Korean J Pain 2020; 33(2): 176-182
Published online April 1, 2020 https://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2020.33.2.176
Copyright © The Korean Pain Society.
Yeliz Şahiner , Özgür Yağan
, Arzu Akdağlı Ekici
, Musa Ekici
, Emre Demir
1Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Erol Olçok Training and Research Hospital, Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, Çorum, Turkey
2Department of Urology, Erol Olçok Training and Research Hospital, Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, Çorum, Turkey
3Department of Biostatistics, Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, Çorum, Turkey
Correspondence to:Yeliz Şahiner
Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Erol Olçok Training and Research Hospital, Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, Inonu Cad, No. 176, 19040 Çorum, Turkey
Tel: +90-364-2221100
Fax: +90-364-2193000
E-mail: yelizsahiner@gmail.com
Received: October 21, 2019; Revised: December 11, 2019; Accepted: December 16, 2019
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background: Catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) has been observed in many patients undergoing a urethral catheterization. CRBD may be so severe that the patients require additional analgesics. Muscarinic receptors are involved in the mechanism of CRBD. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of the antimuscarinic properties of atropine, which is frequently used in current practice on CRBD, by comparing it with sugammadex which has no antimuscarinic effects.
Methods: Sixty patients selected for transurethral resection due to bladder tumors were randomized into 2 groups: an atropine group and a sugammadex group, with no antimuscarinic effect. The patients were given rocuronium (0.6 mg/kg) as a neuromuscular- blocker. In addition to the frequency and severity of CRBD postoperatively at 0, 1, 6, 12, and 24 hours, postoperative numeric rating scale (NRS) scores, and postoperative nausea and vomiting were examined.
Results: The incidence of CRBD was significantly lower in the atropine group in all postoperative measurements. The score was found to be significantly lower in the atropine group when NRS measurements were performed at all time periods (P < 0.01). There was no difference between the groups in terms of nausea and vomiting (P > 0.05).
Conclusions: Atropine is a cheap, easy-to-access, safe-to-use drug for reducing CRBD symptoms, without any observed adverse effects. Since it not only reduces CRBD symptoms but also has a positive effect on postoperative pain, it can be used safely to increase patient comfort in patients receiving general anesthesia and a urinary catheter.
Keywords: Atropine, Clinical Study, General Anesthesia, Muscarinic Antagonists, Pain Measurement, Patient Comfort, Postoperative Pain, Sugammadex, Urinary Bladder Neoplasms, Urinary Catheters.