Articles: pain-management.
-
Consecutive obese (n = 53) and non-obese parturients (n = 609) were prospectively evaluated during labour to analyse the influence of maternal obesity on labour pain and outcome. Excessive pre-pregnancy weight was classified as a body mass index of 30 kg.m-2 or more. Pain intensity was measured using an 11 point visual scoring scale. ⋯ After delivery, obese women were significantly more content with the pain relief received; only 12% vs 23% in the control group complained of poor pain control (p = 0.03). In this study, obesity and increased fetal size did not complicate labour or its outcome. Critical patient assessment should be emphasised, however, due to the physiological and medical problems present in obese parturients.
-
Some children and adolescents with sickle cell disease experience frequent painful episodes. To gain information about the natural history of the pain and its impact on sleep and school attendance, we developed a home-based diary system. Eighteen children and adolescents completed 4756 diary days, with an average compliance of 75%. ⋯ Of the pain-associated absenteeisms, two-thirds occurred when pain was managed at home, and one-third when patients were hospitalized. The average consecutive number of school days missed was 2.7. These findings have implications for developmentally critical activities.
-
A child's pain is plastic and complex. In order to more effectively alleviate suffering, emphasis must shift from an exclusive focus on the source of tissue damage to a more comprehensive focus that includes factors that modulate pain. Evaluating a child's pain requires an integrated approach. ⋯ Pain assessment, like pain management, is a continuous process. Pain intensity rating scales should be used so children can provide a direct rating of their pain intensity and pain effect. Patients should receive some guidance about how to use the information from rating scales to develop consistent and objective criteria to know when children require analgesics and then to evaluate the effectiveness of those medications.
-
It has been demonstrated that intranasal opioid titration has a rapid onset of action and can provide satisfactory management of postoperative pain [10, 12, 14]. In these studies the intranasal titration was carried out by the investigator. Self-administration of an opioid intranasally by patients requires a spray bottle with safety precautions of an equivalent standard to those offered by an intravenous PCA device. We describe a device for patient-controlled intranasal analgesia (PCINA) that meets these safety requirements. ⋯ We conclude that the PCINA device presented fulfils the PCA device safety requirements. The bolus volume delivered by the device is precise and follows the manufacturer's specifications for flow rate and bolus volume. Initial.
-
The treatment of patients with chronic unilateral or bilateral orchialgia, defined as intermittent or constant testicular pain of greater than 3 months and of unclear cause, is difficult. This pain significantly interferes with the daily activities of the patient. We have seen 12 patients with chronic orchialgia of unknown etiology and each had a normal history, physical examination and normal scrotal sonogram. ⋯ Two patients had bilateral transrectal injections of local anesthetic (5 ml bupivacaine) and methylprednisolone into the region of the pelvic plexus under transrectal ultrasound guidance. They were successfully treated with this injection technique. On the basis of our results, we recommend transrectal blockade of nerves from the pelvic plexus or inguinal orchiectomy as the procedure of choice for patients in whom medical treatment fails.