negative test dose of 5 ml of 1.5% lidocaine, and maintained with 7 ml bolus doses of the abovementioned mixed analgesics every 30 minutes by the patient-controlled epidural analgesia. The measurements included the maternal oral temperature, visual analog scale pain scores, labor events and neonatal outcomes. Results Epidural analgesia with 0.075% ropivacaine could significantly lower the mean maternal temperature at 4 hours after the initiation of analgesia and the oxytocin administration during labor compared with the one with 0.1% ropivacaine. Moreover, 0.075% ropivacaine treatment could provide satisfactory pain relief during labor and had no significant adverse effects on the labor events and neonatal outcomes. Conclusion Epidural analgesia with 0.075% ropivacaine may be a good choice for the epidural analgesia during labor.

Potential impact of epidural labor analgesia on the outcomes of neonates and children

This review summarizes recent evidences regarding the potential influences of epidural labor analgesia(ELA)on the outcomes of neonates and children.Terms and relevant words including“ELA,”“ELA and neonatal outcomes,”“ELA and children’s development,”and“ELA and children’s neurocognitive development”were used to search articles published in PubMed database up to October 2019.Original articles and reviews regarding potential influences of ELA on neonates and children were identified.Relevant references of the selected articles were also screened.The anesthetics used during ELA can be absorbed,enter the fetus,and produce neonatal depression;however,these effects are less severe than those during systematic opioid analgesia.The impact of anesthetic exposure during ELA on children’s neurodevelopment has not been fully studied,but would be mild if any.ELA increases the risk of intrapartum maternal fever;the latter may be harmful to neonatal outcomes.The use of ELA may increase birth injury by increasing instrumental delivery,although long-term adverse events are rare.On the other hand,ELA may reduce maternal depression and,thus,produce favorable effects on neurocognitive development in childhood;but evidences are still lacking in this aspect.ELA may produce both favorable and unfavorable effects on neonates and children.These effects should be discussed with parturient women before making decisions.The potential harmful effects should be carefully managed.The overall impacts of ELA on neonatal and children’s outcomes need to be studied further.

Urgent Need of Continuing Medical Education:The Key for Patient Awareness of Labor Epidural Analgesia-A Survey of Chinese Perinatal Care Providers

Objective:This survey was designed to understand the misconceptions about labor epidurals.Methods:This voluntary and anonymous online survey on wenjuan.com was conducted from September 1st,2015 to January 1st,2016 via mainly WeChat groups dedicated to perinatal healthcare providers in China.The questionnaire included items inquiring the knowledge and opinions about labor epidural analgesia related to maternal complications,baby safety,and effect on laboring.Incomplete surveys were excluded from the data analysis.The data was presented as percentages and a Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test,as appreciate,was used to quantitatively compare the results.Results:A total of 1412 respondents completed surveys with 42.9%(606/1412)of them being anesthesiologists,35.1%(495/1412)being obstetricians,11.8%(167/1412)being midwives,3.7%(52/1412)being labor and delivery nurses,and 6.5%(92/1412)being hospital administrators and unspecified.The study revealed a lack of knowledge in labor pain control.Although 82.4%(1164/1412)of respondents were familiar with labor epidural analgesia,8.9%(126/1412)did not know how it works,and 1.1%(15/1412)never heard it in a multiple-choice question.The three main groups(anesthesiologists,obstetricians,and midwives/labor and delivery nurses)were chosen for comparisons.Opinions among these three groups concerning five questions in the three main concerns were evaluated using a statistical significance of P<0.05.Conclusion:The results in our survey indicated an urgent need of continuing medical education to multidisciplinary specialties to improve evidence-based medical practices as these misconceptions have existed for over 10 years in the medical professionals.Lack of public awareness fueled by misconceptions related to labor epidural analgesia may be associated with a lack of professional knowledge.Correct knowledge in professionals needs to be disseminated to the public in order to dispel possible misconceptions and rumors about labor epidural analgesia.This would not only enhance patient understanding of their care but also improve maternal,fetal,and neonatal outcomes.

