• Ines Ferreira Vieira, Alfredo Mendes de Castro, Maria do Ceu Loureiro, Joana Pinto, Cristina Cardoso, and Jose Pedro Assuncao.
• Anesthesiology Department, Centro Hospitalar Tondela-Viseu, Viseu, Portugal.
• Pain Physician. 2022 Jul 1; 25 (4): E641-E647.

BackgroundChronic neuropathic pain is a disabling condition that affects quality of life. Despite recommendations and guidelines, treatment remains suboptimal as it often does not result in significant symptom relief. Capsaicin 8% patch has been used for the treatment of several peripheral neuropathic pain etiologies with encouraging results.ObjectivesTo assess the results of capsaicin 8% patch on neuropathic pain by evaluating pain intensity and the painful treatment area.Study DesignObservational retrospective cohort study.SettingAll patients submitted to capsaicin treatment at the Chronic Pain Unit of the Hospital Centre of Tondela Viseu, from 2011 through 2019.MethodsRecords of capsaicin treatments were reviewed, and the data collected. The primary outcome was pain intensity and painful treatment area reduction between the first and last treatment. Also, the number of treatments performed, neuropathic pain duration, anatomic location, pain etiology, and concomitant oral pain medication at baseline and upon treatment conclusion was also listed.ResultsPostsurgical neuropathic pain was the most common etiology (49%), followed by postherpetic (28%). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) baseline pain intensity assessed by the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) was 6 (5-8) and the median (IQR) final NRS-11 was 3 (1-5), with a median (IQR) relative difference of -0.5 (-0.85-0.17) with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001) between baseline and last pain intensity, regarding all groups. Also, there was a reduction in the painful treatment area between baseline and the last evaluation, with a median (IQR) relative difference of -0.4 (-0.625-0.167).LimitationsA relatively small sample and occasional different timing for pain intensity and pain treatment area assessment due to logistical difficulties.ConclusionsCapsaicin 8% patch is a valuable option for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain, providing a significant reduction in pain intensity and painful area. It is well tolerated and has a high treatment compliance.Ethics Committee Reference Number: 16/16//04/2021.

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