Abstract Purpose To evaluate the analgesic effect of esmolol in patients submitted to laparoscopic gastroplasty. Methods Forty patients aged between 18 and 50 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status scores of II and III who underwent gastric bypass were allocated to two groups. Group 1 patients received a 0.5-mg/kg bolus of esmolol in 30 mL of saline before induction of anesthesia, followed by an infusion at 15 µg/kg/min until the end of surgery. Group 2 patients received 30 mL of saline as a bolus and then an infusion of saline. Anesthesia included fentanyl (3 µg/kg), propofol (2-4 mg/kg), rocuronium (0.6 mg/kg), and 2% sevoflurane, with remifentanil if necessary. The following parameters were evaluated: pain intensity over 24h, remifentanil consumption, the first analgesic request, morphine consumption, and side effects. Results Pain intensity was lower in the esmolol group except at T0 (after extubation) and 12h postoperatively. Remifentanil supplementation, recovery time, and postoperative morphine supplementation were lower in the esmolol group. No differences in the time to the first analgesic request or side effects were found between the groups. Conclusion Intraoperative esmolol promotes reductions in pain intensity and the need for analgesic supplementation without adverse effects, thus representing an effective drug for multimodal analgesia in gastroplasty.

Resumo Justificativa e objetivo: Analgesia adequada após esternotomia reduz eventos adversos no pós-operatório. Várias modalidades estão disponíveis para tratamento da dor após cirurgia cardíaca: infiltração com anestésico local, bloqueio de nervos, opioides, anti-inflamatórios não esteroidais, agentes alfa-adrenérgicos, técnicas intratecais e epidurais e analgesia multimodal. Conteúdo: Foi feita uma revisão sobre epidemiologia, fisiopatologia, prevenção e tratamento da dor após esternotomia. Também fora discutidas as diversas modalidades terapêuticas analgésicas, com ênfase em vantagens e desvantagens de cada técnica. Conclusões: A cirurgia cardíaca é feita principalmente por esternotomia média, que resulta em dor significativa no pós-operatório e uma incidência não insignificante de dor crônica. O controle efetivo da dor melhora a satisfação dos pacientes e os desfechos clínicos. Nenhuma técnica é claramente superior. Acredita-se que um regime analgésico combinado multimodal (com várias técnicas) seja a melhor abordagem para tratar a dor pós-operatória, o que maximiza a analgesia e reduz os efeitos colaterais.

Abstract Background and objective: Adequate analgesia after sternotomy reduces postoperative adverse events. There are various methods of treating pain after heart surgery, such as infiltration with a local anesthetic, nerve block, opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alpha-adrenergic agents, intrathecal and epidural techniques, and multimodal analgesia. Content: A review of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, prevention and treatment of pain after sternotomy. We also discuss the various analgesic therapeutic modalities, emphasizing advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Conclusions: Heart surgery is performed mainly via medium sternotomy, which results in significant postoperative pain and a non-negligible incidence of chronic pain. Effective pain control improves patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes. There is no clearly superior technique. It is believed that a combined multimodal analgesic regimen (using different techniques) is the best approach for treating postoperative pain, maximizing analgesia and reducing side effects.