Der Schmerz
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The spectrum of perioperative pain treatment is discussed in the present review. The analgesic efficacy of various drugs and the dosage methods of administration and side effects reported for them in such reference works as the practical guide on the management of acute pain recently published by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) are described. Effective postoperative analgesia can diminish stress reactions following surgery. ⋯ Investigations performed by the author of this review have shown that epidural infusion of highly diluted mixtures of bupivacaine/fentanyl is highly effective in the analgesic treatment of patients undergoing prostatectomy, providing excellent physical mobilization. The potential dangers of drug combinations and contraindications are also discussed. The concept of using balanced analgesia to induce additive or synergistic effects following the administration of analgesic drugs requires further clinical studies.
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In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 86 patients (44 verum, 42 placebo), scheduled for knee-joint arthrotomies or minor orthopaedic operations received either naproxen, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory analgesic, or placebo orally in three doses: the first immediately before the operation and the others 6 h and 12 h after the first. The verum group received 1250 mg naproxen in total. Postoperative pain intensity was measured by the category splitting procedure. ⋯ The intensity of typical side effects of opioids and antipyretic anti-inflammatory analgesics (nausea, vomiting, stomachache, headache, vertigo) was low and they were easily controlled in all cases. Lowering of respiratory frequency was not observed. Perioperative administration of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic naproxen results in better pain relief and significantly lower opioid requirements (by about 46%) after minor orthopaedic surgery.
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The reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) syndrome usually shows a distally generalized distribution pattern of symptoms. Here we report a case with a distally localized form of RSD. ⋯ In contrast to the common clinical picture of RSD, with a distally generalized distribution of symptoms, the present case showed a so-called localized form of RSD, its triad affecting only the thumb with the lesion. Typically, the pain showed an orthostatic component and was suppressed by the ischemia test. The sympathetic block was immediately successful, proving the occurrence of this form of RSD for the first time. In similar clinical cases, this form of RSD should be considered as a differential diagnosis.
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Abdominal pain is an important and the most frequent symptom of acute gastrointestinal diseases; crucial hints on the diagnosis can be gleaned from its location and from associated symptoms and signs. As symptomatic therapy the treatment of pain plays a major role in acute gastrointestinal diseases, e.g. the acute abdomen, acute pancreatitis, biliary colic, peptic ulcer disease and diverticulitis. ⋯ Acute severe pain arising from biliary colic and acute pancreatitis should be treated with an opioid that does not influence the sphincter of Oddi or the pressure in the common bile duct, e.g. buprenorphine, nalbuphine or tramadol. An effective but not widely known therapy for colic pain is parenteral administration of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, e.g. indomethacin or diclofenac.