Articles: pain.
-
Meta Analysis
Effects of dexamethasone on opioid consumption in pediatric tonsillectomy: a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Tonsillectomy is one of the most common ambulatory procedures performed in children worldwide, with around 40,000 procedures performed in Canada every year. Although a prior systematic review indicated a clear role for dexamethasone as an analgesic adjunct, the quantity effect on opioid consumption is unknown. In the current systematic review with meta-analysis, we hypothesized that the use of dexamethasone reduces perioperative opioid consumption in pediatric tonsillectomy but does not increase rates of postoperative hemorrhage. ⋯ PROSPERO ( CRD42023440949 ); first submitted 4 September 2023.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Independent effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and social influence on pain.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive neuromodulatory technique with the potential to provide pain relief. However, tDCS effects on pain are variable across existing studies, possibly related to differences in stimulation protocols and expectancy effects. We investigated the independent and joint effects of contralateral motor cortex tDCS (anodal vs cathodal) and socially induced expectations (analgesia vs hyperalgesia) about tDCS on thermal pain. ⋯ The observed additive effects provide novel evidence that tDCS and socially induced expectations operate through independent processes. They extend clinical tDCS studies by showing tDCS effects on controlled nociceptive pain independent of expectancy effects. In addition, they show that social suggestions about neurostimulation effects can elicit potent placebo effects.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Oral ketamine for acute postoperative analgesia (OKAPA) trial: A randomized controlled, single center pilot study.
Although opioids represent the mainstay of treating surgical pain, their use is associated with significant side effects. There is an urgent need to find new pain relievers with safer side effect profiles. One drug that has been receiving increasing attention is ketamine. By using the oral route of administration, ketamine could potentially be used by patients in a less resource-intensive manner with similar efficacy. This study aims to examine the role of oral ketamine in improving recovery after major spine surgery. ⋯ This pilot study demonstrated that low dose oral ketamine can be safely used as an adjunct in postoperative pain treatment to help reduce opioid consumption after major spine surgery.
-
Review Historical Article
Experiencing pain: perspectives of Patrick D. Wall-founding editor of the journal PAIN.
Pain is a sensory and emotional experience. How did Pat Wall, founding editor of the journal PAIN and recognized pain guru, view the relation between the brain and the experience of pain? He was certain what it is not. It is not impulses in peripheral nociceptors that light up neurons in a central pain nucleus. ⋯ Pain signatures are modulated in many ways: suppressed by gate control and descending brain pathways, augmented by peripheral and central sensitization, and massaged by abundant central feedback and feedforward loops. Pain experience is a complex function of a conscious brain. Ultimately, to understand pain is to understand conscious perception.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Ultrasound-guided superficial cervical plexus blocks for persistent pain after suboccipital craniotomies: a randomized trial.
The efficacy of superficial cervical plexus blocks for reducing persistent pain after craniotomies remains unclear. The authors tested the primary hypothesis that preoperative ultrasound-guided superficial cervical plexus blocks reduce persistent pain 3 months after suboccipital craniotomies. ⋯ Superficial cervical plexus blocks reduce the incidence of persistent incisional pain by about a third in patients recovering from suboccipital craniotomies.