Search

The purpose of this study was to assess the analgesic effects of intra-articular injection of a morphine-bupivacaine combination following knee arthroscopy. 47 patients were evaluated. Knee arthroscopies were all performed under general anaesthesia, using propofol, alfentanil, isoflurane and nitrous oxide. Analgesic effects were evaluated by a visual analogic pain scale. Serum bupivacaine was measured during the first 8 postoperative hours. Analgesia was good in the immediate postoperative period, with minimal side effects. The serum bupivacaine levels were low. However the analgesic efficacy of intra-articular injection of morphine-bupivacaine should be corroborated through a double blind study.

The study of pathophysiological and symptomatological characteristics of pain in emergency situations, and of its harmful consequences, shows that, in spite of a difficult context, analgesia is an essential part of the care to patients during the prehospital stage. Its prescription implies a good knowledge of analgesia techniques, including precise rules such as titration. The choice of analgesia must be the outcome of a rigorous step giving priority to the vital functions and associating several techniques. Regional anaesthesia is not very often used in prehospital emergency but rather in emergency units and in the surgical ward. Analgesia must be adapted, mainly to specific situations in emergency: children, old people, burned people with pain.