Continuous fentanyl infusion reduces intra-abdominal pressure, postoperative pain and normalizes lungs’ mechanical changes in newborn with viscera-abdominal disproportion in early post-operative period

Abstract

We aimed to study the influence of prolonged administration of fentanyl on postoperative pain, intra­ab­dominal pressure and mechanical lungs’ changes that may happen in neonates in early post­operative period. 30 newborns (in the period from January 2017 to May 2021) with gastroschisis were divided into two groups ac­cordingly to the method of analgesia (14 – morphine hydrochloride; 16 – prolonged infusion of fentanyl). Lungs’ mechanical characteristics, effectiveness of post­operative analgesia, abdominal wall relaxation was studied by monitoring of dynamic compliance (Cdyn), pressure and flow­volume loops, capnography. Apprising analgesia sta­tus, we measured hemodynamic, SаO2, blood level of cortizol, C­reactive protein (CRP), glucose, analyzed post­operative pain syndrome using visual analogue scales (VAS). Intra­abdominal pressure (IAP) was controlled by Cron. For statistic analysis we used Student’s t­test. In the group with morphine, thete was the increase of IAP by 11–12 cm H2O, being stable during some period of time, and also variable levels of pain according to VAS, the in­creasing of CRP from 0.8 ± 0.25 mg/dl by 5 mg/dl, cortisol by 674.4 nmol/l, and blood glucosae rate – 7.4 mmol/l. Periods with high traumatic effects and poor analgesia (morphine group) reasoned the increasing IAP, step by step dynamic compliance decreasing in 3.4 times, resistance increasing in 2.42 times and PIP rising till 22 cm H2O. Di­rect correlation between IAP increase and lungs’ mechanical changes took place. The study has demonstrated that prolonged administration of fentanyl prevented high increase of IAP, CRP, levels of glucose and cortizol and changes of VAS data, lungs’ mechanical characteristics.

Keywords

• fentanyl
• gastroshisis
• lungs function
• newborns
• postoperative pain