Pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Optimized acupuncture treatment (acupuncture and intradermal needling) for cervical spondylosis-related neck pain: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Cervical spondylosis (CS)-related neck pain is difficult to treat because of its degenerative nature. The aim of this 9-center, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of optimized acupuncture for CS-related neck pain. Participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomized to optimized, shallow, and sham acupuncture groups (1:1:1). ⋯ Most SF-36 scores were higher in the optimized acupuncture group than those in the other groups. These results suggest that 4-week optimized acupuncture treatment alleviates CS-related neck pain and improves the quality of life, with the effects persisting for minimum 3 months. Therefore, acupuncture can have positive effects on CS-related neck pain, although the effect size may vary widely.
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Multicenter Study
High-dose spinal cord stimulation for patients with failed back surgery syndrome: a multicenter effectiveness and prediction study.
The use of high-dose spinal cord stimulation (HD-SCS) has increased drastically during the past few years, with positive results. However, there remains a deficit of real-world data of the effectiveness of HD-SCS. Therefore, the primary aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of HD-SCS in patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). ⋯ Holistic responders could be predicted with a sensitivity and specificity of 90%. Clinically significant and sustained pain relief over a period of 12 months was achieved with HD-SCS in patients with FBSS. In addition, HD-SCS also achieved an improvement in sleep quality, functionality, and a decrease in pain medication.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Opioid-induced constipation in cancer patients: a "real-world", multicentre, observational study of diagnostic criteria and clinical features.
The aim of this study was to investigate opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in a large cohort of "real-world" patients with cancer; the objectives were to determine the prevalence of OIC, the utility of a simple screening question, the accuracy of the Rome IV diagnostic criteria, the clinical features of OIC (physical and psychological), and the impact of OIC (quality of life). One thousand patients with cancer were enrolled in the study, which involved completion of the Rome IV diagnostic criteria for OIC, the Bowel Function Index, the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life questionnaire, and the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form. Participants also underwent a thorough clinical assessment by an experienced clinician (ie, "gold-standard" assessment of OIC). ⋯ Patients with OIC had more symptoms overall, higher Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form subscale scores (and total score), and higher Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life questionnaire subscale scores (and the overall score). Opioid-induced constipation was not associated with demographic factors, cancer diagnosis, performance status, or opioid equivalent dosage: OIC was associated with opioid analgesic, with patients receiving tramadol and transdermal buprenorphine having less constipation. The study confirms that OIC is common among patients with cancer pain and is associated with a spectrum of physical symptoms, a range of psychological symptoms, and an overall deterioration in the quality of life.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Does a screening trial for spinal cord stimulation in patients with chronic pain of neuropathic origin have clinical utility and cost-effectiveness (TRIAL-STIM)? a randomised controlled trial.
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an established treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. Although a temporary SCS screening trial is widely used to determine whether a patient should receive permanent SCS implant, its evidence base is limited. We aimed to establish the clinical utility, diagnostic accuracy, and cost-effectiveness of an SCS screening trial. ⋯ Spinal cord stimulation screening trial had a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI: 78-100) and specificity of 8% (95% CI: 1-25). The mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of TG vs NTG was £78,895 per additional quality-adjusted life-year gained. In conclusion, although the SCS screening trial may have some diagnostic utility, there was no evidence that an SCS screening TG provides superior patient outcomes or is cost-effective compared to a no trial screening approach.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Intrathecal delivery of hydromorphone vs morphine for refractory cancer pain: a multicenter, randomized, single-blind, controlled noninferiority trial.
Hydromorphone is an alternative to morphine for intrathecal drug delivery system to treat refractory cancer pain; however, there is not enough clinical evidence to prove it. In our study, 233 patients from 12 different pain management centers across China were enrolled, 121 and 112 in the intrathecal hydromorphone (ITHM) and intrathecal morphine (ITMO) groups, respectively. The primary outcome was the clinical success rate, which was defined as ratio of patients achieving ≥50% pain relief. ⋯ The patient-controlled analgesia bolus change rate was lower in the ITHM group than in the ITMO group (ITHM -19.88% vs ITMO 7.79%, P < 0.01, t test) from first week. Our result shows that ITHM is noninferior to ITMO on pain relief to treat refractory cancer pain, however, at different doses and that the doses of morphine tended to increase, whereas those of hydromorphone decreased over time. Hydromorphone offers advantage over morphine in controlling BTP.