Thoracic epidural steroid injection for rib fracture pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rauchwerger, Jacob J; Candido, Kenneth D; Deer, Timothy R; Frogel, Jonathan K; Iadevaio, Robert; Kirschen, Neil B

2013-06-01

Treatment for rib fracture pain can be broadly divided into pharmacologic approaches with oral and/or parenteral medication and interventional approaches utilizing neuraxial analgesia or peripheral nerve blocks to provide pain relief. Both approaches attempt to control nociceptive and neuropathic pain secondary to osseous injury and nerve insult, respectively. Success of treatment is ultimately measured by the ability of the selected modality to decrease pain, chest splinting, and to prevent sequelae of injury, such as pneumonia. Typically, opioids and NSAIDs are the drugs of first choice for acute pain because of ease of administration, immediate onset of action, and rapid titration to effect. In contrast, neuropathic pain medications have a slower onset of action and are more difficult to titrate to therapeutic effect. Interventional approaches include interpleural catheters, intercostal nerve blocks, paravertebral nerve blocks, and thoracic and lumbar epidural catheters. Each intervention has its own inherent advantages, disadvantages, and success rates. Rib fracture pain management practice is founded on the thoracic surgical and anesthesiology literature. Articles addressing rib fracture pain are relatively scarce in the pain medicine literature. As life expectancy increases, and as healthcare system modifications are implemented, pain medicine physicians may be consulted to treat increasing number of patients suffering rib fracture pain and may need to resort to novel therapeutic measures because of financial constraints imposed by those changes. Here we present the first published case series of thoracic epidural steroid injections used for management of rib fracture pain. © 2012 The Authors Pain Practice © 2012 World Institute of Pain.

Pleural puncture with thoracic epidural: A rare complication?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachna Wadhwa

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Freedom from pain has almost developed to be a fundamental human right. Providing pain relief via epidural catheters in thoracic and upper abdominal surgeries is widely accepted. Pain relief through this technique not only provides continuous analgesia but also reduces post-operative pulmonary complications and also hastens recovery. But being a blind procedure it is accompanied by certain complications. Hypotension, dura puncture, high epidural, total spinal, epidural haematoma, spinal cord injury and infection are some of the documented side effects of epidural block. There are case reports eliciting neurological complications, catheter site infections, paresthesias, radicular symptoms and worsening of previous neurological conditions. Few technical problems related to breakage of epidural catheter are also mentioned in the literature. The patient had no sequelae on long term follow up even when a portion of catheter was retained. We present a case report where epidural catheter punctured pleura in a patient undergoing thoracotomy for carcinoma oesophagus.

Remifentanil patient controlled analgesia versus epidural analgesia in labour. A multicentre randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Freeman Liv M

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pain relief during labour is a topic of major interest in the Netherlands. Epidural analgesia is considered to be the most effective method of pain relief and recommended as first choice. However its uptake by pregnant women is limited compared to other western countries, partly as a result of non-availability due to logistic problems. Remifentanil, a synthetic opioid, is very suitable for patient controlled analgesia. Recent studies show that epidural analgesia is superior to remifentanil patient controlled analgesia in terms of pain intensity score; however there was no difference in satisfaction with pain relief between both treatments. Methods/design The proposed study is a multicentre randomized controlled study that assesses the cost-effectiveness of remifentanil patient controlled analgesia compared to epidural analgesia. We hypothesize that remifentanil patient controlled analgesia is as effective in improving pain appreciation scores as epidural analgesia, with lower costs and easier achievement of 24 hours availability of pain relief for women in labour and efficient pain relief for those with a contraindication for epidural analgesia. Eligible women will be informed about the study and randomized before active labour has started. Women will be randomly allocated to a strategy based on epidural analgesia or on remifentanil patient controlled analgesia when they request pain relief during labour. Primary outcome is the pain appreciation score, i.e. satisfaction with pain relief. Secondary outcome parameters are costs, patient satisfaction, pain scores (pain-intensity, mode of delivery and maternal and neonatal side effects. The economic analysis will be performed from a short-term healthcare perspective. For both strategies the cost of perinatal care for mother and child, starting at the onset of labour and ending ten days after delivery, will be registered and compared. Discussion This study, considering cost

The value of short-term pain relief in predicting the long-term outcome of 'indirect' cervical epidural steroid injections.

Science.gov (United States)

Joswig, Holger; Neff, Armin; Ruppert, Christina; Hildebrandt, Gerhard; Stienen, Martin Nikolaus

2018-05-01

The predictive value of short-term arm pain relief after 'indirect' cervical epidural steroid injection (ESI) for the 1-month treatment response has been previously demonstrated. It remained to be answered whether the long-term response could be estimated by the early post-interventional pain course as well. Prospective observational study, following a cohort of n = 45 patients for a period of 24 months after 'indirect' ESI for radiculopathy secondary to a single-level cervical disk herniation (CDH). Arm and neck pain on the visual analog scale (VAS), health-related quality of life with the Short Form-12 (SF-12), and functional outcome with the Neck Pain and Disability (NPAD) Scale were assessed. Any additional invasive treatment after a single injection (second injection or surgery) defined treatment outcome as 'non-response'. At 24 months, n = 30 (66.7%) patients were responders and n = 15 (33.3%) were non-responders. Non-responders exited the follow-up at 1 month (n = 10), at 3 months (n = 4), and at 6 months (n = 1). No patients were injected again or operated on between the 6- and 24-month follow-up. Patients with favorable treatment response at 24 months had significantly lower VAS arm pain (p  50% short term pain reduction was not a reliable predictor of the 24-month responder status. SF-12 and NPAD scores were better among treatment responders in the long term. Patients who require a second injection or surgery after 'indirect' cervical ESI for a symptomatic CDH do so within the first 6 months. Short-term pain relief cannot reliably predict the long-term outcome.

Intraoperative use of epidural methylprednisolone or bupivacaine for postsurgical lumbar disectomy pain relief: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lotfinia, I.; Khallaghi, E.; Meshkini, A.; Shakeri, M.; Shima, M.; Safaeian, A.

2007-01-01

Many patients with lumbar disc surgery experience postoperative back and radicular pain, delaying hospital discharge and resumption of normal activity. Some surgeons have used intraoperative epidural corticosteroids and local anesthetics to decrease pain following surgery for a herniated lumbar disc. Controversies still exist regarding the benefits of these drugs. The present study was meant to compare the effects of the intraoperative administration of epidural methylprednisolone and bupivacaine with that of normal saline (placebo) in lumbar disc surgery for postoperative pain control. One hundred fifty patients with single level herniated nucleus pulposus (L4-L5 or L5-S1), which was refractory to 6 weeks of conservative management, were divided randomly in three groups. A standard hemipartial lamimectomy and discectomy was performed on all patients. At the end of the surgery, before the closure of fascia, 40 mg methylprednisoslone with 3 mL normal saline for group1, 2 mL bupivacaine 5% with 2mL normal saline for group 2 and 4 mL normal saline for group 3 were stilled on to the epidural and exposed nerve root. Postoperative back and radicular pain intensity was assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) before and at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after surgery. There was no significant difference in back and radicular pain intensity between the three groups. Introperative administration of epidural methylprednisolone or bupivacaine does not relieve postoperative back and radicular pain. (author)

Comparison of Morphine and Tramadol in Transforaminal Epidural Injections for Lumbar Radicular Pain

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Transforaminal epidural steroid injections are known to reduce inflammation by inhibiting synthesis of various proinflammatory mediators and have been used increasingly. The anti-inflammatory properties of opioids are not as fully understood but apparently involve antagonism sensory neuron excitability and pro-inflammatory neuropeptide release. To date, no studies have addressed the efficacy of transforaminal epidural morphine in patients with radicular pain, and none have directly compared morphine with a tramadol for this indication. The aim of this study was to compare morphine and tramadol analgesia when administered via epidural injection to patients with lumbar radicular pain. Methods A total of 59 patients were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 treatment groups and followed for 3 months after procedure. Each patient was subjected to C-arm guided transforaminal epidural injection (TFEI) of an affected nerve root. As assigned, patients received either morphine sulfate (2.5 mg/2.5 ml) or tramadol (25 mg/0.5 ml) in combination with 0.2% ropivacaine (1 ml). Using numeric rating scale was subsequently rates at 2 weeks and 3 months following injection for comparison with baseline. Results Both groups had significantly lower mean pain scores at 2 weeks and at 3 months after treatment, but outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions TFEI of an opioid plus local anesthetic proved effective in treating radicular pain. Although morphine surpassed tramadol in pain relief scores, the difference was not statistically significant. PMID:23862000

Effectiveness of cervical epidural injections in the management of chronic neck and upper extremity pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Diwan, Sudhir; Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Benyamin, Ramsin M; Bryce, David A; Geffert, Stephanie; Hameed, Haroon; Sharma, Manohar Lal; Abdi, Salahadin; Falco, Frank J E

2012-01-01

Chronic persistent neck pain with or without upper extremity pain is common in the general adult population with prevalence of 48% for women and 38% for men, with persistent complaints in 22% of women and 16% of men. Multiple modalities of treatments are exploding in managing chronic neck pain along with increasing prevalence. However, there is a paucity of evidence for all modalities of treatments in managing chronic neck pain. Cervical epidural injections for managing chronic neck pain are one of the commonly performed interventions in the United States. However, the literature supporting cervical epidural steroids in managing chronic pain problems has been scant. A systematic review of cervical interlaminar epidural injections for cervical disc herniation, cervical axial discogenic pain, cervical central stenosis, and cervical postsurgery syndrome. To evaluate the effect of cervical interlaminar epidural injections in managing various types of chronic neck and upper extremity pain emanating as a result of cervical spine pathology. The available literature on cervical interlaminar epidural injections in managing chronic neck and upper extremity pain were reviewed. The quality assessment and clinical relevance criteria utilized were the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group criteria as utilized for interventional techniques for randomized trials and the criteria developed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale criteria for observational studies. The level of evidence was classified as good, fair, and limited based on the quality of evidence developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Data sources included relevant literature identified through searches of PubMed and EMBASE from 1966 to December 2011, and manual searches of the bibliographies of known primary and review articles. The primary outcome measure was pain relief (short-term relief = up to 6 months and long-term > 6 months). Secondary outcome measures were improvement in functional status

Epidural versus In postoperatIve intramuscular pain relief pethidine

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Epidural versus. •. •. In postoperatIve ... would be left entirely up to them and they would receive analge- sia whenever they .... Fusion right knee. Epidural. 15 ..... reaches the brain but that its action persists in the spinal cord. The onset of ...

Pain relief in childbirth: changing historical and feminist perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Skowronski, G A

2015-07-01

Pain during human childbirth is ubiquitous and severe. Opium and its derivatives constitute the oldest effective method of pain relief and have been used in childbirth for several thousand years, along with numerous folk medicines and remedies. Interference with childbirth pain has always been criticised by doctors and clergy. The 19th century saw the introduction of three much more effective approaches to childbirth pain; diethyl ether, chloroform and nitrous oxide. Access to pain relief was demanded by the first wave of feminist activists as a woman's right. They popularised the use of 'twilight sleep', a combination of morphine and scopolamine, which fell into disrepute as its adverse effects became known. From the 1960s, as epidural analgesia became more popular, a second wave of feminists took the opposite position, calling for a return to non-medicalised, female-controlled, 'natural' childbirth and, in some cases, valorising the importance of the pain experience as empowering for women. However, from the 1990s, a third wave of feminist thought has begun to emerge, revalidating a woman's right to choose a 'technological', pain-free birth, rather than a 'natural' one, and regarding this as a legitimate feminist position.

The RESPITE trial: remifentanil intravenously administered patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) versus pethidine intramuscular injection for pain relief in labour: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Matthew; MacArthur, Christine; Gao Smith, Fang; Homer, Leanne; Handley, Kelly; Daniels, Jane

2016-12-12

The commonest opioid used for pain relief in labour is pethidine (meperidine); however, its effectiveness has long been challenged and the drug has known side effects including maternal sedation, nausea and potential transfer across the placenta to the foetus. Over a third of women receiving pethidine require an epidural due to inadequate pain relief. Epidural analgesia increases the risk of an instrumental vaginal delivery and its associated effects. Therefore, there is a clear need for a safe, effective, alternative analgesic to pethidine. Evidence suggests that remifentanil patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) reduces epidural conversion rates compared to pethidine; however, no trial has yet investigated this as a primary endpoint. We are, therefore, comparing pethidine intramuscular injection to remifentanil PCA in a randomised controlled trial. Women in established labour, requesting systemic opioid pain relief, will be randomised to either intravenously administered remifentanil PCA (intervention) or pethidine intramuscular injection (control) in an unblinded, 1:1 individual randomised trial. Following informed consent, 400 women in established labour, who request systemic opioid pain relief, from NHS Trusts across England will undergo a minimised randomisation by a computer or automated telephone system to either pethidine or remifentanil. In order to balance the groups this minimisation is based on four parameters; parity (nulliparous versus multiparous), maternal age (Asian (Pakistani/Indian/Bangladeshi) versus Other) and induced versus spontaneous labour. The effectiveness of pain relief provided by each technique will be recorded every 30 min after time zero, until epidural placement, delivery or transfer to theatre, quantified by Visual Analogue Scale. Incidence of maternal side effects including sedation, delivery mode, foetal distress requiring delivery, neonatal status at delivery and rate of initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth

Patient controlled remifentanil and epidural analgesia during labour : satisfaction, costs and safety

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freeman, Liv

2016-01-01

Epidural analgesia provided superior analgesia to remifentanil PCA. Women randomised to epidural analgesia with a request for pain relief are more satisfied with their analgesia than women randomised to remifentanil PCA. Costs of epidural analgesia and remifentanil PCA are not significantly

Epidural injections with or without steroids in managing chronic low back pain secondary to lumbar spinal stenosis: a meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng H

