Articles: acute-pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Sensory block duration after spinal anaesthesia supplemented with intravenous dexamethasone: a randomised controlled double-blinded trial.
Intravenous dexamethasone prolongs duration of analgesia or sensory block after injection of local anaesthetics close to peripheral nerves by an average of 8 h. Uncertainty remains on the potential increase in the duration of sensory block after spinal anaesthesia. The objective of this randomised controlled double-blinded trial was to investigate whether dexamethasone i.v. prolongs the sensory block of spinal anaesthesia with bupivacaine when compared with a control group. ⋯ NCT03527576 (Clinicaltrials.gov).
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Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), a type of neuromodulatory technique, is increasingly used to treat chronic pain syndromes. PNS has also recently gained popularity as a viable adjunct analgesic modality in acute pain settings, where the practice primarily relies on using boluses or infusion of local anesthetics for nerve blockade, followed by stimulation to extend the analgesia. There is some early promise in PNS for perioperative analgesic control, but considerable obstacles must be addressed before it can be implemented into standard practice. In this daring discourse, we explore the possibilities and constraints of using the PNS paradigm in acute pain.
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We assessed whether race or ethnicity was associated with the incidence of high-impact chronic low back pain (cLBP) among adults consulting a primary care provider for acute low back pain (aLBP). ⋯ NCT02647658.
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Multicenter Study
Comparison of seven prehospital early warning scores to predict long-term mortality: a prospective, multicenter, ambulance-based study.
A prospective, multicenter, ambulance-based study of adult patients with an acute illness involving six advanced life support units and 38 basic life support units, referring to five emergency departments in Spain. ⋯ Among seven tested EWS, the use of the MREMS presented better characteristics to predict 1-year mortality; however, all these scores present moderate performances.
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Observational Study
The complex association of daily opioid dose with visits for pain in sickle cell disease: tolerance or treatment refractory pain?
Opioids are used for acute and chronic pain in patients with sickle cell disease. How outpatient opioid regimens relate to acute care visits is of interest given the risks of high opioid doses and high hospital utilization. A prior study by our group suggested that outpatient opioid treatment for chronic pain could contribute to a vicious cycle of treatment-refractory acute pain, greater acute care utilization, and escalating opioid doses. The present larger naturalistic observational study was undertaken to determine whether the results were reliable across multiple acute care settings. ⋯ Higher outpatient opioid dosage predicted higher dosages during acute care visits to achieve the same pain score improvement, which is more consistent with opioid tolerance than with treatment-refractory pain. The relationship of outpatient opioid dosage with number of acute care visits was more complex, which suggests that opioid consumption at lower levels is driven by intermittent acute pain and opioid consumption at higher levels is driven by chronic pain.