A majority of patients would suffer from moderate-to-severe postoperative pain after undergoing craniotomy. As a result, adequate pain control is essential for patients' prognosis and their postoperative life quality. Although opioids administration is regarded as the first-line analgesic for post-craniotomy pain management, it may be associated with delayed awakening, respiratory depression, hypercarbia and it may interfere with the neurologic examination. For the avoidance of side-effects of systemic opioids, local anesthetics administered around the incision have been performed clinically. However, some studies revealed that the analgesic effect of local anesthetics was not unsatisfactory due to its short pain relief duration. As is reported that postoperative pain of craniotomy is mainly caused by skin incision and reflection of muscles, preventing the liberation of inflammatory mediators around the incision seems to be more effective than simply blocking nerve conduction. Thus, Investigators suppose that pre-emptive scalp infiltration with steroid (dexamethasone) plus local anesthetic (ropivacaine) could relieve postoperative pain after craniotomy in adults.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
140
Intervention in this study will be peri-incisional scalp infiltration with dexamethasone, ropivacaine and normal saline miscible liquids for participants who will undergo elective craniotomy. The local infiltration solution containing 0.33mg dexamethasone and 5mg ropivacaine per milliliter will be infiltrated along the incision and throughout the entire thickness of the scalp before skin incision. The volume of local infiltration solution will be decided by surgeons according to the cut length, and the capacity of the solution will be recorded by investigator.
Intervention in this study will be peri-incisional scalp infiltration with ropivacaine for participants who will undergo elective craniotomy. The local infiltration solution containing 5mg ropivacaine per milliliter will be infiltrated along the incision and throughout the entire thickness of the scalp before skin incision. The volume of local infiltration solution will be decided by surgeons according to the cut length, and the capacity of the solution will be recorded by investigator.
Beijing Tiantan Hospital
Beijing, China
Cumulative sufentanil consumption within 48 hours postoperatively
All participates will receive an electronic intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device in which the bolus dose of sufentanil will be set as 2 μg with a lockout interval of 10 min and the maximum dose will be limited as 8 μg per hour. If the participates feel inadequate analgesia after 5 times of sufentanil bolus, the bolus dose will be increased to 3 μg and the maximum dose will be increased to 12 μg per hour.
Time frame: Within 48 hours after the operation
The number of participants who have no sufentanil consumption
The number of participants who have not pushed the button of patient-controlled analgesia pump. Both of the initial dose and background infusion of the patient-controlled analgesia pump in this study will be set as 0. Participates will be advised to push the analgesic demand button if they feel pain.
Time frame: Within 48 hours after the operation
The first time to press the patient-controlled analgesia button
The first time that the participants press the patient-controlled analgesia button.
Time frame: Within 48 hours after the operation
The total times that participants press patient-controlled analgesia button
The total times that participants press patient-controlled analgesia button including effective presses and ineffective presses.
Time frame: Within 48 hours after the operation
Numerical rating scale of pain
Pain was assessed after surgery by a numerical rating scale (0 indicates no pain, 10 indicates the most severe pain imaginable).
Time frame: At 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after surgery
Postoperative nausea and vomiting
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) was rated by participates as: 0, absent; 1, nausea not requiring treatment; 2, nausea requiring treatment; and 3, vomiting.
Time frame: At 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours after surgery
Ramsay Sedation Scale
Ramsey 1: Anxious, agitated, restless; Ramsey 2: Cooperative, oriented, tranquil; Ramsey 3: Responsive to commands only If Asleep; Ramsey 4: Brisk response to light glabellar tap or loud auditory stimulus; Ramsey 5: Sluggish response to light glabellar tap or loud auditory stimulus; Ramsey 6: No response to light glabellar tap or loud auditory stimulus
Time frame: At 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours after surgery
Respiratory depression
Respiratory depression is defined as a respiratory rate less than 10 breaths per minute or oxygen saturation was less than ninety percent.
Time frame: Within 48 hours after the operation
Heart rate
Time frame: Before anesthesia induction, after anesthesia induction, after scalp infiltration, during skull drilling, mater cutting, skin closure and at 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours after surgery
Mean arterial pressure
Time frame: Before anesthesia induction, after anesthesia induction, after scalp infiltration, during skull drilling, mater cutting, skin closure and at 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours after surgery
The times of emergency reducing blood pressure after the operation
The criteria for treatment is determined by the participant's surgeon in charge.The times of emergency reducing blood pressure will be recording by the investigator.
Time frame: Within 48 hours after the operation
Patient satisfactory scale (PSS)
0 for unsatisfactory, and 10 for very satisfied
Time frame: At 48 hours, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after surgery
The total consumption of opioids during the operation
Time frame: During procedure
The total consumption of anaesthetic during the operation
Time frame: During procedure
The duration of hospitalization after the operation
Time frame: Approximately 2 weeks after the operation
The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF
Quality of life will be measured using the World Health Organisation QoL-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. The WHOQOL-BREF is a abbreviated version of the WHOQOL-100 assessment. WHOQOL-BREF is a self-report questionnaire that contains 26 items and addresses 4 QOL domains: physical health (7 items), psychological health (6 items), social relationships (3 items) and environment (8 items). Two other items measure overall QOL and general health. Each domain's mean score can range between 4 and 20 and a higher score indicates a higher quality of life. The mean score of items within each domain is used to calculate the domain score. A transformation method converts domain scores to a 0-100 scale.
Time frame: At 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after surgery
Incisional related adverse events Incisional related adverse events
Including delayed incisional healing, incisional infection, intracranial infection, scar healing
Time frame: Within 1 month after surgery
Wound Healing Score
Skin Healing 1: fully healed; 2: ≤3 cm in total not healed; 3: \>3 cm not healed; 4: areas of necrosis ≤3 cm; 5: areas of necrosis \>3 cm Infection 1: none; 2: ≤0.5-cm margin of redness; 3: more redness or superficial pus; 4: deep infection; not applicable Hair Regrowth 1: even regrowth along wound; 2: ≤3 cm not regrowing; 3: \>3-6 cm not regrowing; 4: \>6 cm not regrowing; not applicable
Time frame: At 3 weeks and 6 weeks after surgery
Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale
The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale includes subjective symptoms of pain and pruritus and consists of 2 numerical numeric scales: The Patient Scar Assessment Scale and the Observer Scar Assessment Scale. It assesses vascularity, pigmentation, thickness, relief, pliability, surface area and overall opinion for a scar on a score of 1 (normal skin) to 10 (worst scar imaginable). and it incorporates patient assessments of pain, itching, color, stiffness, thickness, relief and overall opinion. Participants were asked to rate the severity of their scar compared to normal skin. The overall opinion scale score ranged from 1 (normal skin) to 10 (very different from normal skin).
Time frame: At 6 months after surgery
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.