Journal of opioid management
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Out-of-hospital opioid therapy of palliative care patients with "acute dyspnoea": a retrospective multicenter investigation.
Prehospital emergency physicians (EP) are often confronted with the acute care of palliative care patients. Dyspnoea is a frequent acute symptom and its causes often differ from the generally known emergency medical causes. Till now, there have been no relevant concepts for emergency care of palliative care patients for their specific symptoms. ⋯ The current investigation showed a significant relief of acute dyspnoea when using opioids, in contrast with the established out-of-hospital emergency medical therapy for acute dyspnoea. Therefore, opioids should be recommended for emergency medical therapy of dyspnoea in palliative care patients. Clinical studies that recommend the use of effective opioids for the treatment of dyspnoea in palliative care patients are supported by the current retrospective study. Most EPs felt uncertain in the treatment of palliative care patients. Therefore, advanced training in palliative care medicine and end-of-life care should be integrated into emergency medical training.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Long-term safety, tolerability, and efficacy of OROS hydromorphone in patients with chronic pain.
To assess the safety and efficacy of long-term repeated dosing of OROS hydromorphone in chronic pain patients. ⋯ Once-daily OROS hydromorphone is an osmotically driven, controlled-release preparation that may be particularly well suited to long-term use, because it provides consistent plasma concentrations and sustained around-the-clock analgesia. In this study, the benefits of OROS hydromorphone attained in short-term studies were maintained in the long-term when daily administration was continued.