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Hai Meng, Qi Fei, Bingqiang Wang, Yong Yang, Dong Li, Jinjun Li, Nan Su Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China Background: Epidural injections of anesthetic with or without steroids are widely used for treating lumbar spinal stenosis, a common cause of chronic low back pain, but there is a lack of rigorous data comparing the effectiveness of epidural injections of anesthetic with and without steroids. This meta-analysis presents a current, comprehensive picture of how epidural injections of anesthetic with steroids compare with those using local anesthetic alone.Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from their inception through February 5, 2015. Weight mean difference, risk ratio, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. A random effects model or fixed effects model was used to pool the estimates, according to the heterogeneity between the included studies.Results: We included 13 randomized controlled trials, involving 1,465 patients. Significant pain relief (≥50% was demonstrated in 53.7% of patients administered with epidural injections of anesthetic with steroids (group 1 and in 56.4% of those administered with local anesthetic alone (group 2. Patients showed a reduction in numeric rating scale pain score of 3.7 and 3.6 in the two groups, respectively. Significant functional improvement was achieved in 65.2% of patients in group 1 and 63.1% of patients in group 2, with Oswestry Disability Index reductions of 13.8 and 14.5 points, respectively. The overall number of injections per year was 3.2±1.3 and 3.4±1.2 with average total relief per year of 29.3±19.7 and 33.8±19.3 weeks, respectively. The opioid intakes decreased from baseline by 12.4 and 7.8 mg, respectively. Among the outcomes listed, only total relief time differed significantly between the two groups.Conclusion: Both epidural injections with

Comparison thoracic epidural and intercostal block to improve ventilation parameters and reduce pain in patients with multiple rib fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Hashemzadeh, Shahryar; Hashemzadeh, Khosrov; Hosseinzadeh, Hamzeh; Aligholipour Maleki, Raheleh; Golzari, Samad E J; Golzari, Samad

2011-01-01

Chest wall blunt trauma causes multiple rib fractures and will often be associated with significant pain and may compromise ventilator mechanics. Analgesia has great roll in rib fracture therapies, opioid are useful, but when used as sole agent may require such high dose that they produce respiratory depression, especially in elderly .the best analgesia for a severe chest wall injury is a continuous epidural infusion of local anesthetic. This provides complete analgesia allowing inspiration and coughing without of the risk of respiratory depression. sixty adult patients who with multiple rib fractures were enrolled in this study. They were divided into Group A or thoracic epidural with bupivacaine 0.125 % +1mg/5ml morphine and group B or intercostal block with 0.25% bupivacaine. The patients were assessed through ICU and hospital stay length, ventilation function tests. Pain score among the patients was measured with verbal rating scale, before and after administration of the analgesia. We found a significant improvement in ventilatory function tests during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd days after epidural analgesia compared with the intercostal block (P pain at rest and pain caused by coughing and deep breathing in group A compared group B... ICU and hospital stay markedly reduced in Group A. thoracic epidural analgesia is superior to intercostals block regarding pain relief of rib fractures. Patients who received epidural analgesia had significantly lower pain scores at all studied times.

Two-year follow-up results of fluoroscopic cervical epidural injections in chronic axial or discogenic neck pain: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Cash, Kimberly A; Pampati, Vidyasagar; Malla, Yogesh

2014-01-01

A randomized, double-blind, active-controlled trial. To assess the effectiveness of cervical interlaminar epidural injections of local anesthetic with or without steroids for the management of axial or discogenic pain in patients without disc herniation, radiculitis, or facet joint pain. Cervical discogenic pain without disc herniation is a common cause of suffering and disability in the adult population. Once conservative management has failed and facet joint pain has been excluded, cervical epidural injections may be considered as a management tool. Despite a paucity of evidence, cervical epidural injections are one of the most commonly performed nonsurgical interventions in the management of chronic axial or disc-related neck pain. One hundred and twenty patients without disc herniation or radiculitis and negative for facet joint pain as determined by means of controlled diagnostic medial branch blocks were randomly assigned to one of the 2 treatment groups. Group I patients received cervical interlaminar epidural injections of local anesthetic (lidocaine 0.5%, 5 mL), whereas Group II patients received 0.5% lidocaine, 4 mL, mixed with 1 mL or 6 mg of nonparticulate betamethasone. The primary outcome measure was ≥ 50% improvement in pain and function. Outcome assessments included numeric rating scale (NRS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), opioid intake, employment, and changes in weight. Significant pain relief and functional improvement (≥ 50%) was present at the end of 2 years in 73% of patients receiving local anesthetic only and 70% receiving local anesthetic with steroids. In the successful group of patients, however, defined as consistent relief with 2 initial injections of at least 3 weeks, significant improvement was illustrated in 78% in the local anesthetic group and 75% in the local anesthetic with steroid group at the end of 2 years. The results reported at the one-year follow-up were sustained at the 2-year follow-up. Cervical interlaminar epidural

Alternative medicine - pain relief

Science.gov (United States)

Acupuncture - pain relief; Hypnosis - pain relief; Guided imagery - pain relief ... neck, shoulder, knee, or elbow) Osteoarthritis Rheumatoid arthritis Hypnosis is a focused state of concentration. With self- ...

Recurrent acute low back pain secondary to lumbar epidural calcification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ziade, M.; Zufferey, P.; So, A.K.L. [Centre Hospitalier Vaudois, Service de Rhumatologie, Lausanne (Switzerland)

2007-06-15

Epidural calcification is a rare cause of back pain, and spontaneous epidural calcification has not been reported previously. We describe a patient with acute low back pain and signs of lumbar nerve root compression due to epidural calcification, as demonstrated by CT-scan and MRI. Radiological signs of spondylodiscitis led to a search for an infectious cause, which was negative, and her symptoms responded rapidly to NSAID treatment alone. Her symptoms recurred 18 months later, and further imaging studies again revealed epidural calcification, but with a changed distribution. Her symptoms were relieved once more by NSAID treatment alone. We propose that epidural calcification secondary to aseptic spondylodiscitis is the main cause of acute back pain in this patient. A possible mechanism may be the pro-inflammatory effects of calcium pyrophosphate or hydroxyapatite crystal deposition within the epidural space. (orig.)

Recurrent acute low back pain secondary to lumbar epidural calcification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ziade, M.; Zufferey, P.; So, A.K.L.

2007-01-01

Epidural calcification is a rare cause of back pain, and spontaneous epidural calcification has not been reported previously. We describe a patient with acute low back pain and signs of lumbar nerve root compression due to epidural calcification, as demonstrated by CT-scan and MRI. Radiological signs of spondylodiscitis led to a search for an infectious cause, which was negative, and her symptoms responded rapidly to NSAID treatment alone. Her symptoms recurred 18 months later, and further imaging studies again revealed epidural calcification, but with a changed distribution. Her symptoms were relieved once more by NSAID treatment alone. We propose that epidural calcification secondary to aseptic spondylodiscitis is the main cause of acute back pain in this patient. A possible mechanism may be the pro-inflammatory effects of calcium pyrophosphate or hydroxyapatite crystal deposition within the epidural space. (orig.)

Comparison Thoracic Epidural and Intercostal Block to Improve Ventilation Parameters and Reduce Pain in Patients with Multiple Rib Fractures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raheleh Aligholipour Maleki

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Chest wall blunt trauma causes multiple rib fractures and will often be associated with significant pain and may compromise ventilator mechanics. Analgesia has great roll in rib fracture therapies, opioid are useful, but when used as sole agent may re-quire such high dose that they produce respiratory depression, especially in el-derly .the best analgesia for a severe chest wall injury is a continuous epidural infusion of local anesthetic. This provides complete analgesia allowing inspiration and coughing without of the risk of respiratory depression. Methods: sixty adult patients who with multiple rib fractures were enrolled in this study. They were divided into Group A or thoracic epidural with bupivacaine 0.125 % +1mg/5ml morphine and group B or inter-costal block with %0.25 bupivacaine. The patients were assessed through ICU and hos-pital stay length, ventilation function tests. Pain score among the patients was meas-ured with verbal rating scale, before and after administration of the analgesia. Results: We found a significant improvement in ventilatory function tests during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd days after epidural analgesia compared with the intercostal block (P < 0.004. Changes in the visual Analogue Scale were associated with marked improvement re-garding pain at rest and pain caused by coughing and deep breathing in group A com-pared group B... ICU and hospital stay markedly reduced in Group A. Conclusion: tho-racic epidural analgesia is superior to intercostals block regarding pain relief of rib frac-tures. Patients who received epidural analgesia had significantly lower pain scores at all studied times.

Doubling Your Payoff: Winning Pain Relief Engages Endogenous Pain Inhibition

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Susanne; Gandhi, Wiebke; Kwan, Saskia; Ahmed, Alysha-Karima; Schweinhardt, Petra

2015-01-01

When in pain, pain relief is much sought after, particularly for individuals with chronic pain. In analogy to augmentation of the hedonic experience ("liking") of a reward by the motivation to obtain a reward ("wanting"), the seeking of pain relief in a motivated state might increase the experience of pain relief when obtained. We tested this hypothesis in a psychophysical experiment in healthy human subjects, by assessing potential pain-inhibitory effects of pain relief "won" in a wheel of fortune game compared with pain relief without winning, exploiting the fact that the mere chance of winning induces a motivated state. The results show pain-inhibitory effects of pain relief obtained by winning in behaviorally assessed pain perception and ratings of pain intensity. Further, the higher participants scored on the personality trait novelty seeking, the more pain inhibition was induced. These results provide evidence that pain relief, when obtained in a motivated state, engages endogenous pain-inhibitory systems beyond the pain reduction that underlies the relief in the first place. Consequently, such pain relief might be used to improve behavioral pain therapy, inducing a positive, perhaps self-amplifying feedback loop of reduced pain and improved functionality.

Remifentanil patient controlled analgesia versus epidural analgesia in labour. A multicentre randomized controlled trial.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freeman, L.M.; Bloemenkamp, K.W.; Franssen, M.T.; Papatsonis, D.N.; Hajenius, P.J.; Huizen, M.E. van; Bremer, H.A.; Akker, E.S. van den; Woiski, M.D.; Porath, M.M.; Beek, E. van; Schuitemaker, N.; Salm, P.C. van der; Fong, B.F.; Radder, C.; Bax, C.J.; Sikkema, M.; Akker-van Marle, M.E. van den; Lith, J.M. van; Lopriore, E.; Uildriks, R.J.; Struys, M.M.; Mol, B.W.; Dahan, A; Middeldorp, J.M.

2012-01-01

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Pain relief during labour is a topic of major interest in the Netherlands. Epidural analgesia is considered to be the most effective method of pain relief and recommended as first choice. However its uptake by pregnant women is limited compared to other western countries,

Remifentanil patient controlled analgesia versus epidural analgesia in labour. A multicentre randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freeman, Liv M.; Bloemenkamp, Kitty W. M.; Franssen, Maureen T. M.; Papatsonis, Dimitri N. M.; Hajenius, Petra J.; van Huizen, Marloes E.; Bremer, Henk A.; van den Akker, Eline S. A.; Woiski, Mallory D.; Porath, Martina M.; van Beek, Erik; Schuitemaker, Nico; van der Salm, Paulien C. M.; Fong, Bianca F.; Radder, Celine; Bax, Caroline J.; Sikkema, Marko; van den Akker-van Marle, M. Elske; van Lith, Jan M. M.; Lopriore, Enrico; Uildriks, Renske J.; Struys, Michel M. R. F.; Mol, Ben Willem J.; Dahan, Albert; Middeldorp, Johanna M.

2012-01-01

Background: Pain relief during labour is a topic of major interest in the Netherlands. Epidural analgesia is considered to be the most effective method of pain relief and recommended as first choice. However its uptake by pregnant women is limited compared to other western countries, partly as a

Cervical Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection (Taffies): Role of MR Imaging and Epidurography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Soo Jung; Ahn, Jae Hong; Kim, Chung Hwan; Jung, Seung Moon; Ryu, Dae Sik; Park, Man Soo; Lee, Jong Hyeog; Song, Jae Seok

2011-01-01

To evaluate the relationship between MR/epidurographic findings and the clinical outcome after a fluoroscopy-guided transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) in patients with cervical radicular pain. Forty-five patients who had taken a cervical TFESI in our department were included in this study. We retrospectively reviewed MR and epidurographic findings to see if there was a relationship between these methods and the amount of pain relief, by way of a multiple regression analysis. On MR imaging, there was significant relationship between the amount of pain relief and location of herniated intervertebral disc (HIVD, central: 54.4%, lateral recess: 69.4%, foraminal: 59%: p = 0.048). There was no significant difference regarding the other MR findings. On epidurographic findings, there was significant difference in the amount of pain relief with the extent of the contrast (epidural and epineural space, 65.3%: epineural space only, 64.2%: p = 0.03) and location of the needle tip (in the foramen, 59.4%: outside the foramen, 68.4%: p = 0.002). The results indicate that TFESI could be more useful in patients with cervical HIVD in lateral recess rather than another location. Contrast spread into epidural reflux appears to be a favorable injection pattern. Needle tip location is recommended outside the foramen rather than in the foramen

Epidural blood flow and regression of sensory analgesia during continuous postoperative epidural infusion of bupivacaine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, T; Højgaard, L; Scott, N B

1988-01-01

Epidural blood flow was measured in seven patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery during combined lumbar epidural and general anesthesia. After an initial dose of 20 ml plain bupivacaine 0.5%, a continuous epidural infusion of bupivacaine 0.5% (8 ml/hr) was given for 16 hours...... for postoperative pain relief. The epidural blood flow was measured by a local 133Xe clearance technique in which 15-35 MBq 133Xe diluted in 1 ml saline was injected through the epidural catheter on the day before surgery (no bupivacaine), 30 minutes after the initial dose of bupivacaine on the morning before...... surgery, and 8, 12, and 16 hours later during the continuous infusion. Initial blood flow was 6.0 +/- 0.7 ml/min per 100 g tissue (mean +/- SEM). After epidural bupivacaine, blood flow increased in all seven patients to 7.4 +/- 0.7 ml (P less than 0.02). Initial level of sensory analgesia was T4.5 +/- 0...

