Adductor canal block preserved quadriceps muscle strength better than FNB, without a significant difference in postoperative pain.

A single dose of 1,200 mg oral gabapentin resulted in a substantial reduction in postoperative morphine consumption and movement-related pain after radical mastectomy, without significant side effects. These promising results should be validated in other acute pain models involving central neuronal sensitization.

The adductor-canal-blockade significantly reduced morphine consumption and pain during 45 degrees flexion of the knee compared with placebo. In addition, the adductor-canal-blockade significantly enhanced ambulation ability assessed by the TUG test.

Perioperative handling of surgical patients with opioid dependency represents an important clinical problem. Animal studies suggest that ketamine attenuates central sensitization and hyperalgesia and thereby reduces postoperative opioid tolerance. We hypothesized that intraoperative ketamine would reduce immediate postoperative opioid consumption compared with placebo in chronic pain patients with opioid dependency undergoing lumbar spinal fusion surgery. Primary outcome was morphine consumption 0 to 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were acute pain at rest and during mobilization 2 to 24 hours postoperatively (visual analogue scale), adverse events, and persistent pain 6 months postoperatively. One hundred fifty patients were randomly assigned to intraoperative S-ketamine bolus 0.5 mg/kg and infusion 0.25 mg·kg·h or placebo. Postoperatively, patients received their usual opioids, paracetamol and IV patient-controlled analgesia with morphine. In the final analyses, 147 patients were included. Patient-controlled analgesia IV morphine consumption 0 to 24 hours postoperatively was significantly reduced in the ketamine group compared with the placebo group: 79 (47) vs 121 (53) mg IV, mean difference 42 mg (95% confidence interval -59 to -25), P < 0.001. Sedation was significantly reduced in the ketamine group 6 and 24 hours postoperatively. There were no significant differences regarding acute pain, nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, or nightmares. Back pain at 6 months postoperatively compared with preoperative pain was significantly more improved in the ketamine group compared with the placebo group, P = 0.005. In conclusion, intraoperative ketamine significantly reduced morphine consumption 0 to 24 hours after lumbar fusion surgery in opioid-dependent patients. The trend regarding less persistent pain 6 months postoperatively needs further investigation.

Gabapentin in a total dose of 3000 mg, administered before and during the first 24 h after abdominal hysterectomy, reduced morphine consumption with 32%, without significant effects on pain scores. No significant differences in side-effects were observed between study-groups.

Combinations of paracetamol and pregabalin, or paracetamol, pregabalin and dexamethasone did not reduce morphine consumption and pain score compared with paracetamol alone for patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy. Dexamethasone reduced nausea, vomiting and use of ondansetron.

Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01212666.

Glucocorticoids have attracted increasing attention as adjuvants in the treatment of acute postoperative pain. Furthermore, anecdotal reports may support glucocorticoids for preventing sustained postoperative pain. We explored preoperative dexamethasone combined with paracetamol and ibuprofen on acute and sustained pain after lumbar disk surgery. In this blinded study, 160 patients undergoing lumbar disk surgery were randomly assigned to 16 mg IV dexamethasone or placebo. All patients received perioperative paracetamol and ibuprofen, and postoperative IV patient-controlled analgesia with morphine. Primary outcome was pain during mobilization (visual analog scale) 2 to 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were acute pain at rest, morphine consumption, nausea, vomiting, ondansetron consumption, sedation, and quality of sleep. Patients were followed up by written questionnaire 3 months postoperatively. Acute pain during mobilization (weighted average area under the curve, 2-24 hours) was significantly reduced in the dexamethasone group: 33 (22) mm vs placebo 43 (18) mm, (95% confidence interval [CI] 3-16) P = 0.005. Vomiting 0 to 24 hours postoperatively was reduced in the dexamethasone group (17 episodes) vs placebo (51 episodes) P = 0.036. No other differences were observed. However, 6.5% (95% CI 2-15) in the dexamethasone group vs placebo 0% had an antibiotically treated wound infection (P = 0.13). Sixteen percent (95% CI 7-26) vs 8% (95% CI 0-17) reported new weakness/paralysis of the legs in the dexamethasone and placebo groups, respectively, 3 months postoperatively (P = 0.20). In conclusion, preoperative dexamethasone significantly reduced pain during mobilization and vomiting, after lumbar disk surgery. No significant effects were observed 3 months postoperatively.