[Verapamil effect and influence on postoperative epidural analgesia and cell factors TNFalpha, IL-6 and IL-2].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the nonopioid analgesic drug effect and influence on serum cytokine and postoperative epidural analgesia.

METHODS: With informed consent, fifty patients underwent the hysterectomy with double catheter epidural anesthesia and were assigned to intramuscular injection analgesia group (group V) and epidural analgesia group which was randomized into four groups: Bupivacaine group (group I), Bupivacaine + Fentanil group (group II), Bupivacaine + Verapamil group (group III) and Bupivacaine + Fentanil + Verapamil (group IV). At the same time, the levels of serum TNFalpha, IL-6 and IL-2 were detected, and the pain assessment was made (visual analogue scale, VAS).

RESULTS: The effectiveness of epidural analgesia was better than that of intramuscular injection. Epidural verapamil reduced the analgesic cost. The postoperative levels of TNFalpha and IL-2 were higher than preanesthesia ones of them (P < 0.05). The postoperative levels of TNFalpha and IL-2 in epidural group were lower than those in intramuscular injection analgesia group at 6 hours after operation (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Epidural verapamil analgesia can reduce analgesic cost, and the effective epidural analgesia can reduce the postoperative distress.