: Compared with general anesthesia , neuraxial anesthesia may reduce the 0-to-30-day mortality for patients undergoing a surgery with an intermediate-to-high cardiac risk ( level of evidence moderate ) .
BACKGROUND : This analysis summarized Cochrane review s that assess the effects of neuraxial anesthesia on perioperative rates of death , chest infections , and myocardial infa rct ion .
Postoperative pain and pulmonary complications: Comparison of three analgesic regimens
In a prospect i ve study , patients undergoing cholecystectomy were r and omly allocated to receive ( a ) intermittent intramuscular morphine ( n = 25 ) , ( b ) continuous intravenous morphine infusion ( n = 25 ) or ( c ) epidural bupivacaine ( n = 25 ) for postoperative pain relief . Morphine by intravenous infusion provided comparable pain relief to intermittent intramuscular morphine ; there was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications . Patients receiving epidural bupivacaine for 12 h had better analgesia than patients receiving morphine ( P < 0.001 ) . Arterial oxygen tensions were also significantly higher in the epidural group for the first three postoperative days ( P < 0.05 ) . Epidural analgesia was associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of pulmonary complications ( P < 0.01 ) and chest infection ( P < 0.05 )
: Compared with general anesthesia , neuraxial anesthesia may reduce the 0-to-30-day mortality for patients undergoing a surgery with an intermediate-to-high cardiac risk ( level of evidence moderate ) .
BACKGROUND : This analysis summarized Cochrane review s that assess the effects of neuraxial anesthesia on perioperative rates of death , chest infections , and myocardial infa rct ion .