Timed-release Medication May Relieve Pain for Days - Brief Article

AORN Journal,  Jan, 2000  

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Relieving patients' postperative pain for several days instead of several hours may be possible with a timed-release local anesthetic, according to an Oct 10, 1999, press release from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Park Ridge, Ill. Microscopic spheres of bupivacaine, the most commonly used local anesthetic for postoperative pain, would be injected into patients during surgical procedures.

Researchers say the particles would dissolve slowly, providing pain relief for several days. This may be especially important for children because local anesthetics wear off sooner for them than for adults. Currently, this formulation is being tested in adults.

Bupivacaine does not dissolve readily in water, which makes it easier to produce in microsphere form, according to the release. The spheres are composed of the medication and tiny strands of a molecule that the body absorbs similar to dissolvable sutures. Researchers believe the anesthetic would be most useful for patients who undergo surgical procedures (eg, chest, abdomen) in which numbness for several days would not be problematic.

Timed-Release Local Anesthetics for Pain Relief Could Last for Days After Surgery (press release, Park Ridge, III American Society of Anesthesiologists, Oct 10, 1999) 1-2.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group