Effects of combined perioperative epidural bupivacaine and morphine, ibuprofen, and incisional bupivacaine on postoperative pain, pulmonary, and endocrine-metabolic function after minilaparotomy cholecystectomy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, J B; Hjortsø, N C; Stage, J G

1994-01-01

with bupivacaine and morphine during 38 hours after the operation, or general anesthesia with morphine intramuscular for pain relief every 6-8 hours after the operation. All patients received ibuprofen before the operation until 6 days after the operation, and preoperative infiltration of the surgical field...... with bupivacaine. RESULTS. Both regimens almost abolished pain at rest, whereas, addition of epidural bupivacaine and morphine significantly improved analgesia during cough and mobilization (P .... The postoperative decrease in pulmonary function was only brief and there were no differences between the study groups. No increase in plasma cortisol or glucose was observed from before to 6 hours after the operation, irrespective of the anesthetic regimen. CONCLUSIONS. Epidural analgesia for minilaparatomy...

Red herring: Acute back pain after combined spinal epidural for labor analgesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoong Chuan Tay

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Symphysis pubis diastases complicate 1:300 to 1:30,000 pregnancies. Peripartum pain in chronological sequence with labor epidural analgesia often attracts instinctive causation and distress. Predisposing risk factors include macrosomia, short second stage of labor, forceps use, multiparity, small pelvis, intense uterine contractions, previous pelvic ring pathology and trauma. A gestational diabetic primigravid parturient presents with acute post-partum back pain after an uneventful analgesic labor epidural. Her pain distributed over the right paravertebral L5-S1 region without radiculopathy, worsened with positional change and accompanied by urinary incontinence, precluding child care. Spine imaging incidentally revealed a 38 mm symphysis pubis diastasis. A pelvic binder by orthopaedics aided physiotherapy and ambulation. Pubic diastases are usually conservatively managed, unless separation exceeds 5 cm when early surgery may improve functional outcomes. Although symptoms may recur in subsequent pregnancies, it does not preclude vaginal delivery. Early recognition and prompt management aim to reduce parturient morbidity and promote resumption of activity. Keywords: Symphysis pubis diasthesis, Pubic symphysis diasthesis, Post-epidural pain, Labor epidural pain, Post-partum pain

Preincisional and postoperative epidural morphine, ropivacaine, ketamine, and naloxone treatment for postoperative pain management in upper abdominal surgery.

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Lai, Hou-Chuan; Hsieh, Chung-Bao; Wong, Chih-Shung; Yeh, Chun-Chang; Wu, Zhi-Fu

2016-09-01

Previous studies have shown that preincisional epidural morphine, bupivacaine, and ketamine combined with epidural anesthesia (EA) and general anesthesia (GA) provided pre-emptive analgesia for upper abdominal surgery. Recent studies reported that ultralow-dose naloxone enhanced the antinociceptive effect of morphine in rats. This study investigated the benefits of preincisional and postoperative epidural morphine + ropivacaine + ketamine + naloxone (M + R + K + N) treatment for achieving postoperative pain relief in upper abdominal surgery. Eighty American Society of Anesthesiology I-II patients scheduled for major upper abdominal surgery were allocated to four groups in a randomized, single-blinded study. All patients received combined GA and EA with a continuous epidural infusion of 2% lidocaine (6-8 mL/h) 30 minutes after pain regimen. After GA induction, in Group I, an epidural pain control regimen (total 10 mL) was administered using 1% lidocaine (8 mL) + morphine (2 mg) + ropivacaine (20 mg; M + R); in Group II, 1% lidocaine 8 (mL) + morphine (2 mg) + ropivacaine (20 mg) + ketamine (20 mg; M + R + K); in Group III, 1% lidocaine (8 mL) + morphine (2 mg) + ropivacaine (20 mg) + naloxone (2 μg; M + R + N); and in Group IV, 1% lidocaine (8 mL) + morphine (2 mg) + ropivacaine (20 mg) + ketamine (20 mg) + naloxone (2 μg; M + R + K + N), respectively. All patients received patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) with different pain regimens to control subsequent postoperative pain for 3 days following surgery. During the 3-day period following surgery, PCEA consumption (mL), numerical rating scale (NRS) score while cough/moving, and analgesic-related adverse effects were recorded. Total PCEA consumption for the 3-day observation period was 161.5±17.8 mL, 103.2±21.7 mL, 152.4±25.6 mL, and 74.1±16.9 mL for Groups I, II, III, and IV, respectively. (p pain management than preincisional

Epidural Analgesia and Fever at Labor

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Ye. M. Shifman

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: to study the incidence of labor fever under epidural analgesia (EA and to evaluate its impact on the courses of puerperium and early neonatality. Subjects and methods. The paper presents the data of a prospective study of the course of labor, puerperium, and early neonatality in 397 women in whom labors occurred at the Republican Peritoneal Center in 2006. A study group included 324 parturients in whom labor pain was relieved by EA. A comparison group comprised 55 parturients in whom no analgesics were used at labor. Results. There were no significant statistical differences between the groups in the incidence of labor fever and complicated puerperium and in that of neonatal pyoseptic diseases. Key words: labor hyperthermia, epidural analgesia, labor pain relief.

STUDY OF ULTRASOUND-GUIDED CONTINUOUS FEMORAL NERVE BLOCKADE WITH EPIDURAL ANALGESIA FOR PAIN RELIEF AFTER TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT

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Srinivas Rapolu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Total knee replacement causes moderate-to-severe pain requiring effective analgesia. With use of ultrasound guidance, we may prove a more suitable approach compared with the epidural technique. Aim of this study is the comparison between Continuous Epidural Analgesia (CEA and Continuous Femoral Block (CFB techniques in Total Knee Replacement surgeries. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was conducted on 60 adult male and female patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery for a period of 2 years. Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group - 1: Continuous epidural analgesia patients, Group - 2: Continuous femoral blockage patients. All patients were assessed clinically preoperatively and investigated to rule out any systemic disease. RESULTS The mean age of patient in Group - 1 was 66.54 ± 4.98 and in Group - 2 was 66.98 ± 5.02 years. P value was > 0.05, which was not significant. No significant differences in gender is observed between the groups. VAS scores were significantly high (P < 0.05 in the femoral group at 6 h, after which there was a declining trend and scores were essentially similar from 24 h. The use of rescue analgesic was also higher in the femoral group. Analysis of side-effects showed that all the five common sideeffects were twice as common in the epidural group than in the femoral study group. Only one patient in the femoral group had urinary retention when compared with four in the epidural group. The differences were not statistically significant. Muscle power at 48 h, time getting out of the bed and time stay in hospital (days are significant in comparison in 2 groups, range of movement is insignificant in groups. Patient satisfaction score was measured on a scale of 1 - 10. Patients in the Femoral group were slightly more satisfied with a mean ± SD score of 8.1 ± 1.2 when compared with the epidural group 7.3 ± 1.01. CONCLUSION Continuous femoral blockade using US guidance provides equivalent analgesia

Comparison of Epidural Analgesia with Transversus Abdominis Plane Analgesia for Postoperative Pain Relief in Patients Undergoing Lower Abdominal Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Study.

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Iyer, Sadasivan Shankar; Bavishi, Harshit; Mohan, Chadalavada Venkataram; Kaur, Navdeep

2017-01-01

Anesthesiologists play an important role in postoperative pain management. For analgesia after lower abdominal surgery, epidural analgesia and ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block are suitable options. The study aims to compare the analgesic efficacy of both techniques. Seventy-two patients undergoing lower abdominal surgery under spinal anesthesia were randomized to postoperatively receive lumbar epidural catheter (Group E) or ultrasound-guided TAP block (Group T) through intravenous cannulas placed bilaterally. Group E received 10 ml 0.125% bupivacaine stat and 10 ml 8 th hourly for 48 h. Group T received 20 ml 0.125% bupivacaine bilaterally stat and 20 ml bilaterally 8 th hourly for 48 h. Pain at rest and on coughing, total paracetamol and tramadol consumption were recorded. Analgesia at rest was comparable between the groups in the first 16 h. At 24 and 48 h, Group E had significantly better analgesia at rest ( P = 0.001 and 0.004 respectively). Patients in Group E had significantly higher number of patients with nil or mild pain on coughing at all times. Paracetamol consumption was comparable in both groups, but tramadol consumption was significantly higher in Group T at the end of 48 h ( P = 0.001). For lower abdominal surgeries, analgesia provided by intermittent boluses of 0.125% is comparable for first 16 h between epidural and TAP catheters. However, the quality of analgesia provided by the epidural catheter is superior to that provided by TAP catheters beyond that both at rest and on coughing with reduced opioid consumption.

Laparoscopic Adhesiolysis and Relief of Chronic Pelvic Pain

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Nezhat, Farr R.; Crystal, Ruth Ann; Nezhat, Ceana H.; Nezhat, Camran R.

2000-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the short- and long-term results of laparoscopic enterolysis in patients with chronic pelvic pain following hysterectomy. Methods: Forty-eight patients were evaluated at time intervals from 2 weeks to 5 years after laparoscopic enterolysis. Patients were asked to rate postoperative relief of their pelvic pain as complete/near complete relief (80-100% pain relief), significant relief (50-80% pain relief), or less than 50% or no pain relief. Results: We found that after 2...

Doubling Your Payoff: Winning Pain Relief Engages Endogenous Pain Inhibition1,2,3

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Kwan, Saskia; Schweinhardt, Petra

2015-01-01

Abstract When in pain, pain relief is much sought after, particularly for individuals with chronic pain. In analogy to augmentation of the hedonic experience (“liking”) of a reward by the motivation to obtain a reward (“wanting”), the seeking of pain relief in a motivated state might increase the experience of pain relief when obtained. We tested this hypothesis in a psychophysical experiment in healthy human subjects, by assessing potential pain-inhibitory effects of pain relief “won” in a wheel of fortune game compared with pain relief without winning, exploiting the fact that the mere chance of winning induces a motivated state. The results show pain-inhibitory effects of pain relief obtained by winning in behaviorally assessed pain perception and ratings of pain intensity. Further, the higher participants scored on the personality trait novelty seeking, the more pain inhibition was induced. These results provide evidence that pain relief, when obtained in a motivated state, engages endogenous pain-inhibitory systems beyond the pain reduction that underlies the relief in the first place. Consequently, such pain relief might be used to improve behavioral pain therapy, inducing a positive, perhaps self-amplifying feedback loop of reduced pain and improved functionality. PMID:26464995

Thoracic epidural catheter for postoperative pain control following an ineffective transversus abdominis plane block using liposome bupivacaine

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Terrien BD

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Brian D Terrien,1 David Espinoza,2 Charles C Stehman,3 Gabriel A Rodriguez,1 Nicholas C Connolly1 1Department of Anesthesiology, Naval Medical Center San Diego, 2Surface Warfare Medical Institute, San Diego, 3Department of Anesthesiology, Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital, Twenty Nine Palms, CA, USA Abstract: A 24-year-old female with a history of ulcerative colitis underwent colectomy. The patient received an ineffective transversus abdominis plane (TAP block with liposome bupivacaine (Exparel intraoperatively and was started on a hydromorphone patient-controlled analgesia 5 hours after the TAP block, which did not relieve her pain. A continuous thoracic epidural (CTE was then placed after blood levels of bupivacaine were drawn, and the patient immediately experienced significant pain relief. The combined use of liposome bupivacaine and bupivacaine CTE infusion in the postoperative management of this patient demonstrated no safety concerns, provided excellent analgesia and plasma concentrations of bupivacaine remained far below toxic levels. Keywords: liposome bupivacaine (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension, plasma bupivacaine levels, transversus abdominis plane (TAP nerve block, thoracic epidural

Early versus late initiation of epidural analgesia for labour.

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Sng, Ban Leong; Leong, Wan Ling; Zeng, Yanzhi; Siddiqui, Fahad Javaid; Assam, Pryseley N; Lim, Yvonne; Chan, Edwin S Y; Sia, Alex T

2014-10-09

Pain during childbirth is arguably the most severe pain some women may experience in their lifetime. Epidural analgesia is an effective form of pain relief during labour. Many women have concerns regarding its safety. Furthermore, epidural services and anaesthetic support may not be available consistently across all centres. Observational data suggest that early initiation of epidural may be associated with an increased risk of caesarean section, but the same findings were not seen in recent randomised controlled trials. More recent guidelines suggest that in the absence of a medical contraindication, maternal request is a sufficient medical indication for pain relief during labour. The choice of analgesic technique, agent, and dosage is based on many factors, including patient preference, medical status, and contraindications. There is no systematically reviewed evidence on the maternal and foetal outcomes and safety of this practice. This systematic review aimed to summarise the effectiveness and safety of early initiation versus late initiation of epidural analgesia in women. We considered the obstetric and fetal outcomes relevant to women and side effects of the treatments, including risk of caesarean section, instrumental birth and time to birth. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (12 February 2014), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2014, Issue 1), MEDLINE (January 1966 to February 2014), Embase (January 1980 to February 2014) and reference lists of retrieved studies. We included all randomised controlled trials involving women undergoing epidural labour analgesia that compared early initiation versus late initiation of epidural labour analgesia. Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion, extracted the data and assessed the trial quality. Data were checked for accuracy. We included nine studies with a total of 15,752 women.The overall risk of bias of

Pain relief by Cyberknife radiosurgery for spinal metastasis.