Epidural hydroxyethyl starch ameliorating postdural puncture headache after accidental dural puncture

Background:No convincing modalities have been shown to completely prevent postdural puncture headache(PDPH)after accidental dural puncture(ADP)during obstetric epidural procedures.We aimed to evaluate the role of epidural administration of hydroxyethyl starch(HES)in preventing PDPH following ADP,regarding the prophylactic efficacy and side effects.Methods:Between January 2019 and February 2021,patients with a recognized ADP during epidural procedures for labor or cesarean delivery were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the prophylactic strategies for the development of PDPH at a single tertiary hospital.The development of PDPH,severity and duration of headache,adverse events associated with prophylactic strategies,and hospital length of stay postpartum were reported.Results:A total of 105 patients experiencing ADP received a re-sited epidural catheter.For PDPH prophylaxis,46 patients solely received epidural analgesia,25 patients were administered epidural HES on epidural analgesia,and 34 patients received two doses of epidural HES on and after epidural analgesia,respectively.A significant difference was observed in the incidence of PDPH across the groups(epidural analgesia alone,31[67.4%];HES-Epidural analgesia,ten[40.0%];HES-Epidural analgesia-HES,five[14.7%];P<0.001).No neurologic deficits,including paresthesias and motor deficits related to prophylactic strategies,were reported from at least 2 months to up to more than 2 years after delivery.An overall backache rate related to HES administration was 10%.The multivariable regression analysis revealed that the HES-Epidural analgesia-HES strategy was significantly associated with reduced risk of PDPH following ADP(OR=0.030,95%confidence interval:0.006-0.143;P<0.001).Conclusions:The incorporated prophylactic strategy was associated with a great decrease in the risk of PDPH following obstetric ADP.This strategy consisted of re-siting an epidural catheter with continuous epidural analgesia and two doses of epidural HES,respectively,on and after epidural analgesia.The efficacy and safety profiles of this strategy have to be investigated further.

Patient controlled intravenous analgesia with tramadol for labor pain relief

Objective To evaluate the safety and analgesic efficacy of patient controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with tramadol, and to compare its benefits and risks with combined spinal-epidural analgesia (CSEA) + patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA).Methods Eighty American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) Ⅰ - Ⅱ at term parturients in active labor were randomly divided into 3 groups: the control group (n =30) received no analgesia; group A (n =30) received spinal administration with ropivacaine 2. 5 mg and fentanyl 5μg, then with PCEA; group B (n = 20) received 1 mg/kg tramadol loading dose i. v.. PCIA with 0. 75% tramadol and it included: PCA dose 2 ml, lockout time 10 minutes, background infusion 2 ml/h, total dose no more than 400 mg. The intensity of pain was evaluated using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).Results Both group A and B showed good pain relief. VAS pain scores were significantly decreased in group A and B compared with those in the control group (P<0. 01). In comparison with group B, the VAS pain scores decreased in group A (P<0. 05). The onset times of analgesia in group A were shorter than those in group B (P<0. 05). Apgar scores in group B were lower than those in group A (P<0. 05). The periods of second stage of labor in group A were longer than those in the control group and group B (P<0. 05). The cesarean delivery rate was significantly higher in the control group (16. 7%) than in group A (3. 3%) and group B (5. 0%), but it did not differ between group A and B. There were no significant differences in vital signs, fetal heart rate, degree of motor block, and uterine contractions among the 3 groups.Conclusions PCIA with tramadol is now a useful alternative when patients are not candidates for CSEA for labor, or do not want to have a neuraxial block anesthesia. However, sometimes it may not provide satisfactory analgesic effect.

Effect of thoracic epidural blockade on plasma fibrinogen levels in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy

Objective To investigate the effects of thoracic epidural blockade (TEB) on plasma fibrinogen (FIB) levels.Methods Thirty cases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) were selected randomly into a TEB group and a control group. TEB patients were subjected to a persistent TEB (T1-5),and injected with 0.5% lidocaine 3-5 ml every two or four hours for four weeks in addition to routine medicine,while patients in the control group were given routine medicine only. Plasma concentrations of FIB were measured using the micro-capillary assay. Doppler echocardiography was performed before and after the treatment. Results Plasma concentrations of FIB in two groups were greater than the normal value before the treatment. There was a significant decrease of plasma concentrations of FIB in the TEB group after the treatment (4.2±1.3 g/L vs 3.6±0.9 g/L,P <0.05),but there was no significant change in the control group (4.2±1.2 g/L vs 4.3±1.9 g/L,P >0.05). After four weeks of treatment,the left ventricular end diastolic diameters (LVEDD) of TEB patients were reduced (72±10 mm vs 69±10 mm,P <0.05) and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of TEB patients increased significantly (33%±13% vs 44%±14%,P <0.05). In contrast,LVEDD (73±11 mm vs 73±12 mm, P >0.05) and LVEF (32%±14% vs 33%±12%,P >0.05) did not change significantly in the control group. Conclusions The results suggest that plasma FIB levels in patients with DCM were decreased by performing a TEB,in addition to a reduction of the enlarged cardiac cavity and an improvement in cardiac systolic dysfunction. TEB might contribute to lowering the occurrence of thrombus and thromboembolism in patients with DCM. TEB might be a promising therapeutic method to improve the prognosis of DCM patients.