- Kehlet et al on behalf of the PROSPECT Working Group
Pain following hernia repair: Which regional analgesic techniques?
Abstract [PDF]
Poster [PDF]
Gray A, Kehlet H*, Bonnet F, Rawal N.
*Section for Surgical Pathophysiology, The Juliane Marie Centre 4074, Rigshospitalet Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Predicting postoperative analgesia outcomes: NNT league tables or procedure-specific evidence?
Number needed to treat (NNT) values have been recommended and used to assess efficacy of analgesics for acute pain management. However, the data analysed come from a variety of procedures, which may potentially hinder the interpretation of the NNT value for specific procedures. We reanalysed available NNT data with acetaminophen in relation to the magnitude of surgical injury. Acetaminophen was less effective for pain relief after orthopaedic procedures than after dental procedures. The relative risk ratio for more than 50% pain relief, compared with placebo, was only 1.87 compared with 3.77 (P<0.05). Although NNT can give a valuable overview of efficacy, this concept is not necessarily applicable to all types of surgery. We suggest that estimates of NNT should be related to specific surgical procedures.
Br J Anaesth. 2005; 94 (6):710–714. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15833778
Kehlet, H*.
*Section for Surgical Pathophysiology 4074, The Juliane Marie Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
Procedure-specific postoperative pain management.
Procedure-specific postoperative pain management guidelines arguably are more helpful to the clinician than general pain guidelines or guidelines based on the use of the Oxford League Tables. Two sources, the United States Veteran’s Health Administration and the European Prospect Working Group, offer websites that include surgical procedure-specific postoperative pain management guidelines, which are available and currently updated.
Anesthesiol Clin North America. 2005 Mar;23(1):203–210. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15763419