Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2005
Review Meta AnalysisComparative efficacy of epidural, subarachnoid, and intracerebroventricular opioids in patients with pain due to cancer.
Since the 1970s, when endogenous opioids and opioid receptors were first isolated in the central nervous system, attempts have been made to optimize opioid therapy by delivering the medication centrally rather than systemically. Although the vast majority of cancer patients obtain satisfactory pain relief from individualized systemic treatment, there remain the few whose pain is refractory to systemic treatments. These patients may obtain relief from neuraxial opioid therapy: intracerebroventricular, epidural or subarachnoid. ⋯ Neuraxial opioid therapy is often effective for treating cancer pain that has not been adequately controlled by systemic treatment. However, long-term use of neuraxial therapy can be complicated by problems associated with the catheters. The data from uncontrolled studies suggests that ICV is at least as effective against pain as other neuraxial treatments and may be a successful treatment for patients whose cancer pain is resistant to other treatments.
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Venous leg ulceration is a common and disabling condition which often recurs. It affects up to one in 100 adults at some time. The usual treatments are simple dressings and compression bandages or stockings. Unfortunately, in some cases this treatment is unsuccessful, with ulcers remaining open for months or years. Sometimes skin grafts are used to stimulate healing. These skin grafts may be taken from the patient's own uninjured skin, may be grown from the patient's skin cells into a dressing (autografts), or applied as a sheet of bioengineered skin grown from donor cells (allograft). Preserved skin from other animals, such as pigs, has also been used; these grafts are known as xerografts. ⋯ There is evidence that a bilayer artificial skin, used in conjunction with compression bandaging, increases the chance of healing a venous ulcer compared with compression and a simple dressing. Further research is needed to assess whether other forms of skin grafts increase ulcer healing.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2005
ReviewTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for chronic low-back pain.
Chronic low-back pain (LBP) affects a significant proportion of the population. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was introduced more than 30 years ago as an adjunct to the pharmacological management of pain. However, despite its widespread use, the usefulness of TENS in chronic LBP is still controversial. ⋯ There is inconsistent evidence to support the use of TENS as a single treatment in the management of chronic LBP. Larger, multi-center, randomized controlled trials are needed to better assess the true effectiveness of TENS. Special attention should be given to the risks and benefits of long-term use, which more appropriately addresses the realities of managing chronic low-back pain.
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Corticosteroids continue to play a central role in induction of remission in active Crohn's disease. However, their use comes at a price of significant adverse effects when used repeatedly or for extended periods. Newer corticosteroid agents with limited systemic bioavailability offer a tantalizing option, if they can be shown to be efficacious and safer than conventional corticosteroids. Budesonide is the main alternative corticosteroid currently available in an enteric formulation. ⋯ With disease in the ileum or ascending colon, budesonide offers an effective therapy which is somewhat less efficacious but with fewer adverse effects than conventional corticosteroids (e.g. prednisone, prednisolone, or 6-methylprednisolone).
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2005
Review Meta AnalysisLay health workers in primary and community health care.
Lay health workers (LHWs) are widely used to provide care for a broad range of health issues. However, little is known about the effectiveness of LHW interventions. ⋯ LHWs show promising benefits in promoting immunisation uptake and improving outcomes for acute respiratory infections and malaria, when compared to usual care. For other health issues, evidence is insufficient to justify recommendations for policy and practice. There is also insufficient evidence to assess which LHW training or intervention strategies are likely to be most effective. Further research is needed in these areas.