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Lee, Sunyoung; Chun, Mison

2012-01-01

To report pain relief effect in patients with spinal metastases treated with Cyberknife® and to analyze the factors associated with pain relapse after initial pain relief. We retrospectively analyzed patients with spinal metastasis treated with stereotactic body radiosurgery between April 2007 and June 2009. A total of 57 patients with 73 lesions were available for analysis with a median follow-up of 6.8 months (range, 1-30). Pain was assessed by a verbal/visual analogue scale at each visit: from 0 to 10. Pain relief was defined as a decrease of at least three levels of the pain score without an increase in analgesic use. Complete relief was defined as no analgesics or a score 0 or 1. Pain relief was achieved in 88% of the lesions, with complete relief in 51% within 7 days from the start of radiosurgery. The median duration of pain relief was 3.2 months (range, 1-30). Pain reappeared in 16 patients (27%). Spinal cord compression (P = 0.001) and performance status (P = 0.01) were predictive of pain relapse by multivariate Cox analysis. All 6 patients treated with solitary spinal metastasis experienced pain relief; 5 of them were alive without evidence of disease at a median of 16 months (range, 7-30). As previous studies have shown, our study confirms that pain relief with spinal radiosurgery is around 90%. In particular, long-term pain relief and disease control was observed in patients with solitary spinal metastasis.

Epidural anesthesia: Views and outcomes of women in labor in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Pain during childbirth is a well known cause of dissatisfaction amongst women in labor. The use of epidural analgesia in labor is becoming widespread due to its benefit in terms of pain relief. Method: After approval of the local Ethics Committee on Research and obtaining informed written consent, 50 American ...

The association between incentive spirometry performance and pain in postoperative thoracic epidural analgesia.

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Harris, David J; Hilliard, Paul E; Jewell, Elizabeth S; Brummett, Chad M

2015-01-01

Effective use of postoperative incentive spirometry improves patient outcomes but is limited by pain after thoracic and upper abdominal surgery. Thoracic epidurals are frequently used to provide analgesia and attenuate postoperative pulmonary dysfunction. We hypothesized that, in patients with thoracic epidurals for thoracic and abdominal surgery, high pain scores would be associated with poorer incentive spirometry performance, even when accounting for other variables. Retrospective study of 468 patients who underwent upper abdominal or thoracic surgery using postoperative thoracic epidural analgesia between June 1, 2009, and August 31, 2013, at a single tertiary academic center. The association between incentive spirometry performance and pain was assessed as the primary outcome. Other independent predictors of incentive spirometry performance were also identified. Postoperative incentive spirometry performance was found to be inversely proportional to pain score, which correlated significantly stronger with deep breathing pain compared with pain at rest (-0.33 vs -0.14 on postoperative day 1; -0.23 vs -0.12 on postoperative day 2). Pain with deep breathing was independently associated with poorer incentive spirometry performance in the multivariable linear regression model (P spirometry performance could be used as another indicator of thoracic epidural efficacy. This may be particularly useful in patients reporting high pain scores postoperatively.

Perioperative epidural or intravenous ketamine does not improve the effectiveness of thoracic epidural analgesia for acute and chronic pain after thoracotomy.

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Tena, Beatriz; Gomar, Carmen; Rios, Jose

2014-06-01

Persistent postsurgical pain (PPP) after thoracotomy effect 50% to 80%. Nerve damage and central sensitization involving NDMDAr activation may play an important role. This study evaluates the efficacy of adding intravenous (IV) or epidural ketamine to thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) after thoracotomy. Double-blind randomized study on patients undergoing thoracotomy allocated to one of the following: group Kiv (IV racemic ketamine 0.5 mg/kg preincisional +0.25 mg/kg/h for 48 h), group Kep (epidural racemic ketamine 0.5 mg/kg preincisional +0.25 mg/kg/h for 48 h), or group S (saline). Postoperative analgesia was ensured by TEA with ropivacaine and fentanyl. Pain visual analog scales (VAS), Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory, Catastrophizing Scale, and Quantitative Sensory Testing, measuring both the peri-incisional and distant hyperalgesia area, were conducted preoperatively and postoperatively until 6 months. Plasma ketamine levels and stability of the analgesic solutions were analyzed. A total of 104 patients were included. PPP incidence was 20% at 6 months. Pain scores on coughing were significantly lower in Kiv and Kep than in S at 24 and 72 hours, but there were no differences afterwards. There were no significant differences in pain at rest, Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory, and Catastrophizing Scale, or in the area of mechanical allodynia at any time. Adverse effects were mild. Plasma ketamine levels did not differ significantly between groups. Analgesic solutions were stable. Adding epidural or IV racemic ketamine to TEA after thoracotomy did not lead to any reduction in PPP or allodynia. Epidural administration produced similar plasma ketamine levels to the IV route.

Do antenatal education classes decrease use of epidural analgesia during labour? – a Danish RCT

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Brixval, Carina Sjöberg; Thygesen, Lau Caspar; Axelsen, Solveig Forberg

Background: Epidural analgesia is widely used as pain relief during labour but has negative side effects, such as prolonged labour and increased risk of obstetric interventions. Antenatal education in small groups may increase trust in own ability to cope at home in the early stages of labour...... of an antenatal education program in small classes on use of epidural analgesia. Methods: Data from the NEWBORN trial were used. A total of 1766 women from the Copenhagen area, Denmark were randomized to participate in either antenatal education in small groups or standard care. Data were analysed according...... on whether to implement the NEWBORN program in a clinical setting also depend upon the trial effect on psycho-social outcomes which will be analysed in near future. Main messages (max 200 anslag): 1. No effect of antenatal education in small groups on use of epidural analgesia as pain relief during labour...

Combined spinal epidural anesthesia in achondroplastic dwarf for femur surgery

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Rochana Girish Bakhshi

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Achondroplasia is the commonest form of short-limbed dwarfism and occurs in 1:26,000- 40,000 live births. This is an autosomal dominant disorder with abnormal endochondral ossification whereas periosteal and intramembranous ossification are normal. The basic abnormality is a disturbance of cartilage formation mainly at the epiphyseal growth plates and at the base of the skull. The anesthetic management of achondroplastic dwarfs is a challenge to the anesthesiologist. Both regional as well as general anesthesia have their individual risks and consequences. We report a case of an achondroplastic dwarf in whom combined spinal epidural anesthesia was used for fixation of a fractured femur. The patient had undergone previous femur surgery under general anesthesia since he had been informed that spinal anesthesia could be very problematic. There was no technical difficulty encountered during the procedure and an adequate level was achieved with low-dose local anesthetics without any problem. Postoperative pain relief was offered for three consecutive postoperative days using epidural tramadol. We discuss the anesthetic issues and highlight the role of combined spinal epidural anesthesia with low-dose local anesthetics in this patient. This approach also helped in early ambulation and postoperative pain relief.

Effects of thoracic paravertebral block with bupivacaine versus combined thoracic epidural block with bupivacaine and morphine on pain and pulmonary function after cholecystectomy

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Bigler, D; Dirkes, W; Hansen, R

1989-01-01

Twenty patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy via a subcostal incision were randomized in a double-blind study to either thoracic paravertebral blockade with bupivacaine 0.5% (15 ml followed by 5 ml/h) or thoracic epidural blockade with bupivacaine 7 ml 0.5% + morphine 2 mg followed by 5 ml...... by forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume and peak expiratory flow rate decreased about 50% postoperatively in both groups. In conclusion, the continuous paravertebral bupivacaine infusion used here was insufficient as the only analgesic after cholecystectomy. In contrast, epidural blockade...... with combined bupivacaine and low dose morphine produced total pain relief in six of ten patients....

Pain Management of Malignant Psoas Syndrome Under Epidural Analgesia During Palliative Radiotherapy.

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Ota, Takayo; Makihara, Masaru; Tsukuda, Hiroshi; Kajikawa, Ryuji; Inamori, Masayuki; Miyatake, Nozomi; Tanaka, Noriko; Tokunaga, Masahiro; Hasegawa, Yoshikazu; Tada, Takuhito; Fukuoka, Masahiro

2017-06-01

Malignant psoas syndrome is a rare malignant condition presenting as lumbosacral plexopathy and painful fixed flexion of the hip. Metastasis to the psoas muscle is observed, which damages the nerve bundles in the lumbosacral plexuses. The syndrome presents as refractory lower back pain with several other neurological symptoms. The pain is difficult to control because it is a mixture of nociceptive and neuropathic pain, which indicates that treatment requires a versatile approach. The authors report a case of severe back pain caused by metastasis to the psoas muscle of advanced gastric cancer in a patient who underwent palliative radiotherapy under epidural analgesia. Despite conventional analgesics and subcutaneous oxycodone, he had difficulties in maintaining supine position because of the back pain and had a problem to receive radiotherapy, which required him to stay still in the same position during the treatment. By epidural analgesia, he could remain in supine position and complete radiotherapy without increasing opioid administration. His back pain was improved after the radiotherapy. Epidural analgesia is an effective treatment choice for a patient who is unable to keep the position during palliative radiotherapy.

Acute effects of anesthetic lumbar spine injections on temporal spatial parameters of gait in individuals with chronic low back pain: A pilot study.

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Herndon, Carl L; Horodyski, MaryBeth; Vincent, Heather K

2017-10-01

This study examined whether epidural injection-induced anesthesia acutely and positively affected temporal spatial parameters of gait in patients with chronic low back pain (LBP) due to lumbar spinal stenosis. Twenty-five patients (61.7±13.6years) who were obtaining lumbar epidural injections for stenosis-related LBP participated. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, Medical Outcomes Short Form (SF-36) scores, 11-point Numerical pain rating (NRS pain ) scores, and temporal spatial parameters of walking gait were obtained prior to, and 11-point Numerical pain rating (NRS pain ) scores, and temporal spatial parameters of walking gait were obtained after the injection. Gait parameters were measured using an instrumented gait mat. Patients received transforaminal epidural injections in the L1-S1 vertebral range (1% lidocaine, corticosteroid) under fluoroscopic guidance. Patients with post-injection NRS pain ratings of "0" or values greater than "0" were stratified into two groups: 1) full pain relief, or 2) partial pain relief, respectively. Post-injection, 48% (N=12) of patients reported full pain relief. ODI scores were higher in patients with full pain relief (55.3±21.4 versus 33.7 12.8; p=0.008). Post-injection, stride length and step length variability were significantly improved in the patients with full pain relief compared to those with partial pain relief. Effect sizes between full and partial pain relief for walking velocity, step length, swing time, stride and step length variability were medium to large (Cohen's d>0.50). Patients with LBP can gain immediate gait improvements from complete pain relief from transforaminal epidural anesthetic injections for LBP, which could translate to better stability and lower fall risk. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reward, motivation and emotion of pain and its relief

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Porreca, Frank; Navratilova, Edita

2016-01-01

The experience of pain depends on interpretation of context and past experience that guide the choice of an immediate behavioral response and influence future decisions of actions to avoid harm. The aversive qualities of pain underlie its physiological role in learning and motivation. In this review, we highlight findings from human and animal investigations that suggest that both pain, and the relief of pain, are complex emotions that are comprised of feelings and their motivational consequences. Relief of aversive states, including pain, is rewarding. How relief of pain aversiveness occurs is not well understood. Termination of aversive states can directly provide relief as well as reinforce behaviors that result in avoidance of pain. Emerging preclinical data also suggests that relief may elicit a positive hedonic value that results from activation of neural cortical and mesolimbic brain circuits that may also motivate behavior. Brain circuits mediating the reward of pain relief, as well as relief-induced motivation are significantly impacted as pain becomes chronic. In chronic pain states, the negative motivational value of nociception may be increased while the value of the reward of pain relief may decrease. As a consequence, the impact of pain on these ancient, and conserved brain limbic circuits suggest a path forward for discovery of new pain therapies. PMID:28106670

Brain Circuits Encoding Reward from Pain Relief.

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Navratilova, Edita; Atcherley, Christopher W; Porreca, Frank

2015-11-01

Relief from pain in humans is rewarding and pleasurable. Primary rewards, or reward-predictive cues, are encoded in brain reward/motivational circuits. While considerable advances have been made in our understanding of reward circuits underlying positive reinforcement, less is known about the circuits underlying the hedonic and reinforcing actions of pain relief. We review findings from electrophysiological, neuroimaging, and behavioral studies supporting the concept that the rewarding effect of pain relief requires opioid signaling in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), activation of midbrain dopamine neurons, and the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Understanding of circuits that govern the reward of pain relief may allow the discovery of more effective and satisfying therapies for patients with acute or chronic pain.

Music for pain relief.

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Cepeda, M S; Carr, D B; Lau, J; Alvarez, H

2006-04-19

The efficacy of music for the treatment of pain has not been established. To evaluate the effect of music on acute, chronic or cancer pain intensity, pain relief, and analgesic requirements. We searched The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, LILACS and the references in retrieved manuscripts. There was no language restriction. We included randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effect of music on any type of pain in children or adults. We excluded trials that reported results of concurrent non-pharmacological therapies. Data was extracted by two independent review authors. We calculated the mean difference in pain intensity levels, percentage of patients with at least 50% pain relief, and opioid requirements. We converted opioid consumption to morphine equivalents. To explore heterogeneity, studies that evaluated adults, children, acute, chronic, malignant, labor, procedural, or experimental pain were evaluated separately, as well as those studies in which patients chose the type of music. Fifty-one studies involving 1867 subjects exposed to music and 1796 controls met inclusion criteria. In the 31 studies evaluating mean pain intensity there was a considerable variation in the effect of music, indicating statistical heterogeneity ( I(2) = 85.3%). After grouping the studies according to the pain model, this heterogeneity remained, with the exception of the studies that evaluated acute postoperative pain. In this last group, patients exposed to music had pain intensity that was 0.5 units lower on a zero to ten scale than unexposed subjects (95% CI: -0.9 to -0.2). Studies that permitted patients to select the music did not reveal a benefit from music; the decline in pain intensity was 0.2 units, 95% CI (-0.7 to 0.2). Four studies reported the proportion of subjects with at least 50% pain relief; subjects exposed to music had a 70% higher likelihood of having pain relief than unexposed subjects (95% CI: 1.21 to 2.37). NNT = 5 (95% CI: 4 to 13). Three

Pain relief at the end of life: nurses' experiences regarding end-of-life pain relief in patients with dementia.

