BMC Psychiatry (Aug 2024)

Intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with esketamine improves early depressive symptoms in patients with postherpetic neuralgia: a single-center retrospective cohort study

  • Ling Qiu,
  • Xuhui Chen,
  • Jia Fu,
  • Xingqu Chen,
  • Xiaobin Wang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06035-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 24, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Abstract Objective Patients with Postherpetic Neuralgia (PHN) often exhibit depressive-like symptoms, significantly impacting their quality of life. Esketamine, known for its analgesic properties, has also been recognized for its rapid antidepressant effects. However, its efficacy in the treatment of PHN requires further exploration. This study aims to evaluate the impact of intravenous patient-controlled analgesia(PICA) with esketamine on depressive mood in PHN patients. Methods This retrospective study analyzed PHN patients hospitalized and treated at the affiliated hospital of Southwest Medical University from June 2021 to March 2023. Patients were divided into the esketamine group (E group) and the sufentanil group (S group) based on their treatment regimens. Primary outcomes included pain numerical rating scale(NRS), depression patient health questionaire-9(PHQ-9), and anxiety generalized anxiety disorder-7(GAD-7) scores measured before treatment, and at 3 days, 7 days, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post-treatment. Results A total of 83 patients were included in the analysis. Before treatment, there were no statistically significant differences in pain NRS, depression PHQ-9, and anxiety GAD-7 scores between the two groups (P > 0.05). Compared to before treatment, significant reductions in pain NRS scores were observed at all post-treatment time points in both groups (P 0.05). The E group exhibited significantly lower depression PHQ-9 scores than the S group at 3 days and 7 days post-treatment (P 0.05). Anxiety GAD-7 scores were significantly lower in the E group compared to the S group at 3 days, 7 days post-treatment (P 0.05). Conclusion Both PICA with esketamine and sufentanil alleviated pain equally in PHN patients. However, PICA with esketamine specifically improved early symptoms of anxiety and depression.

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