Articles: acute-pain.
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Multicenter Study
Cumulative incidence of chronic pain after visiting a Dutch emergency department with acute pain.
Chronic pain is a substantial problem in modern healthcare resulting in health care overutilization. The cumulative incidence of developing chronic pain after visiting the emergency department with acute pain has been determined for specific patient groups only. If the cumulative incidence of chronic pain in emergency department patients with acute pain is high, more proactive measures are justified to limit development of chronic pain. The primary objective was to study the cumulative incidence of chronic pain in patients visiting Dutch emergency departments with acute pain. In addition, we compared the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and pain related interference with work. ⋯ 67.8% of the responders scored NRS ≥ 1 90 days after ED-visit with acute pain. Regardless of the used definition, chronic pain is associated with a lower HRQOL and more pain related hindrance.
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Minimum clinically important differences (MCIDs) in acute pain intensity have not been well established. Conventional approaches for estimating MCIDs require an independent reference scale, with a threshold that must be presumed to accurately classify meaningful change in pain for all study participants, to serve as an anchor. The double stopwatch technique is the gold standard for measuring the time to meaningful relief, where participants actively press the second stopwatch when they experience pain relief that is meaningful to them. ⋯ The advantages of the stopwatch-based MCID methodology are illustrated relative to a conventional approach using data from a randomized trial in third molar extraction. PERSPECTIVE: This article describes a methodology for determining MCIDs using the double stopwatch technique, the gold standard for assessing meaningful changes in acute pain. This methodology can be used to establish MCIDs in different acute pain settings, providing a useful basis to evaluate the meaningfulness of clinical trial results.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2024
Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate as an Adjunct to Intravenous Ketamine for Acute Pain: A Case Series.
Intravenous (IV) magnesium sulfate, a versatile electrolyte, plays a pivotal role across various medical domains. From cardiac care to obstetrics, gastrointestinal to pulmonary therapies, the impact is far-reaching among acute care services. ⋯ This case series describes the difficulties experienced with postoperative analgesia in three patient cases with complex comorbidities and discusses the beneficial impact observed when magnesium was administered concomitantly with ketamine. Further research is necessary to outline the specific role, ideal population, and recommended bolus and infusion rate for optimal analgesic efficacy.
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Accurate pain assessment still faces many challenges, which impact the effectiveness of analgesic interventions. Understanding the current status of pain assessment implementation and its inhibiting and facilitating factors might help facilitate accurate pain assessment. ⋯ The study reveals significant discrepancies in pain assessment practices among nurses. In the process of pain assessment practice, the assessment time is shorter, and the process is less standardized compared to self-reported results. The factors impeding standardized pain assessment included nurses' insufficient knowledge and poor protocol adherence. Therefore, enhanced training, more explicit guidelines, and robust institutional support are needed to standardize pain assessments and improve patient outcomes.