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Brorson, Hanna; Plymoth, Henrietta; Örmon, Karin; Bolmsjö, Ingrid

2014-03-01

Patients with dementia receive suboptimal palliative care, and this patient group is at risk to have pain at the end of life. Because communicative impairments are common in this patient group, nurses play an important caregiver role in identifying, assessing, and relieving patients' pain. This study aimed to describe nurses' experiences regarding end-of-life pain relief in patients with dementia. This descriptive exploratory qualitative study was based on seven semistructured interviews. Burnard's content analysis inspired the data analysis. Two main categories were identified: (1) nurses' experience of difficulties concerning pain relief and (2) nurses' experience of resources concerning pain relief. Nurses experienced difficulties, such as feeling of powerlessness because of difficulties in obtaining adequate prescriptions for analgesics, ethical dilemmas, feeling of inadequacy because analgesia did not have the desired effect, and a feeling of not being able to connect with the patient. Factors, including knowledge about the patient, professional experience, utilization of pain assessment tools, interpersonal relationships, and interprofessional cooperation, served as resources and enabled end-of-life pain relief. The results of this study highlight the complexity of pain relief in patients with dementia at the end of life from a nursing perspective. The inability of patients with dementia to verbally communicate their pain makes them a vulnerable patient group, dependent on their caregivers. Knowing the life story of the patient, professional experience, teamwork based on good communication, and use of a pain assessment tool were reported by the nurses to improve pain relief at the end of life for patients with dementia. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The use of lumbar epidural injection of platelet lysate for treatment of radicular pain.

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Centeno, Christopher; Markle, Jason; Dodson, Ehren; Stemper, Ian; Hyzy, Matthew; Williams, Christopher; Freeman, Michael

2017-11-25

Epidural steroid injections (ESI) are the most common pain management procedure performed in the US, however evidence of efficacy is limited. In addition, there is early evidence that the high dose of corticosteroids used can have systemic side effects. We describe the results of a case series evaluating the use of platelet lysate (PL) epidural injections for the treatment of lumbar radicular pain as an alternative to corticosteroids. Registry data was obtained for patients (N = 470) treated with PL epidural injections presenting with symptoms of lumbar radicular pain and MRI findings that were consistent with symptoms. Collected outcomes included numeric pain score (NPS), functional rating index (FRI), and a modified single assessment numeric evaluation (SANE) rating. Patients treated with PL epidurals reported significantly lower (p < .0001) NPS and FRI change scores at all time points compared to baseline. Post-treatment FRI change score means exceeded the minimal clinically important difference beyond 1 month. Average modified SANE ratings showed 49.7% improvement at 24 months post-treatment. Twenty-nine (6.3%) patients reported mild adverse events related to treatment. Patients treated with PL epidurals reported significant improvements in pain, exceeded the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for FRI, and reported subjective improvement through 2-year follow-up. PL may be a promising substitute for corticosteroid.

A Study on Epidural Tramadol Compared with Epidural Fentanyl Combined with Low Dose Bupivacaine for the Control of Metastatic Cancer Pain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Resham Bahadur Rana

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Despite advances in the knowledge of pathophysiology of pain and its management, patients continue to suffer from pain in many terminal stage cancer. Tramadol hydrochloride is a weak opioid with analgesic properties, and can be tried for cancer pain management. Objectives: This study was performed to find out the efficacy of the analgesic property of Tramadol through epidural route in cancer patients as an combination with low dose(.125% Bupivacaine and to compare with Fentanyl, a μ opioid agonist. Methods: 50 Cancer patients with or without previous pain management were randomly allocated to one of the two study regime- Group-A (tramadol 50 mg and Group-B (Fentanyl 50 mgm in combination with .125% Bupivacaine. Drugs were administered epidurally 6 hourly, 8 hourly and 12 hourly respectively for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd day. Low dose bupivacaine was added to both groups to enhance quality. Pain scores, blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate, side effects and patients' satisfaction score was recorded 6 hourly for 72 hrs. The data yielded from this study were compiled and analyzed by unpaired and paired ‘t' test with 95% confidence limit. A value of P< 0.05 was considered to be significant. ÷ square test was done for some of the data. Results: Pain scores were significantly decreased in both the groups but were not significantly different. The incidence of side effects including nausea and vomiting was found in both the groups and was not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: The use of epidural Tramadol in selected cancer pain patients (especially pain in lower abdomen and lower back may be very useful and is comparable to opioid in certain situations. Key words: Metastatic cancer pain; Epidural tramadol. DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v2i2.4760 BSMMU J 2009; 2(2: 66-72

Descending volleys generated by efficacious epidural motor cortex stimulation in patients with chronic neuropathic pain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lefaucheur, Jean-Pascal; Holsheimer, J.; Goujon, Colette; Keravel, Yves; Nguyen, Jean-Paul

Epidural motor cortex stimulation (EMCS) is a therapeutic option for chronic, drug-resistant neuropathic pain, but its mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. In two patients with refractory hand pain successfully treated by EMCS, the presence of implanted epidural cervical electrodes for

Patient controlled analgesia with remifentanil versus epidural analgesia in labour : randomised multicentre equivalence trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freeman, Liv M; Bloemenkamp, Kitty W; Franssen, Maureen T; Papatsonis, Dimitri N; Hajenius, Petra J; Hollmann, Markus W; Woiski, Mallory D; Porath, Martina; van den Berg, Hans J; van Beek, Erik; Borchert, Odette W H M; Schuitemaker, Nico; Sikkema, J Marko; Kuipers, A H M; Logtenberg, Sabine L M; van der Salm, Paulien C M; Oude Rengerink, Katrien; Lopriore, Enrico; van den Akker-van Marle, M Elske; le Cessie, Saskia; van Lith, Jan M; Struys, Michel M; Mol, Ben Willem J; Dahan, Albert; Middeldorp, Johanna M; Oude Rengerink, K

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine women's satisfaction with pain relief using patient controlled analgesia with remifentanil compared with epidural analgesia during labour. DESIGN: Multicentre randomised controlled equivalence trial. SETTING: 15 hospitals in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Women with an

Patient controlled analgesia with remifentanil versus epidural analgesia in labour : randomised multicentre equivalence trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freeman, Liv M.; Bloemenkamp, Kitty W.; Franssen, Maureen T.; Papatsonis, Dimitri N.; Hajenius, Petra J.; Hollmann, Markus W.; Woiski, Mallory D.; Porath, Martina; van den Berg, Hans J.; van Beek, Erik; Borchert, Odette W. H. M.; Schuitemaker, Nico; Sikkema, J. Marko; Kuipers, A. H. M.; Logtenberg, Sabine L. M.; van der Salm, Paulien C. M.; Rengerink, Katrien Oude; Lopriore, Enrico; van den Akker-van Marle, M. Elske; le Cessie, Saskia; van Lith, Jan M.; Struys, Michel M.; Mol, Ben Willem J.; Dahan, Albert; Middeldorp, Johanna M.

2015-01-01

Objective To determine women's satisfaction with pain relief using patient controlled analgesia with remifentanil compared with epidural analgesia during labour. Design Multicentre randomised controlled equivalence trial. Setting 15 hospitals in the Netherlands. Participants Women with an

Patient controlled analgesia with remifentanil versus epidural analgesia in labour: randomised multicentre equivalence trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freeman, L.M.; Bloemenkamp, K.W.; Franssen, M.T.; Papatsonis, D.N.; Hajenius, P.J.; Hollmann, M.W.; Woiski, M.D.; Porath, M.; Berg, H.J. van den; Beek, E. van; Borchert, O.W.; Schuitemaker, N.; Sikkema, J.M.; Kuipers, A.H.; Logtenberg, S.L.; Salm, P.C. van der; Oude Rengerink, K.; Lopriore, E.; Akker-van Marle, M.E. van den; Cessie, S. le; Lith, J.M. van; Struys, M.M.; Mol, B.W.; Dahan, A; Middeldorp, J.M.

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine women's satisfaction with pain relief using patient controlled analgesia with remifentanil compared with epidural analgesia during labour. DESIGN: Multicentre randomised controlled equivalence trial. SETTING: 15 hospitals in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Women with an

Epidural anesthesia: Views and outcomes of women in labor in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2010-02-08

Feb 8, 2010 ... American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class I-II consecutive multiparous women in labor requesting pain relief were ... epidural analgesia group were satisfied with the experience of labor than those who did not receive this form of analgesia ... although lack of patient education and awareness.

Applicable study of patient-controlled epidural analgesia in peri-interventional uterine arterial embolization for uterine myomata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Miao; She Shouzhang; Chen Chunlin; Xu Xuebing; Xie Xiaoqing

2006-01-01

Objective: To study the effectiveness and safety of epidural patient-controlled analgesia (PCEA) for post-operative pain relief and adverse reactions after uterine arterial embolization (UAE). Methods: 100 patients (ASA I-II grade) undergoing transcatheter UAE of uterine myomata were randomly divided into five groups. All patients except group V used PCEA; including group I ( n=20) for epidural infusion with 0.2% ropivacaine plus 0.004% morphine, group II (n=20) with epidural infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine and 0.004% morphine plus 0.005% droperidol, group III (n=20) with epidural infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine and 0.004% morphine plus 0.01% droperidol, group IV (n=20) of epidural infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine plus 0.01% morphine, group V (n=20) served as the control with either traditional oral drugs of micronized nimesulide, or intramuscular injection (plus analgesic of rotundin or pethidine hydrochloride), or both. Results The quality of pain relief in the group I, group II, group III and group IV was obviously superior to that of group V. The PCEA application group recovered faster than that of group V after the procedure (P<0.01). Conclusions: During or after UEA, PCEA could effectively relieve pain by providing less side effects, faster recovery and high safety to the patient. The best analgetic methods of PCEA are coincident with the use of 0.2% ropivacaine plus 0.01% morphine. (authors)

Reward and motivation in pain and pain relief

Science.gov (United States)

Navratilova, Edita; Porreca, Frank

2015-01-01

Pain is fundamentally unpleasant, a feature that protects the organism by promoting motivation and learning. Relief of aversive states, including pain, is rewarding. The aversiveness of pain, as well as the reward from relief of pain, is encoded by brain reward/motivational mesocorticolimbic circuitry. In this Review, we describe current knowledge of the impact of acute and chronic pain on reward/motivation circuits gained from preclinical models and from human neuroimaging. We highlight emerging clinical evidence suggesting that anatomical and functional changes in these circuits contribute to the transition from acute to chronic pain. We propose that assessing activity in these conserved circuits can offer new outcome measures for preclinical evaluation of analgesic efficacy to improve translation and speed drug discovery. We further suggest that targeting reward/motivation circuits may provide a path for normalizing the consequences of chronic pain to the brain, surpassing symptomatic management to promote recovery from chronic pain. PMID:25254980

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain relief in labour.

Science.gov (United States)

Dowswell, Therese; Bedwell, Carol; Lavender, Tina; Neilson, James P

2009-04-15

Transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS) has been proposed as a means of reducing pain in labour. The TENS unit emits low-voltage electrical impulses which vary in frequency and intensity. During labour, TENS electrodes are generally placed on the lower back, although TENS may be used to stimulate acupuncture points or other parts of the body. The physiological mechanisms whereby TENS relieves pain are uncertain. The TENS unit is frequently operated by women, which may increase sense of control in labour. To assess the effects of TENS on pain in labour. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (November 2008). Randomised controlled trials comparing women receiving TENS for pain relief in labour versus routine care, alternative pharmacological methods of pain relief, or placebo devices. We included all types of TENS machines. Two review authors assessed for inclusion all trials identified by the search strategy, carried out data extraction and assessed risk of bias. We have recorded reasons for excluding studies. The search identified 25 studies; we excluded six and included 19 studies including 1671 women. Fifteen examined TENS applied to the back, two to acupuncture points and two to the cranium. Overall, there was little difference in pain ratings between TENS and control groups, although women receiving TENS to acupuncture points were less likely to report severe pain (risk ratio 0.41, 95% confidence interval 0.32 to 0.55). The majority of women using TENS said they would be willing to use it again in a future labour. Where TENS was used as an adjunct to epidural analgesia there was no evidence that it reduced pain. There was no consistent evidence that TENS had any impact on interventions and outcomes in labour. There was little information on outcomes for mothers and babies. No adverse events were reported. There is only limited evidence that TENS reduces pain in labour and it does not seem to have any impact (either positive or

Patient controlled analgesia with remifentanil versus epidural analgesia in labour: randomised multicentre equivalence trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freeman, Liv M.; Bloemenkamp, Kitty W.; Franssen, Maureen T.; Papatsonis, Dimitri N.; Hajenius, Petra J.; Hollmann, Markus W.; Woiski, Mallory D.; Porath, Martina; van den Berg, Hans J.; van Beek, Erik; Borchert, Odette W. H. M.; Schuitemaker, Nico; Sikkema, J. Marko; Kuipers, A. H. M.; Logtenberg, Sabine L. M.; van der Salm, Paulien C. M.; Oude Rengerink, Katrien; Lopriore, Enrico; van den Akker-van Marle, M. Elske; le Cessie, Saskia; van Lith, Jan M.; Struys, Michel M.; Mol, Ben Willem J.; Dahan, Albert; Middeldorp, Johanna M.

2015-01-01

To determine women's satisfaction with pain relief using patient controlled analgesia with remifentanil compared with epidural analgesia during labour. Multicentre randomised controlled equivalence trial. 15 hospitals in the Netherlands. Women with an intermediate to high obstetric risk with an

Transient Coma Due To Epidural Anesthesia: The Role of Loss of Sensory Input.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Dardis, Christopher

2015-12-21

Epidural anesthesia is the most commonly used method of pain relief during labor in the USA. It is not classically associated with alterations in level of alertness. Coma during the procedure is rare, with a reported incidence of 0.1-0.3%.

