Articles: pain-management.
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1996
Epidural anesthesia during upper abdominal surgery provides better postoperative analgesia.
Since repeated noxious stimuli may sensitize neuropathic pain receptors of the spinal cord, we tested the hypothesis that the appropriate blockade of surgical stimuli with epidural anesthesia during upper abdominal surgery would be beneficial for postoperative analgesia. Thirty-six adult patients undergoing either elective gastrectomy or open cholecystectomy were randomly allocated to receive either inhalational general anesthesia alone (group G) or epidural anesthesia along with light general anesthesia (group E) throughout the surgery. ⋯ While there was no significant difference in the bupivacaine dose, more patients undergoing gastrectomy in group G required supplemental analgesics than those in group E, and the VAS scores in group E demonstrated significantly better postoperative analgesia compared to group G after both types of surgery. Thus, an appropriate epidural blockade during upper abdominal surgery likely provides better postoperative pain relief.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Comparison between celiac plexus block and morphine treatment on quality of life in patients with pancreatic cancer pain.
Twenty-one patients with pancreatic cancer pain were studied to evaluate the effectiveness of celiac plexus block (CPB) on pain relief and quality of life (QOL), compared to the traditional NSAID-morphine treatment. The criteria were morphine consumption, visual analogue pain scale (VAS), performance status (PS) determined by medical and nursing staffs, and answers to QOL questionnaires. Morphine consumption, VAS, PS, and self-assessed QOL scores were taken when the administration of morphine was necessary for pain relief and those scores were used as control. ⋯ Self-assessed QOL scores did not ameliorate statistically after CPB; however, they did deteriorate remarkably in the patients treated only with morphine-NSAID during their survival periods, while they deteriorated only slightly in the CPB group. There were fewer side effects after CPB. These results indicate CPB does not directly improve QOL in patients with pancreatic cancer pain, but it may prevent deterioration in QOL by the long-lasting analgesic effect, limitation of side effects and the reduction of morphine consumption, compared to treatment only with NSAID-morphine.
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Hematol. Oncol. Clin. North Am. · Feb 1996
ReviewPain and symptom control. Patient rights and physician responsibilities.
In considering the care of patients with incurable and terminal diseases, there are three types of interventions: (1) palliative care and symptom management; (2) experimental therapies; and (3) active life-ending interventions. Relief of pain, other symptoms, and suffering should be the basic and standard treatment; the other interventions are meant to supplement, not replace, this intervention. This means the physician's primary obligation is to inform patients about the options for palliative care and to provide quality palliative care. ⋯ With regard to experimental therapies, physicians must obtain full informed consent, provide especially accurate data on the risks and benefits of experimental therapies, and ensure that the patient understands the aims of the proposed therapy. Regarding active life-ending therapies, physicians have the obligation to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment if the patient so desires and to provide adequate pain medication even if this hastens death. Even if euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide are legalized, there is unlikely to be an obligation to provide this intervention.