French Study Finds Technique to Reduce Recovery Time
Anesthesiologists at Paris’ St-Antoine University Hospital have found they can reduce a patient’s pain and recovery time after colorectal surgery by infusing local anesthesia directly into the surgical site for the first 48 hours following the procedure.
To test the method’s effectiveness, researchers randomized patients receiving colorectal cancer resections at three hospitals. Multi-holed catheters put in place during the surgery delivered the anesthetic ropivacaine to one group while the second group received a placebo. Both groups received standard patient-controlled intravenous morphine to manage their pain.
Post-operative monitoring revealed that patients who received the anesthetic used significantly less morphine, experienced lower pain intensity during rest and coughing, recovered bowel function quicker, and had shorter hospital stays than the group who received the placebo.
Investigators pointed out that the relatively simple technique may not be appropriate for all patients, including those with dysfunctional stomas, but they believe the new method provides a possible alternative to epidural analgesia for most patients.
Additional information on this study can be found in the September 2007 issue of the journal Anesthesiology.
Source: Colorectal Cancer Coalition
Related Links: medpage TODAY; newswise; KXAN
Related Video: Minimally Invasive Colon Surgery at St Mary’s Medical Center from Medline Plus
Related Podcast: Colon Cancer & Colonoscopy from The Living Healthy Podcast with Dr. Henry Domke
Tags: Marc Beaussier MD; AstraZeneca; abdominal surgery; Naropin; Duluth, MN; American Society of Anesthesiologists
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