Non-Drug Pain Relief: Imagery

Science.gov (United States)

PATIENT EDUCATION patienteducation.osumc.edu Non-Drug Pain Relief: Imagery Relaxation helps lessen tension. One way to help decrease pain is to use imagery. Imagery is using your imagination to create a ...

Measuring and improving the quality of postoperative epidural analgesia for major abdominal surgery using statistical process control charts.

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Fiona; Haigh, Carol

2013-10-01

To explore and improve the quality of continuous epidural analgesia for pain relief using Statistical Process Control tools. Measuring the quality of pain management interventions is complex. Intermittent audits do not accurately capture the results of quality improvement initiatives. The failure rate for one intervention, epidural analgesia, is approximately 30% in everyday practice, so it is an important area for improvement. Continuous measurement and analysis are required to understand the multiple factors involved in providing effective pain relief. Process control and quality improvement Routine prospectively acquired data collection started in 2006. Patients were asked about their pain and side effects of treatment. Statistical Process Control methods were applied for continuous data analysis. A multidisciplinary group worked together to identify reasons for variation in the data and instigated ideas for improvement. The key measure for improvement was a reduction in the percentage of patients with an epidural in severe pain. The baseline control charts illustrated the recorded variation in the rate of several processes and outcomes for 293 surgical patients. The mean visual analogue pain score (VNRS) was four. There was no special cause variation when data were stratified by surgeons, clinical area or patients who had experienced pain before surgery. Fifty-seven per cent of patients were hypotensive on the first day after surgery. We were able to demonstrate a significant improvement in the failure rate of epidurals as the project continued with quality improvement interventions. Statistical Process Control is a useful tool for measuring and improving the quality of pain management. The applications of Statistical Process Control methods offer the potential to learn more about the process of change and outcomes in an Acute Pain Service both locally and nationally. We have been able to develop measures for improvement and benchmarking in routine care that

The effect of pre-emptive intravenous Dexketoprofen + thoracal epidural analgesia on the chronic post-thoracotomy pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Comez, Mehmet; Celik, Mine; Dostbil, Aysenur; Aksoy, Mehmet; Ahiskalioglu, Ali; Erdem, Ali Fuat; Aydin, Yener; İnce, İlker

2015-01-01

Post thoracotomy chronic pain is a severe problem that affects the majority of patients and decreases the quality of life. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term effects of thoracal epidural levobupivacaine and intravenous dexketoprofen analgesia formed pre-emptively on the wound site pain after major thoracotomy operations. This randomised, prospective and double-blind study was performed with 60 patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Patients were divided into three groups; Control Group (Group C), Pre-emptive Epidural Group (Group PE) and Pre-emptive Dexketoprofen + Epidural Group (Group PED). Patients in the Group C did not receive epidural analgesics and i.v. dexketoprofen before and during the operation. 10-15 ml 0.125% levobupivacaine was given to cases in Group PE pre-emptively through epidural catheter before the anesthesia induction. The cases in Group PED were given 10-15 ml 0.125% epidural levobupivacaine and 50 mg dexketoprofen with i.v. infusion pre-emptively. The VAS score was found to be lower in Group PED during postoperative 24 and 48 hours and before the discharge (P0.05). A statistically significant decrease was determined in the VAS score in Group PED during the sixth month, compared to the other groups (Pdexketoprofen and thoracal epidural analgesia reduce the chronic post-thoracotomy pain.

Measurements of Epidural Space Depth Using Preexisting CT Scans Correlate with Loss of Resistance Depth during Thoracic Epidural Catheter Placement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathaniel H. Greene

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Thoracic epidural catheters provide the best quality postoperative pain relief for major abdominal and thoracic surgical procedures, but placement is one of the most challenging procedures in the repertoire of an anesthesiologist. Most patients presenting for a procedure that would benefit from a thoracic epidural catheter have already had high resolution imaging that may be useful to assist placement of a catheter. Methods. This retrospective study used data from 168 patients to examine the association and predictive power of epidural-skin distance (ESD on computed tomography (CT to determine loss of resistance depth acquired during epidural placement. Additionally, the ability of anesthesiologists to measure this distance was compared to a radiologist, who specializes in spine imaging. Results. There was a strong association between CT measurement and loss of resistance depth (P35 changed this relationship (P=0.007. The ability of anesthesiologists to make CT measurements was similar to a gold standard radiologist (all individual ICCs>0.9. Conclusions. Overall, this study supports the examination of a recent CT scan to aid in the placement of a thoracic epidural catheter. Making use of these scans may lead to faster epidural placements, fewer accidental dural punctures, and better epidural blockade.

Assessment of Efficacy of Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection for Management of Low Back Pain with Unilateral Radiculopathy in Industrial Workers: A Randomized Control Trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piyali Mondal

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Disability related to chronic Low Back Pain (LBP is a multi-factorial phenomenon, associated with high social and health costs, with a prevalence ranging from 11 to 76%. Significant and long-lasting pain relief can be achieved with transforaminal epidural steroid injection. Surgery is indicated for those patients with progressive neurological deficits or severe LBP refractory to conservative measures. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of transforaminal epidural steroid injection through pelvic angle measurement, pain and disability measurements in patients with LBP and radiculopathy. Materials and Methods: This prospective randomized controlled study was conducted in Department of Pain in ESI institute of pain management for the industrial workers at Kolkata, India between October 2015 and September 2016. Sixty patients aged between 18 to 60 years, who attended pain clinic with complaints of LBP with unilateral radiculopathy due to lumber disc herniation were included in this trial. Patients were divided into 2 groups (30 patients in each group; Group I: Test group received single transforaminal epidural steroid injection with deposteroid (20 mg and 0.25% bupivacaine (total 2 ml together with oral medications and exercises at day 0. Group II: Control group received only medications and exercises on day 0/visit 1. Each patient was followed up for one month at visit 2. Each patient was assessed with Numeric Rating Scale (NRS for pain intensity and modified Oswestry Disability Index (ODI for measurement for disability and pelvic angle measurement on affected side. Results: During study period, 60 confirmed patients were included in the analysis. NRS for pain intensity measurement between visit 1(V1 and 2 (V2, showed significant improvement (p-value is < 0.001 in group I. ODI scores between 2 visits showed better outcome in group I. Pelvic angle measurement of affected limb on second visit in both groups as compared to first visit, showed

The control of tonic pain by active relief learning

Science.gov (United States)

Mano, Hiroaki; Lee, Michael; Yoshida, Wako; Kawato, Mitsuo; Robbins, Trevor W

2018-01-01

Tonic pain after injury characterises a behavioural state that prioritises recovery. Although generally suppressing cognition and attention, tonic pain needs to allow effective relief learning to reduce the cause of the pain. Here, we describe a central learning circuit that supports learning of relief and concurrently suppresses the level of ongoing pain. We used computational modelling of behavioural, physiological and neuroimaging data in two experiments in which subjects learned to terminate tonic pain in static and dynamic escape-learning paradigms. In both studies, we show that active relief-seeking involves a reinforcement learning process manifest by error signals observed in the dorsal putamen. Critically, this system uses an uncertainty (‘associability’) signal detected in pregenual anterior cingulate cortex that both controls the relief learning rate, and endogenously and parametrically modulates the level of tonic pain. The results define a self-organising learning circuit that reduces ongoing pain when learning about potential relief. PMID:29482716

The control of tonic pain by active relief learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Suyi; Mano, Hiroaki; Lee, Michael; Yoshida, Wako; Kawato, Mitsuo; Robbins, Trevor W; Seymour, Ben

2018-02-27

Tonic pain after injury characterises a behavioural state that prioritises recovery. Although generally suppressing cognition and attention, tonic pain needs to allow effective relief learning to reduce the cause of the pain. Here, we describe a central learning circuit that supports learning of relief and concurrently suppresses the level of ongoing pain. We used computational modelling of behavioural, physiological and neuroimaging data in two experiments in which subjects learned to terminate tonic pain in static and dynamic escape-learning paradigms. In both studies, we show that active relief-seeking involves a reinforcement learning process manifest by error signals observed in the dorsal putamen. Critically, this system uses an uncertainty ('associability') signal detected in pregenual anterior cingulate cortex that both controls the relief learning rate, and endogenously and parametrically modulates the level of tonic pain. The results define a self-organising learning circuit that reduces ongoing pain when learning about potential relief. © 2018, Zhang et al.

Medications for Pain Relief during Labor and Delivery

Science.gov (United States)

... FAQ086 LABOR, DELIVERY, AND POSTPARTUM CARE Medications for Pain Relief During Labor and Delivery • What types of medications for pain relief are used during labor and delivery? • What are ...

Optimal Laser Phototherapy Parameters for Pain Relief.

Science.gov (United States)

Kate, Rohit J; Rubatt, Sarah; Enwemeka, Chukuka S; Huddleston, Wendy E

2018-03-27

Studies on laser phototherapy for pain relief have used parameters that vary widely and have reported varying outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal parameter ranges of laser phototherapy for pain relief by analyzing data aggregated from existing primary literature. Original studies were gathered from available sources and were screened to meet the pre-established inclusion criteria. The included articles were then subjected to meta-analysis using Cohen's d statistic for determining treatment effect size. From these studies, ranges of the reported parameters that always resulted into large effect sizes were determined. These optimal ranges were evaluated for their accuracy using leave-one-article-out cross-validation procedure. A total of 96 articles met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis and yielded 232 effect sizes. The average effect size was highly significant: d = +1.36 (confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.04-1.68). Among all the parameters, total energy was found to have the greatest effect on pain relief and had the most prominent optimal ranges of 120-162 and 15.36-20.16 J, which always resulted in large effect sizes. The cross-validation accuracy of the optimal ranges for total energy was 68.57% (95% CI = 53.19-83.97). Fewer and less-prominent optimal ranges were obtained for the energy density and duration parameters. None of the remaining parameters was found to be independently related to pain relief outcomes. The findings of meta-analysis indicate that laser phototherapy is highly effective for pain relief. Based on the analysis of parameters, total energy can be optimized to yield the largest effect on pain relief.

Does Immediate Pain Relief After an Injection into the Sacroiliac Joint with Anesthetic and Corticosteroid Predict Subsequent Pain Relief?

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Byron J; Huynh, Lisa; Levin, Josh; Rinkaekan, Pranathip; Kordi, Ramin; Kennedy, David J

2018-02-01

To determine if immediate pain response following an injection with local anesthetic and corticosteroid predicts subsequent relief. Prospective observational cohort. An institutional review board-approved prospective study from a single academic medical center. Patients with clinical diagnosis of sacroiliac (SIJ) pain and referred for SIJ injection were enrolled; 1 cc of 2% lidocaine and 1 cc of triamcinolone 40 mg/mL were injected into the SIJ. Pain score on 0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS) during provocation maneuvers was recorded immediately before injection, immediately after injection, and at two and four weeks of follow-up. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was also recorded. Various cutoffs were identified to establish positive anesthetic response and successful outcomes at follow-up. These were used to calculated likelihood ratios. Of those with 100% anesthetic response, six of 11 (54.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI]+/-29.4%, +LR 2.6, 95% CI = 1.1-5.9) demonstrated 50% or greater pain relief at follow-up, and four of 11 (36.5%, 95% CI+/-28.4%, +LR 3.00, 95% CI = 1.4-5.1) had 100% relief at two to four weeks. Fourteen of 14 (100%, 95% CI+/-21.5%, -LR 0.0, 95% CI = 0.0-2.1) with an initial negative block failed to achieve 100% relief at follow-up. Patients who fail to achieve initial relief after SIJ injection with anesthetic and steroid are very unlikely to achieve significant pain relief at follow-up; negative likelihood ratios (LR) in this study, based on how success is defined, range between 0 and 0.9. Clinically significant positive likelihood ratios of anesthetic response to SIJ injection are more limited and less robust, but are valuable in predicting 50% relief or 100% relief at two to four weeks. © 2017 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Effect of antenatal education in small classes versus standard auditorium-based lectures on use of pain relief during labour and of obstetric interventions: results from the randomised NEWBORN trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Brixval, Carina Sjöberg; Thygesen, Lau Caspar; Axelsen, Solveig Forberg; Gluud, Christian; Winkel, Per; Lindschou, Jane; Weber, Tom; Due, Pernille; Koushede, Vibeke

2016-06-10

To examine the effect of an antenatal education programme in small classes versus standard auditorium-based lectures. Randomised trial using random-generated web-based 1:1 allocation. The largest birth site in the Capital Region of Denmark, from August 2012 to May 2014. 1766 pregnant women. Inclusion criteria ≥18 years, pregnant with a single child, and able to speak and understand Danish. Women were enrolled in the trial from 10+0 to 20+0 weeks of gestation. The intervention programme consisted of three times 2.5 hours of antenatal education in small classes (n=6-8 women), and focused on improving information and problem-solving skills for expectant parents in order to ease birth and the transition to parenthood. The control group received standard auditorium-based lectures consisting of two times 2 hours in an auditorium with participation of ∼250 people. The primary trial outcome was use of epidural analgesia. Other types of pain relief and obstetric interventions were analysed as explorative outcomes. There was no statistically significant difference in use of epidural analgesia between participants in the intervention group (30.9%) versus the control group (29.1%), adjusted OR 1.10 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.34). Also, the two groups did not differ regarding other types of pain relief or obstetric interventions. Concomitant birth preparation was common in both groups and highest in the control group, but did not seem to influence our results noticeably. Antenatal education in small groups versus standard auditorium-based lectures did not differ regarding use of epidural analgesia, other pain relief, or obstetric interventions. NCT01672437; Results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Effect of postoperative epidural analgesia on rehabilitation and pain after hip fracture surgery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foss, Nicolai Bang; Kristensen, Morten Tange; Kristensen, Billy Bjarne

2005-01-01

Hip fracture surgery usually carries a high demand for rehabilitation and a significant risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality. Postoperative epidural analgesia may reduce morbidity and has been shown to facilitate rehabilitation in elective orthopedic procedures. No studies exist...... on the effect of postoperative epidural analgesia on pain and rehabilitation after hip fracture surgery....

