Pain
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Pain assessment in cognitively impaired and unimpaired older adults: a comparison of four scales.
The purpose of the study was to compare the psychometric properties of four established pain scales in a population of hospitalized older adults (mean age, 76 years) with varying levels of cognitive impairment. Patients made ratings of current pain three times/day for 7 days. They also made retrospective daily, weekly, and bi-weekly ratings of usual, worst, and least pain levels over a 14-day period. ⋯ Retrospective estimates of pain varied by mental status: a combination of usual/worst pain was best for cognitively impaired patients, while a combination of usual/least pain was best for unimpaired patients. These findings support the use of the 21-point box scale for pain assessment in older patients, including those with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. They also support the ability of older, cognitively impaired patients to rate pain reliably and validly.
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Review Clinical Trial
Microsurgical DREZotomy for pain due to spinal cord and/or cauda equina injuries: long-term results in a series of 44 patients.
According to the literature estimations, 10-25% of patients with spinal cord and cauda equina injuries eventually develop refractory pain. Due to the fact that most classical neurosurgical methods are considered of little or no efficacy in controlling this type of pain, the authors had recourse to microsurgery in the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ). This article reports on the long-term results of the microsurgical approach to the dorsal root entry zone (DREZotomy) in a series of 44 patients suffering from unbearable neuropathic pain secondary to spine injury. ⋯ There were no perioperative mortalities. Morbidity included cerebrospinal fluid leak (three patients), wound infection (two patients), subcutaneous hematoma (one patient) and bacteremia (in one patient). The above data justify the inclusion of DREZ-lesioning surgery in the neurosurgical armamentarium for treating 'segmental' pain due to spinal cord injuries.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The effects of failure feedback and pain-related fear on pain report, pain tolerance, and pain avoidance in chronic low back pain patients.
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of non-pain-related failure experiences and pain-related fear on pain report, pain tolerance and pain avoidance in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Moreover, the mediating and moderating role of negative affectivity (trait-NA) in the relationship between failure experiences and pain was examined. Seventy-six patients were divided into high and low pain-related fear groups and within each group they were randomly assigned to the failure or success feedback condition. ⋯ Pain-related fear did not predict pain avoidance when pre-lifting pain and gender were controlled for. Finally, pre-lifting pain turned out to be the strongest predictor with regard to all pain measures. The role of pain-related fear and unexpected findings with regard to feedback are discussed as well as some clinical implications.
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Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is one of the most common surgical procedures performed worldwide. However, its frequent complication, the post-CABG pain (PCP) syndrome, remains poorly documented. This retrospective cohort study was aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of this syndrome. ⋯ This study indicates that PCP is a group of pain syndromes with a high prevalence, and with a negative effect on mood and performance of daily activities. The risk of developing PCP and its potential consequences should therefore be discussed with every patient prior to CABG surgery. These results will need to be confirmed in larger, multi-center studies.
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Neurolytic celiac plexus block (CPB) under radiological guidance is often performed to manage pain associated with pancreatic cancer. Serious complications related to the block are rare. Computed Tomography (CT)-guided neurolytic CPB is advocated to improve the efficacy of the block and to reduce the incidence of associated complications. We describe a case of superior mesenteric vein thrombosis associated with neurolytic CPB performed under CT guidance.