Articles: pain-management-methods.
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Emergency providers are likely to encounter sickle cell disease-related emergencies. The pathophysiology of emergent complaints are usually related to either an acute anemia or a vasoocclusive crisis. ⋯ Vasoocclusive crises must be appropriately treated with aggressive pain management, gentle hydration, and other appropriate adjuncts. Early recognition and treatment are key in providing excellent emergency care to those with sickle cell disease.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2018
ReviewOpioid Use Disorders: Perioperative Management of a Special Population.
Opioid-related overdose deaths have reached epidemic levels within the last decade. The efforts to prevent, identify, and treat opioid use disorders (OUDs) mostly focus on the outpatient setting. Despite their frequent overrepresentation, less is known about the inpatient management of patients with OUDs. ⋯ Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone medication treatment for OUD and opioid tolerance complicate perioperative pain management. A multidisciplinary team approach is crucial to provide clinically balanced pain relief without jeopardizing the patient's recovery. This article reviews the existing literature on the perioperative management of patients with OUDs and provides clinical suggestions for the optimal care of this patient population.
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Although ketamine infusion therapy (KIT) has been used extensively for the treatment of chronic persistent pain, there remains high heterogeneity in the administration protocols. The aim of this study was to assess the current clinical use and the infusion protocols of KIT in South Korea and to compare the protocol details with previous relevant studies. In the first phase, an online survey about KIT, including protocol information, was distributed to pain physicians managing chronic pain patients at 47 teaching hospitals registered in the Korean Pain Society. ⋯ Although KIT is used in Korean pain centers, there is wide variation regarding the specific infusion protocols. The total dose of ketamine used in South Korea is significantly higher than the general recommendations for outpatient management and may compromise patient safety. The results of this survey reinforce the need for specific guidelines for KIT in managing chronic pain that counterbalance its risks and benefits.
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Vertebral Fragility Fractures (VFF) are common and lead to pain, long term disability and increased mortality. Most patients will have mild to moderate pain symptoms and can be managed conservatively. However, patients with severe pain who have minimal or no pain relief with potent analgesia, or who only achieve adequate pain relief with high doses of morphine based analgesia which results in significant adverse events, should be considered for vertebral augmentation. ⋯ The Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) recommends Percutaneous Vertebroplasty as the first line surgical augmentation technique for VFF in older people, which has been shown to improve pain symptoms, allow early restoration of functional mobility and may reduce the risk of further vertebral collapse. CIRSE recommends percutaneous Balloon Kyphoplasty as second line treatment in VFF, although the optimal indication is for acute traumatic vertebral fractures (less than 7-10 days) in younger people. Assessment and treatment of underlying osteoporosis is important to reduce the risk of further fractures in older people with VFF.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2018
Treatment of Chronic Pain With Various Buprenorphine Formulations: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies.
Clinical studies demonstrate that buprenorphine is a pharmacologic agent that can be used for the treatment of various types of painful conditions. This study investigated the efficacy of 5 different types of buprenorphine formulations in the chronic pain population. The literature was reviewed on PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database, clinicaltrials.gov, and PROSPERO that dated from inception until June 30, 2017. ⋯ Of the 25 studies reviewed, a total of 14 studies demonstrated clinically significant benefit with buprenorphine in the management of chronic pain: 1 study out of 6 sublingual and intravenous buprenorphine, the only sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone study, 2 out of 3 studies of buccal buprenorphine, and 10 out of 15 studies for transdermal buprenorphine showed significant reduction in pain against a comparator. No serious adverse effects were reported in any of the studies. We conclude that a transdermal buprenorphine formulation is an effective analgesic in patients with chronic pain, while buccal buprenorphine is also a promising formulation based on the limited number of studies.