Does pain relief by CT-guided indirect cervical nerve root injection with local anesthetics and steroids predict pain relief after decompression surgery for cervical nerve root compression?

Science.gov (United States)

Antoniadis, Alexander; Dietrich, Tobias J; Farshad, Mazda

2016-10-01

The relationship of pain relief from a recently presented CT-guided indirect cervical nerve root injection with local anesthetics and steroids to surgical decompression as a treatment for single-level cervical radiculopathy is not clear. This retrospective study aimed to compare the immediate and 6-week post-injection effects to the short- and long-term outcomes after surgical decompression, specifically in regard to pain relief. Patients (n = 39, age 47 ± 10 years) who had undergone CT-guided indirect injection with local anesthetics and steroids as an initial treatment for single cervical nerve root radiculopathy and who subsequently needed surgical decompression were included retrospectively. Pain levels (VAS scores) were monitored before, immediately after, and 6 weeks after injection (n = 34), as well as 6 weeks (n = 38) and a mean of 25 months (SD ± 12) after surgical decompression (n = 36). Correlation analysis was performed to find potential associations of pain relief after injection and after surgery to investigate the predictive value of post-injection pain relief. There was no correlation between immediate pain relief after injection (-32 ± 27 %) and 6 weeks later (-7 ± 19 %), (r = -0.023, p = 0.900). There was an association by tendency between immediate pain relief after injection and post-surgical pain relief at 6 weeks (-82 ± 27 %), (r = 0.28, p = 0.08). Pain relief at follow-up remained high at -70 ± 21 % and was correlated with the immediate pain amelioration effect of the injection (r = 0.37, p = 0.032). Five out of seven patients who reported no pain relief from injection had a pain relief from surgery in excess of 50 %. The amount of immediate radiculopathic pain relief after indirect cervical nerve root injection is associated with the amount of pain relief achieved at long-term follow-up after surgical decompression of single-level cervical radiculopathy

The degree of labor pain at the time of epidural analgesia in nulliparous women influences the obstetric outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Woo, Jae Hee; Kim, Jong Hak; Lee, Guie Yong; Baik, Hee Jung; Kim, Youn Jin; Chung, Rack Kyung; Yun, Du Gyun; Lim, Chae Hwang

2015-06-01

The increased pain at the latent phase can be associated with dysfunctional labor as well as increases in cesarean delivery frequency. We aimed to research the effect of the degree of pain at the time of epidural analgesia on the entire labor process including the mode of delivery. We performed epidural analgesia to 102 nulliparous women on patients' request. We divided the group into three based on NRS (numeric rating scale) at the moment of epidural analgesia; mild pain, NRS 1-4; moderate pain, NRS 5-7; severe pain, NRS 8-10. The primary outcome was the mode of delivery (normal labor or cesarean delivery). There were significant differences in the mode of delivery among groups. Patients with severe labor pain had a significantly higher cesarean delivery compared to patients with moderate labor pain (P = 0.006). The duration of the first and second stage of labor, fetal heart rate, use of oxytocin and premature rupture of membranes had no differences in the three groups. Our research showed that the degree of pain at the time of epidural analgesia request might influence the rate of cesarean delivery. Further research would be necessary for clarifying the mechanism that the augmentation of pain affects the mode of delivery.

Postoperative pain and patient-controlled epidural analgesia-related adverse effects in young and elderly patients: a retrospective analysis of 2,435 patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koh JC

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Jae Chul Koh, Young Song, So Yeon Kim, Sooyeun Park, Seo Hee Ko, Dong Woo Han Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Anesthesia and Pain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Abstract: In this retrospective study, data of 2,435 patients who received fentanyl and ropivacaine-based patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA for pain relief after elective surgery under general or spinal anesthesia were reviewed. Differences in postoperative pain, incidence of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA-related adverse effects, and risk factors for the need for rescue analgesics for 48 hours postsurgery in young (age 20–39 years and elderly (age ≥70 years patients were evaluated. Although there were no significant differences in postoperative pain intensity between the two groups until 6 hours postsurgery, younger patients experienced greater postoperative pain intensity compared with older patients 6–48 hours postsurgery. While younger patients exhibited greater incidence of numbness, motor weakness, and discontinuation of PCA postsurgery, elderly patients exhibited greater incidence of hypotension, nausea/vomiting, rescue analgesia, and antiemetic administration. Upon multivariate analysis, low fentanyl dosage and history of smoking were found to be associated with an increased need for rescue analgesia among younger patients, while physical status classification III/IV and thoracic surgery were associated with a decreased need for rescue analgesia among the elderly. Discontinuation of PCA was more frequent among younger patients than the elderly (18.5% vs 13.5%, P=0.001. Reasons for discontinuation of PCA among young and elderly patients, respectively, were nausea and vomiting (6.8% vs 26.6%, numbness or motor weakness (67.8% vs 11.5%, urinary retention (7.4% vs 8.7%, dizziness (2.2% vs 5.2%, and hypotension (3.1% vs 20.3%. In conclusion, PCEA was more frequently associated with numbness, motor

Pain-relevant anxiety affects desire for pain relief, but not pain perception

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Adriana Banozic

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Pain context plays a significant role in the perception of pain. Despite recent interest in vicarious learning and anxiety in pain modulation, there have been no attempts to explore pain modulation by specific environmental cues. Aims: Therefore, the present study evaluated pain responses in the condition that was attributed as either anxiety relevant (AR or anxiety irrelevant. Materials and Methods: Participants were exposed to both conditions through social observational learning. Pain perception was assessed by means of a visual analog scale ranging from 0 = no pain to 10 = maximum imaginable pain. State anxiety, empathy, expectancy, and desire for pain relief were also measured at both neutral and emotionally inducing conditions. Results: No effect of relevancy of anxiety for the pain context on any of the pain-related constructs was found. However, participants in the AR condition reported an increased desire for pain relief. Maximizing similarities between observed and experienced pain context did not enhance observational learning effects in the emotionally inducing condition regardless of its relevance, but significant changes were found in comparison to the affectively neutral group. Conclusions: These results could have potentially significant clinical implications suggesting that even though observing painful procedures does not increase pain it could affect medication usage.

Efficacy and safety of combined spinal: Epidural versus epidural technique for labor analgesia in parturients with rheumatic valvular heart disease

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Babita Ghai

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Hemodynamic changes induced by labor pain and apprehension in addition to physiological changes may pose risk to parturients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD. Therefore, it is important to provide adequate pain relief during labor in these patients. We planned this study to compare the efficacy and safety of epidural (E versus combined spinal - epidural (CSE for labor analgesia in parturients with rheumatic valvular heart disease. Methods: Twenty-five parturients with RHD included in this study were randomized to one of the two groups - E group (n = 12, received 6 mL of 0.0625% bupivacaine with 25 μg fentanyl or CSE group (n = 13, received 25 μg of fentanyl with 1.25 mg bupivacaine diluted to 1 mL in subarachnoid space. Afterward, a continuous infusion of 0.1% bupivacaine with 2 μg/mL fentanyl was started at 6-8 mL/h. Primary outcome, analgesic efficacy, was assessed by visual analog scale (VAS for pain. VAS ≤ 3 was considered as effective analgesia. Rescue analgesia in the form of epidural bolus was given if VAS > 3. Results: Demographic characteristics of the patients were comparable. Mitral stenosis was the predominant valvular lesion. The VAS at which the parturients received analgesia was comparable. The mean time to achieve effective analgesia was significantly faster in CSE group (4.46 ± 0.87 min compared with group E (15.09 ± 5.7 min (P < 0.001. Significantly lower median pain scores were recorded until the initial 15 min in CSE group. Afterward, median VAS for pain was comparable between the groups. VAS for pain was significantly low at all time intervals than baseline in both the groups. Maternal satisfaction and incidence of cesarean rate and complication were comparable between the groups. Conclusion: Both epidural and CSE are equally effective and safe for labor analgesia in parturients with rheumatic valvular heart disease. However, CSE technique provides a faster onset of analgesia.

Cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injection for neck pain and cervical radiculopathy: effect and prognostic factors

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Kwon, Jong Won; Lee, Joon Woo; Kim, Sung Hyun; Kwack, Kyu-Sung [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Radiology, Gyeonggi-do (Korea); Choi, Ja-Young; Moon, Sung Gyu; Jun, Woo Sun [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea); Yeom, Jin-Sup [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Gyeongi-Do (Korea); Kim, Hyun-Jib [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Gyeongi-Do (Korea); Kang, Heung Sik [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Radiology, Gyeonggi-do (Korea); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea)

2007-05-15

To verify the usefulness of a fluoroscopy guided cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injection (CIESI) in patients with neck pain and cervical radiculopathy and to evaluate outcome predictors. We retrospectively analyzed 91 patients from July 2004 to June 2005 in whom CIESI was initially performed for neck pain and cervical radiculopathy. Therapeutic effects were evaluated 2 weeks after the administration of CIESI, and CIESI effectiveness was graded using a five-point scale, namely, whether the pain had disappeared, was much improved, slightly improved, the same, or aggravated. We also used a visual analog scale (VAS) for the clinical evaluation. According to documentation and follow-up charts, we categorized treatments as effective or ineffective. Possible outcome predictors, namely, diagnosis (spinal stenosis vs herniated disc), primary symptoms (neck pain vs radiculopathy vs both), age, gender, and duration of pain (more or less than 6 months) were also analyzed. Fisher's exact test, the chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used for the statistical analysis. After their medical records had been reviewed, 76 patients were included in this study. Inclusion criteria were: the availability of a cross-sectional image, such as a CT scan or an MR image, and a follow-up record after injection. The medical records of 76 patients (male:female = 41: 35) of mean age 53.1 years (range 32 years to 82 years) were reviewed. Two weeks after injection, 55 patients (72.4%) had experienced effective pain relief. Patients with herniated discs had significantly better results than patients with spinal stenosis (86.1% vs 60.0%) (P < 0.05). Other non-significant predictors of an improved outcome included: a symptom duration of <6 months, a young age, and the presence of cervical radiculopathy. Multiple regression analysis showed that the only factor that was significantly associated with outcome was the cause of the pain, i.e., herniated disc or

Cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injection for neck pain and cervical radiculopathy: effect and prognostic factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Jong Won; Lee, Joon Woo; Kim, Sung Hyun; Kwack, Kyu-Sung; Choi, Ja-Young; Moon, Sung Gyu; Jun, Woo Sun; Yeom, Jin-Sup; Kim, Hyun-Jib; Kang, Heung Sik

2007-01-01

To verify the usefulness of a fluoroscopy guided cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injection (CIESI) in patients with neck pain and cervical radiculopathy and to evaluate outcome predictors. We retrospectively analyzed 91 patients from July 2004 to June 2005 in whom CIESI was initially performed for neck pain and cervical radiculopathy. Therapeutic effects were evaluated 2 weeks after the administration of CIESI, and CIESI effectiveness was graded using a five-point scale, namely, whether the pain had disappeared, was much improved, slightly improved, the same, or aggravated. We also used a visual analog scale (VAS) for the clinical evaluation. According to documentation and follow-up charts, we categorized treatments as effective or ineffective. Possible outcome predictors, namely, diagnosis (spinal stenosis vs herniated disc), primary symptoms (neck pain vs radiculopathy vs both), age, gender, and duration of pain (more or less than 6 months) were also analyzed. Fisher's exact test, the chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used for the statistical analysis. After their medical records had been reviewed, 76 patients were included in this study. Inclusion criteria were: the availability of a cross-sectional image, such as a CT scan or an MR image, and a follow-up record after injection. The medical records of 76 patients (male:female = 41: 35) of mean age 53.1 years (range 32 years to 82 years) were reviewed. Two weeks after injection, 55 patients (72.4%) had experienced effective pain relief. Patients with herniated discs had significantly better results than patients with spinal stenosis (86.1% vs 60.0%) (P < 0.05). Other non-significant predictors of an improved outcome included: a symptom duration of <6 months, a young age, and the presence of cervical radiculopathy. Multiple regression analysis showed that the only factor that was significantly associated with outcome was the cause of the pain, i.e., herniated disc or spinal

LABOUR ANALGESIA: EPIDURAL DEXMEDITOMIDINE WITH EITHER BUPIVACAINE OR ROPIVACAINE

OpenAIRE

Varaprasad

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Pain relief in labour is associated with myths and controversies. Providing effective and safe analgesia has remained a challenge. AIM: The purpose of the study was to compare the effect of analgesia with epidural bupivacain or ropivacain along with dexme ditomidine. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Sixty parturients of ASA grade I and II were randomly selected for the study. Each group consisted of thirty patients. The analgesia, motor loss and level of seda...

21 CFR 882.5840 - Implanted intracerebral/subcortical stimulator for pain relief.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... pain relief. 882.5840 Section 882.5840 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Devices § 882.5840 Implanted intracerebral/subcortical stimulator for pain relief. (a) Identification. An implanted intracerebral/subcortical stimulator for pain relief is a device that applies electrical current...

The effects of epidural analgesia on the course and outcome of labour.

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Finster, M; Santos, A C

1998-09-01

The potential effects of epidural analgesia on the progress and outcome of labour have been the subject of lasting controversy. Retrospective reviews indicate that epidurals are associated with longer labours and/or an increase in the incidence of instrumental or operative delivery. Similar results were obtained in non-randomized prospective studies. None of them established a causal relationship, because without randomization the selection bias cannot be ruled out. Other factors, such as premature rupture of membranes and maternal socioeconomic status, may affect the outcome of labour. It was also reported that introduction of the on-demand epidural service did not increase the primary caesarean section rate. The few prospective randomized studies are contradictory and not very reliable owing to small patient populations and high cross-over rates. There is, however, unanimity among the authors regarding the superiority of pain relief provided by epidural blocks over systemically administered opioids.

