Tramadol a Myth of safety

Tramadol lands squarely in the gap between oral analgesics used for "no pain" – ibuprofen, acetaminophen – and analgesics used for "real pain" – hydrocodone derivatives.

The literature describing the analgesic properties of tramadol is bizarre, with multiple comparisons with placebo, nerve blocks, adjunctive epidural anesthesia, etc., and very few head-to-head comparisons to the sorts of medications we routinely use. When there are comparative efficacy reports, they typically conclude that tramadol is effective...just as effective as the NSAIDs its being compared with.

The theory when considering use of tramadol is that it has a better safety profile than hydrocodone and is less dependence-forming. These claims may be true, but not true to the extent that it is clinically relevant. Tramadol still generates an opioid withdrawal syndrome and, as this article describes, overdose/abuse still results in apnea with need for ventilatory support.

Additionally, tramadol is a GABA antagonist, lowering seizure threshold. Of the 525 patients overdosing primarily on tramadol retrospectively identified at this Iranian hospital, 19 experienced apnea and 242 (46.1%) experienced seizures. This is retrospective and co-ingestants cannot be fully ruled out, but the propensity for seizure is far more surprising than the incidence of apnea.

Tramadol has a role in pain control prescribing, but, that role is tiny.

"Tramadol-induced apnea"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22809771

Comments

The pressure volume loop...

In the pressure-volume loop below, cardiac work is best represented by: the area of the curve the slope of the line from points C to D the distance of the line from points C to D the slope of a line from points A to D .. .. ... .... ... .... .... .... In the pressure-volume loop below, cardiac work is best represented by: the area of the curve Cardiac work is the product of pressure and volume and is linearly related to myocardial oxygen consumption. Cardiac work is best represented by the area of the curve of a pressure-volume loop.

Anaphylaxis updates part 2- Empty Ventricle Syndrome

Patients with anaphylaxis should not suddenly sit, stand, or be placed in the upright position. Instead, they should be placed on the back with their lower extremities elevated or, if they are experiencing respiratory distress or vomiting, they should be placed in a position of comfort with their lower extremities elevated. This accomplishes 2 therapeutic goals: 1) preservation of fluid in the circulation (the central vascular compartment), an important step in managing distributive shock; and 2) prevention of the empty vena cava/empty ventricle syndrome, which can occur within seconds when patients with anaphylaxis suddenly assume or are placed in an upright position. Patients with this syndrome are at high risk for sudden death. They are unlikely to respond to epinephrine regardless of route of administration, because it does not reach the heart and therefore cannot be circulated throughout the body

Steroids In Perioperative period...The Multi-purpose Drugs

1-Steroids are not Bronchodilator ,but have well established usefulness in hyper-reactive airway. They are also said to have a permissive role for bronchodilator medication. They can be administered orally, parenterally or in aerosol form 2- Steroids have been commonly used in chemotherapy for prevention of nausea along with other anti-emetic agents . Dexamethasone was found to be highly effective when given immediately before induction rather than at the end of anesthesia . 3- Steroids do exert analgesic effects. Various routes of administration of steroids include parentral, local infiltration at operated site , as an adjuvant in nerve blocks and central-neuraxial blockade. 4 - Steroids cannot be the mainstay of therapy in anaphylaxis because of the delayed onset of action, so they are used as adjunct after initial treatment with epinephrine. 5- Steroids (Dexamethsone) are of value in reduction or prevention of cerebral edema associated with parasitic infections and neopla...

sedationstation

Search This Blog