JOURNAL HOME CME HOME THIS MONTH PAST ISSUES ETOC COLLECTIONS AUTHORS REVIEWERS EDITORIAL BOARD FEEDBACK RSS HELP
		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (8) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Volk, T. Articles by Kox, W. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Volk, T. Articles by Kox, W. J. Related Collections Postanesthetic Care Unit Regional Anesthesia Pain

---

PAIN MEDICINE

Postoperative Epidural Anesthesia Preserves Lymphocyte, but Not Monocyte, Immune Function After Major Spine Surgery

Thomas Volk, MD^*, Michael Schenk, MD^*, Kristina Voigt, cand. med.^*, Stefan Tohtz, MD, Michael Putzier, MD, and Wolfgang J. Kox, MD, PhD, FRCP^*

Departments of *Anesthesiology and Intensive Care and Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospital Charité, Campus Mitte, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany

Address correspondence to Thomas Volk, MD, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital Charité Campus Mitte, Schumannstr. 20/21, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Address e-mail to thomas.volk{at}charite.de Reprints will not be available from the authors.

Extensive spine surgery is associated with postsurgical pain. Epidural pain therapy may reduce postoperative stress responses and thereby influence immune functions. In a randomized, controlled, double-blinded prospective trial, 54 patients received either conventional patient-controlled IV analgesia (PCIA; morphine 3 mg/15 min) or patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA; 0.125% ropivacaine plus sufentanil 1 µg/mL at a base rate of 12 mL/h and bolus application of 5 mL/15 min). Circulating cytokines, C-reactive protein (CRP), cortisol, and cell-surface receptor expression of immune cells (cluster of differentiation [CD]14, human leukocyte antigen-DR, CD86, CD71, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, and CD19) were measured perioperatively to characterize immunological functions. PCEA, compared with PCIA, had no influence on altered levels of circulating cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and macrophage inhibitory factor) or indicators of the stress response (CRP and cortisol). Also, no significant difference was found in monocyte numbers or their human leukocyte antigen-DR, CD86, or CD71 expression. In contrast, the postoperative decrease in B lymphocytes and T-helper cells was significant in the PCEA group. Natural killer cells decreased significantly in patients receiving PCEA compared with PCIA. Therefore, postoperative epidural pain therapy has no influence on monocyte functions but reduces natural killer cells and preserves B-cell and T-helper cell populations. Epidural analgesia thus influences the specific rather than the innate immune system and potentially blunts the postsurgical lymphocyte depression, which is relevant for infectious resistance.

IMPLICATIONS:Epidural analgesia affects the immune system. Postoperative epidural analgesia, compared with conventional IV opioid therapy, preserves lymphocyte rather than monocyte functions. An improvement of postoperative immune function by epidural analgesia therefore may improve postoperative resistance to infectious complications or to chronic pain states.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Xu, Z. Tan, J. Chen, F. Lou, and W. Chen Intravenous flurbiprofen axetil accelerates restoration of bowel function after colorectal surgery: [Le flurbiprofene axetil intraveineux accelere la restauration de la fonction intestinale apres une chirurgie colorectale] Can J Anesth, July 1, 2008; 55(7): 414 - 422. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Christopherson, K. E. James, M. Tableman, P. Marshall, and F. E. Johnson Long-Term Survival After Colon Cancer Surgery: A Variation Associated with Choice of Anesthesia Anesth. Analg., July 1, 2008; 107(1): 325 - 332. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Yokoyama, Y. Itano, H. Katayama, H. Morimatsu, Y. Takeda, T. Takahashi, O. Nagano, and K. Morita The Effects of Continuous Epidural Anesthesia and Analgesia on Stress Response and Immune Function in Patients Undergoing Radical Esophagectomy Anesth. Analg., November 1, 2005; 101(5): 1521 - 1527. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. B. Gordon, J. L. Dahl, C. Miaskowski, B. McCarberg, K. H. Todd, J. A. Paice, A. G. Lipman, M. Bookbinder, S. H. Sanders, D. C. Turk, et al. American Pain Society Recommendations for Improving the Quality of Acute and Cancer Pain Management: American Pain Society Quality of Care Task Force Arch Intern Med, July 25, 2005; 165(14): 1574 - 1580. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999