Effect of Dexmedetomidine for Postoperative Intravenous Patient Controlled Analgesia
Patient-Controlled AnalgesiaThe purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of dexmedetomidine as an adjunctive analgesic, combined with dezocine and flubiprofen, used in intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) after open colorectal surgery.
A Trial Comparing Quadratus Lumborum Block (QLB) and Paravertebral Block (PVTB) for Postoperative...
Quadratus Lumborum BlockThoracic Paravertebral Block2 morePain after hepatectomy can interfere with the patients' recovery and may contribute to developing long term pain. Opioids, e.g. morphine, fentanyl, sufentanil, works well for postoperative analgesia, but have several side effects such as nausea, vomiting and itching which may be severe enough to affect patients' recovery. In some cases, opioids may cause constipation and urinary retention within the first 24 hours after surgery. Thus, several ultrasound-guided nerve block procedures have been applied to provide postoperative analgesia. Ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) is one of the most used nerve block methods using for post-hepatectomy analgesia. However, in some cases, ultrasound-guided TPVB can cause pneumothorax, hemopneumothorax, and higher block level. The quadratus lumborum block (QLB) is a new developed nerve block which can provide a widespread analgesic effect from T7 to L1. Therefore, this study is to determine whether QLB or TPVB have a better pain control with fewer side effects and complications after laparoscopic and open hepatectomy. The adequate pain control will be assessed by their visual analogue score (VAS) and the postoperative quality of recovery scale (QoR-15, Chinese Version). Additionally, the side effect and complications profile of these two nerve block techniques will also be recorded and compared.
Music as Analgesia During Neonatal Circumcision
AnalgesiaNeonatal circumcision is one of the most frequently performed and more painful procedures. Sharara et al (2017) showed the combination of EMLA + Sucrose + Ring Block provides the highest standard of pain management. A combination which has been adopted by practitioners who perform circumcisions at the normal nursery at AUBMC. An element which is overlooked in its ability to enhance or suppress stress and consequently pain is sound/noise, music. The specific aim of this study is to test the added effectiveness of music (Group B: intervention) to the established standard for analgesia [EMLA + Sucrose + Ring Block] (Group A: control) in further managing the pain of newborn males undergoing circumcision.
Effect of N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) Receptor Antagonist Dextromethorphan on Opiods Analgesia and...
PainOpioid Tolerance1 moreEffect of N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist Dextromethorphan on Opiods analgesia and tolerance in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Patients
Ketamine and Postoperative Analgesia in Children
Postoperative AnalgesiaThe benefit of small doses of ketamine has been demonstrated for postoperative analgesia in adults but remains unproved in children. The investigators' purpose is to evaluate the effects of continuous intravenous small doses of ketamine versus placebo to improve the quality of postoperative analgesia in children (6 months to 6 years of age). Caudal anesthesia is performed for intraoperative analgesia and all children receive paracetamol, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and continuous intravenous nalbuphine.
Lack of Awareness of Symptoms (Anosognosia) in PD: An Observational Study for People With Parkinson's...
Parkinson'sAnosognosiaAnosognosia is a recognised condition for people with Parkinson's, and is the result of physiological damage on brain structure. Surgical Parkinson Disease Nurse Specialists have noticed that when reviewing the pre-surgery videos 12 months post-DBS, patients have forgotten and are shocked at how bad their symptoms were prior to surgery (personal communication), which may not be reflected in the change in QoL reported. This lack of awareness, while possibly helpful in everyday life, may lead to effective treatments looking ineffective, or the benefits in QoL of effective treatment appearing reduced. This confound may not only reduce the apparent effectiveness but also the related cost-effectiveness of treatment. As cost-effectiveness is determined by both size and longevity of an effect, current methods of capturing these data may be suboptimal.
Epidural Analgesia, Beta-Endorphin Concentrations in Colostrum, and Infant Neurobehavior as Breast-Feeding...
BreastfeedingLactation1 morePresently, the literature addressing the relationship between epidural analgesia and likelihood of breast-feeding is inconclusive. Numerous studies have found that epidurals, administered prior to vaginal delivery of a full-term, healthy neonate, significantly decrease lactation success at follow-up times ranging from 24 hours to 6 months postpartum. One proposed mechanism is that analgesics, by decreasing maternal pain during labor, decrease maternal endorphin production and result in the transmission of lower endorphin levels to the neonate during breast-feeding. Lower endorphin levels, in turn, may render the neonate less likely to suckle optimally. Other studies have found that epidural analgesia does not significantly decrease lactation success when used during the vaginal delivery of a full-term, healthy neonate. Although most studies to date have compared the breast-feeding success of epidural recipients and non-recipients at various points postpartum, they do not specifically note whether deficient feeding behaviors on the part of the infant contribute to failed breast-feeding. The present study uses the LATCH assessment tool to score the infant's ability to latch onto the breast and the presence of audible swallowing, as well as the mother's level of physical comfort with breast feeding, whether she can successfully position the infant for feeding on her own, and whether her nipples are inverted, everted, or flat. Thus, the LATCH assessment enables the separation of multiple factors that may contribute to breast-feeding failure. A multivariate regression analysis will determine how strongly the probability of breast-feeding at hospital discharge correlates with epidural duration, LATCH scores, and beta-endorphin concentrations in colostrum.
NSAID vs. Narcotics
Multimodal AnalgesiaNonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory DrugsThis will be a single-center, prospective observational study. The study will compare post-operative pain scores and narcotic consumption between two groups of patients - one cohort will receive ibuprofen (Motrin) and Percocet (to be used as needed) while the other cohort will receive only Percocet. Both pain management options are considered to be standard of care. The primary objective of the study is to compare patients' reported pain and narcotic use following meniscectomy, and determine if NSAIDs can provide adequate pain relief.
Cognitive-functional Evaluation of Anosognosia
AnosognosiaBrain DamageAcquired brain damage patients usually show severe cognitive deficit that alter their performance on every day life activities. Some of them suffer anosognosia and they are not aware of their own limitations. This situation increases disability by producing a large number of unsafe behaviours, caregivers burn-out and impede rehabilitation by affecting patients desire to follow treatment instructions. From disciplines like Neuropsychology, Cognitive Neuroscience or Occupational Therapy, it is considered a crucial issue to investigate the cognitive and neural mechanisms responsible of anosognosia, as well as to increase our knowledge about the most efficient treatments to deal with this phenomenon. The main general objective of this project is to generate and validate a detailed cognitive assessment protocol within the context of ADL to evaluate the different cognitive components of consciousness proposed on the Toglia and Kirk´s model: 1) Offline componente: metacognitive knowledge and 2) Online component: emergent awareness, self-regulation, anticipatory awareness, self-evaluation and updating processes).
Clonidine for Analgesia to Preterm Infants During Neonatal Intensive Care
Intensive CareNeonatal2 moreA prospective pharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamic (PD) and pharmacogenetic (PG) observation study, including the PK/PD/PG relationship, in clonidine administered for analgesia and sedation to preterm newborn infants receiving neonatal intensive care. Phase 3 - therapeutic confirmatory study