The effect of an intravenous analgesic pump with esketamine on postoperative pain and postpartum depression in women with cesarean section.
American journal of translational research – January 01, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
New pain management breakthrough offers hope for new mothers! Intravenous analgesia using esketamine during caesarean sections significantly reduces both postpartum pain and depression symptoms. Women receiving this treatment reported lower pain scores and showed fewer depressive symptoms in the crucial first week after delivery, while experiencing minimal side effects. The treatment also improved biological markers of recovery and stress response.
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the efficacy of an intravenous analgesic pump containing esketamine for postoperative pain relief and its impact on postpartum depression in women undergoing cesarean sections. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 147 women who underwent cesarean deliveries at Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2022 to May 2024. Based on different pain management protocols, the participants were divided into two groups: the observation group (n=81) and the control group (n=66). The observation group received intravenous esketamine post-delivery, followed by postoperative analgesia using a pain pump with esketamine and Sufentanil. Various outcomes were assessed, including Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores, and serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), cortisol (Cor), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). At 12, 24, and 48 hours post-surgery, VAS pain scores (both resting and coughing) were significantly lower in the observation group compared to the control group (P0.05). Esketamine-based postoperative analgesia for cesarean section effectively reduces perioperative pain, alleviates postpartum depression, mitigates inflammatory and stress responses, and has certain neuroprotective effects. Its safety profile supports its potential for broader clinical use.