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Sympathetic Block (sympathetic + block)

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Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Sympathetic block with botulinum toxin to treat complex regional pain syndrome,

ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 3 2009
Ian Carroll MD
Complex regional pain syndrome is a refractory pain condition with few tested therapies. We hypothesized that botulinum toxin A (BTA) would prolong analgesia after sympathetic blocks in patients with complex regional pain syndrome. We compared the duration of standard lumbar sympathetic block (LSB) with bupivacaine to LSB with bupivacaine and BTA in nine patients with refractory complex regional pain syndrome. Median time to analgesic failure was 71 (95% confidence interval, 12,253) days after LSB with BTA compared with fewer than 10 days (95% confidence interval, 0,12) after standard LSB (log-rank, p < 0.02). BTA profoundly prolonged the analgesia from sympathetic block in this preliminary study. Ann Neurol 2009;65:348,351 [source]

Anesthesia for free vascularized tissue transfer

MICROSURGERY, Issue 2 2009
Natalia Hagau M.D., Ph.D.
Anesthesia may be an important factor in maximizing the success of microsurgery by controlling the hemodynamics and the regional blood flow. The intraanesthetic basic goal is to maintain an optimal blood flow for the vascularized free flap by: increasing the circulatory blood flow, maintaining a normal body temperature to avoid peripheral vasoconstriction, reducing vasoconstriction resulted from pain, anxiety, hyperventilation, or some drugs, treating hypotension caused by extensive sympathetic block and low cardiac output. A hyperdynamic circulation can be obtained by hypervolemic or normovolemic hemodilution and by decrease of systemic vascular resistance. The importance of proper volume replacement has been widely accepted, but the optimal strategy is still open to debate. General anesthesia combined with various types of regional anesthesia is largely preferred for microvascular surgery. Maintenance of homeostasis through avoidance of hyperoxia, hypocapnia, and hypovolemia (all factors that can decrease cardiac output and induce local vasoconstriction) is a well-established perioperative goal. As the ischemia,reperfusion injury could occur, inhalatory anesthetics as sevoflurane (that attenuate the consequences of this process) seem to be the anesthetics of choice. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2009. [source]

Continuous spinal analgesia for labor and delivery in a parturient with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy

ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2002
T. Okutomi
Induction of labor under analgesia was planned for a 30-year-old-primiparous patient with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), as her fetal evaluation revealed intrauterine growth restriction at 38 weeks' gestation. However, regional analgesia during labor may present a potential risk for hemodynamic instability in patients with HOCM due to the possibility of a sympathetic block, as a result of vasodilation associated with the administration of local anesthesia. This case report demonstrates the successful management of the patient with analgesia provided by a continuous spinal catheter dosed with a continuous infusion of fentanyl and supplemental meperidine. Fetal surveillance monitoring included fetal pulse oximetry in addition to conventional cardiotocography, on the basis of which cesarean section was avoided. [source]

Sympathetic block with botulinum toxin to treat complex regional pain syndrome,

Herpes zoster in older adults. (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC) Clinical Infectious Diseases.

PAIN PRACTICE, Issue 4 2001
1486., 2001;32:148
Herpes zoster (HZ) strikes millions of older adults annually worldwide and disables a substantial number of them via postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Key aged-related clinical, epidemiological, and treatment features of zoster and PHN are reviewed in this article. HZ is caused by renewed replication and spread of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in sensory ganglia and afferent peripheral nerves in the setting of age-related, disease-related, and drug-related decline in cellular immunity to VZV. VZV-induced neuronal destruction and inflammation causes the principal problems of pain, interference with activities in daily living, and reduced quality of life in elderly patients. Recently, attempts to reduce or eliminate HZ pain have been bolstered by the findings of clinical trials that antiviral agents and corticosteroids are effective treatment for HZ and that tricyclic antidepressants, topical lidocaine, gabapentin, and opiates are effective treatment for PHN. Although these advances have helped, PHN remains a difficult condition to prevent and treat in many elderly patients. Comment by Miles Day, M.D. This article reviews the epidemiology clinical features diagnosis and treatment of acute herpes zoster. It also describes the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. While this is a good review for the primary care physician, the discussion for the treatment for both acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia do not mention invasive therapy. It is well documented in pain literature that sympathetic blocks with local anesthetic and steroid as well as subcutaneous infiltration of active zoster lesions not only facilitate the healing of acute herpes zoster but also prevents or helps decrease the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia. All patients who present to the primary care physician with acute herpes zoster should have an immediate referral to a pain management physician for invasive therapy. The treatment of postherpetic neuralgia is a challenging experience both for the patient and the physician. While the treatments that have been discussed in this article are important, other treatments are also available. Regional nerve blocks including intercostal nerve blocks, root sleeve injections, and sympathetic blocks have been used in the past to treat postherpetic neuralgia. If these blocks are helpful, one can proceed with doing crynourlysis of the affected nerves or also radio-frequency lesioning. Spinal cord stimulation has also been used for those patients who are refractory to noninvasive and invasive therapy. While intrathecal methylprednisolone was shown to be effective in the study quoted in this article one must be cautious not to do multiple intrathecal steroid injections in these patients. Multilple intrathecal steroid injections can lead to archnoiditis secondary to the accumulation of the steroid on the nerve roots and in turn causing worsening pain. [source]