21 CFR 882.5890 - Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator for pain relief.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... pain relief. 882.5890 Section 882.5890 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Devices § 882.5890 Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator for pain relief. (a) Identification. A transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator for pain relief is a device used to apply an electrical current to...

Intravenous remifentanil versus epidural ropivacaine with sufentanil for labour analgesia: a retrospective study.

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Rong Lin

Full Text Available Remifentanil with appropriate pharmacological properties seems to be an ideal alternative to epidural analgesia during labour. A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of remifentanil intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IVPCA compared with epidural analgesia. Medical records of 370 primiparas who received remifentanil IVPCA or epidural analgesia were reviewed. Pain and sedation scores, overall satisfaction, the extent of pain control, maternal side effects and neonatal outcome as primary observational indicators were collected. There was a significant decline of pain scores in both groups. Pain reduction was greater in the epidural group throughout the whole study period (0 ∼ 180 min (P < 0.0001, and pain scores in the remifentanil group showed an increasing trend one hour later. The remifentanil group had a lower SpO2 (P < 0.0001 and a higher sedation score (P < 0.0001 within 30 min after treatment. The epidural group had a higher overall satisfaction score (3.8 ± 0.4 vs. 3.7 ± 0.6, P = 0.007 and pain relief score (2.9 ± 0.3 vs. 2.8 ± 0.4, P < 0.0001 compared with the remifentanil group. There was no significant difference on side effects between the two groups, except that a higher rate of dizziness (1% vs. 21.8%, P < 0.0001 was observed during remifentanil analgesia. And logistic regression analysis demonstrated that nausea, vomiting were associated with oxytocin usage and instrumental delivery, and dizziness was associated to the type and duration of analgesia. Neonatal outcomes such as Apgar scores and umbilical-cord blood gas analysis were within the normal range, but umbilical pH and base excess of neonatus in the remifentanil group were significantly lower. Remifentanil IVPCA provides poorer efficacy on labor analgesia than epidural analgesia, with more sedation on parturients and a trend of newborn acidosis. Despite these adverse effects, remifentanil IVPCA can still be an alternative

Idiopathic epidural lipomatosis as a cause of pain and neurological symptoms attributed initially to radiation damage.

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Millwater, C J; Jacobson, I; Howard, G C

1992-09-01

Epidural lipomatosis is a rare condition in which overgrowth of extradural fat can lead to back pain, spinal cord compression and radiculopathy. A 51-year-old man developed back pain and reduced mobility following a standard course of radiotherapy for a Stage I seminoma. His symptoms and radiological appearances were initially attributed to radiation fibrosis. Further investigations and operative intervention revealed epidural lipomatosis. The excess lipomatous tissue was removed with complete resolution of his symptoms.

21 CFR 882.5880 - Implanted spinal cord stimulator for pain relief.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Implanted spinal cord stimulator for pain relief... Implanted spinal cord stimulator for pain relief. (a) Identification. An implanted spinal cord stimulator for pain relief is a device that is used to stimulate electrically a patient's spinal cord to relieve...

EPIDURAL LABOUR ANALGESIA IN IZOLA GENERAL HOSPITAL

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Sabina Verem

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Background. The study presents the experience with epidural analgesia (EPA for pain relief in Izola General Hospital from 2003 to 2006, the differences of labour between epidural analgesia and without it and the parturients’ satisfaction. Methods. A retrospective observational study was performed. Data were compared between 214 parturients with EPA matched by 214 parturients without. The control parturient was the equiipara with a term birth and the cephalic presentation of fetus that delivered just before the parturient of the EPA group. Maternal age, labor length, rate of oxitocin use, instrumental deliveries and cesarean sections, Apgar scores and birthweights were compared. The questionnaire was used to estimate the pain in 62 parturients. Results. In GH Izola in 214 parturients (10 % EPA was applied for labour pain relief in the period from July 2003 till December 2006. In the EPA group there was a statistically significance compared with the control group: higher parturients’ mean age (30.5 vs 28.7 y.o.; p < 0.0005, longer labour length (278 vs 222 min; p < 0.0005, higher oxitocin use rate (93.4 % vs 72.9 %; p < 0.0001 and higher instrumental delivery rate (vacuum extraction 14 % vs 1.9 %; p < 0.0001. The cesarean section rates were equal in both groups. Despite the higher instrumental delivery rate and the longer labour length in the EPA group there were no worse perinatal outcomes, neither was statisticaly significant difference in Apgar scores compared with the control group. The mean intensity of pain was highest before the EPA application (VAS 7, lowest during the transition stage (VAS 1.5 and some higher during the second phase (VAS 2.7. Most of parturients in the EPA group were satisfied; 92 % of them evaluated the EPA as good or very good. Conclusions. EPA is a very effective method for pain control during labor. The parturients’ satisfaction with this pain control method is appropriate. Despite the higher instrumental

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Music Use During Epidural Catheter Placement on Laboring Parturient Anxiety, Pain, and Satisfaction.

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Drzymalski, Dan M; Tsen, Lawrence C; Palanisamy, Arvind; Zhou, Jie; Huang, Chuan-Chin; Kodali, Bhavani S

2017-02-01

Although music is frequently used to promote a relaxing environment during labor and delivery, the effect of its use during the placement of neuraxial techniques is unknown. Our study sought to determine the effects of music use on laboring parturients during epidural catheter placement, with the hypothesis that music use would result in lower anxiety, lower pain, and greater patient satisfaction. We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled trial of laboring parturients undergoing epidural catheter placement with or without music. The music group listened to the patient's preferred music on a Pandora® station broadcast through an external amplified speaker; the control group listened to no music. All women received a standardized epidural technique and local anesthetic dose. The primary outcomes were 3 measures of anxiety. Secondary outcomes included pain, patient satisfaction, hemodynamic parameters, obstetric parameters, neonatal outcomes, and anesthesia provider anxiety. Intention-to-treat analysis with Bonferroni correction was used for the primary outcomes. For secondary outcomes, a P value of music group, the duration of music use was 31.1 ± 7.7 minutes (mean ± SD). The music group experienced higher anxiety as measured by Numeric Rating Scale scores immediately after epidural catheter placement (2.9 ± 3.3 vs 1.4 ± 1.7, mean difference 1.5 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.2-2.7], P = .02), and as measured by fewer parturients being "very much relaxed" 1 hour after epidural catheter placement (51% vs 78%, odds ratio {OR} 0.3 [95% CI 0.1-0.9], P = .02). No differences in mean pain scores immediately after placement or patient satisfaction with the overall epidural placement experience were observed; however, the desire for music use with future epidural catheter placements was higher in the music group (84% vs 45%, OR 6.4 [95% CI 2.5-16.5], P Music use during epidural catheter placement in laboring parturients is associated with higher postprocedure

Postoperative pain and gastro-intestinal recovery after colonic resection with epidural analgesia and multimodal rehabilitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Werner, M U; Gaarn-Larsen, L; Basse, L

2005-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate initial postoperative pain intensity and the association with recovery of gastrointestinal function and length of stay (LOS) in a multimodal programme with epidural analgesia, early oral nutrition and mobilisation with a 48 h planned hospital stay. One hundred......, respectively. Gastrointestinal recovery and LOS did not differ between patients with high (3-6) versus low (0-2) dynamic pain scores (P > 0.4 and P > 0.1, respectively). It is concluded that a multimodal rehabilitation program including continuous thoracic epidural analgesia leads to early recovery...

A Comparison of Intrathecal and Epidural Analgesia and Its Effect on Length of Labor

Science.gov (United States)

1997-09-10

differences were found between agents, lidocaine with epinephrine or bupivacaine with epinephrine, in depression of uterine activity (Willdeck-Lund et al...effects. Also, all parturients except for three reported pain relief lasting throughout labor. Local infiltration of lidocaine was performed for...are not reached. In response to the relative ineffectiveness of epidural morphine and the high incidence of side effects with morphine injected

Intra-articular hip injection: does pain relief correlate with radiographic severity of osteoarthritis?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deshmukh, Ajit J.; Rodriguez, Jose A.; Panagopoulos, Georgia; Alizadeh, Ahmadreza; Klein, Devon A.

2011-01-01

Intra-articular injection is being used widely for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in the hip. However, its efficacy is not always predictable in patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the degree of radiographic severity of OA was predictive of the response to intra-articular injection of local anesthetic with corticosteroid and to determine the relationship between immediate pain relief resulting from the anesthetic and delayed pain relief resulting from corticosteroid administration. This retrospective study included 217 patients (220 injections) with diagnosis of hip OA who underwent a fluoroscopically guided therapeutic hip injection of local anesthetic and corticosteroid. Hip radiographs were scored using the Kellgren-Lawrence scale. Immediate and delayed pain relief was documented using a visual analog scale. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate whether age, gender or radiographic severity of OA were independent predictors of pain relief. Degree of agreement between immediate and delayed response was assessed with the kappa coefficient. Immediate pain relief was reported in 68.2% of hips and delayed relief in 71.4% of hips. A high level of agreement was observed between immediate and delayed pain relief (kappa = 0.80, p < 0.001). 94% of patients reporting immediate relief also reported relief 2 weeks later. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that neither gender nor age was related to immediate or delayed pain relief. Only severity of OA (based on radiographic analysis) was observed to be predictive of pain relief. Pain relief following intra-articular hip injection correlated with radiographic severity of OA. This intervention may be of therapeutic and prognostic value in patients awaiting hip arthroplasty. (orig.)

Preoperative pain mechanisms assessed by cuff algometry are associated with chronic postoperative pain relief after total knee replacement.

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Kristian Kjær; Graven-Nielsen, Thomas; Simonsen, Ole; Laursen, Mogens Berg; Arendt-Nielsen, Lars

2016-07-01

Chronic postoperative pain after total knee replacement (TKR) in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) implies clinical challenges. Widespread hyperalgesia, facilitated temporal summation of pain (TSP), and impaired conditioned pain modulation (CPM) have been found in painful KOA. This exploratory study investigated postoperative pain relief 12 months after TKR in 4 subgroups of patients preoperatively profiled by mechanistic quantitative sensory testing. In 103 patients with KOA, pressure pain detection threshold (PDT) and tolerance thresholds (PTT) were assessed at the lower leg using cuff algometry. Temporal summation of pain was measured as an increase in pain intensity scores during 10 repeated (2 seconds intervals) painful cuff stimuli. Conditioned pain modulation was calculated as the relative increase in PDT during painful conditioning stimulation. The grand averages of TSP and CPM were calculated and values below or above were used for subgrouping: facilitated TSP/impaired CPM (group A, N = 16), facilitated TSP/normal CPM (group B, N = 15), normal TSP/impaired CPM (group C, N = 44), and normal TSP/normal CPM (group D, N = 28). Clinical VAS pain intensity scores were collected before and 12 months after TKR surgery and the pain relief calculated. Less pain relief was found in group A (52.0% ± 14.0% pain relief) than in group B (81.1% ± 3.5%, P = 0.023) and group C (79.6% ± 4.4%, P = 0.007), but not group D (69.4% ± 7.9%, P = 0.087). Low preoperative PDT was associated with a less postoperative pain relief (R = -0.222, P = 0.034), whereas TSP or CPM alone showed no associations with postoperative pain relief. This explorative study indicated that patients with osteoarthritis with facilitated TSP together with impaired CPM are more vulnerable to experience less pain relief after TKR.

Attitudes of farmers and veterinarians towards pain and the use of pain relief in pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Ison, S H; Rutherford, K M D

2014-12-01

A survey of UK-based pig farmers and veterinarians was conducted, in order to investigate attitudes to pain and the use of pain relief in pigs. Survey respondents were asked to indicate which anti-inflammatory drugs they used or prescribed for pigs, how often these were administered, and the level of pain they associated with particular conditions. The survey found that veterinarians used a range of anti-inflammatory products to treat pigs with lameness. While both farmers and veterinarians gave similar pain scores overall, farmers rated gastrointestinal disease as more painful and conversely veterinarians scored lameness higher. Female and younger respondents gave higher pain scores than males and older respondents. Overall, farmers and veterinarians had a positive attitude towards pain relief in pigs with the majority agreeing that animals recovered more promptly when pain relief was administered. Most farmers agreed that the recognition and management of pain is an important part of pig husbandry, and many expressed an interest in finding out more about identifying pain in this species as well as the treatment options available. The study highlighted potential barriers to the increased application of pain relief in pigs in that almost one-third of veterinarians and two-thirds of farmers did not agree that they discussed pain management with each other, while other respondents indicated that they found it difficult to recognise pain in pigs, and did not know how to treat it appropriately. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preemptive effects of epidural s (+ - ketamine or ketamine in the horse's postincisional pain

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Nilson Oleskovicz

2006-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the pre-emptive effect of epidural ketamine S (+ (SK or racemic ketamine (RK administration, in post-incisional pain in horses. Were used in a blinded, randomized experimental study, sixteen mixed breed mares, 6±2 years old, weighting 273.2±42.0 kg. An epidural catheter was inserted 24 hours before the trials. The thigh region was shaved bilaterally, and mechanical cutaneous sensibility was measured using von Frey filaments (T-30. Using the left side as the control one, local anesthesia was performed at the right side. Twenty-five minutes later, SK was injected in G1 or RK in G2 through the epidural catheter. Five minutes after the ketamine injection, a 10 cm skin incision was made on the right side, and then sutured. Mechanical post-incisional pain was measured using von Frey filaments, at 1, 3 and 5 cm around the incision at 15 minutes intervals, for 2 hours, then 4, 6 and 8 hours after suturing. No changes were observed in the heart and respiratory rate and rectal temperature among groups or times of each group. Hind limb ataxia was observed in 62.5% and 12.5% of G1 and G2 respectively. SK and RK reduced cutaneous sensibility in the right and the left sides to mechanical postincisional pain during all time of experiment. Epidural SK and RK produce similar post-incisional analgesic effects, did not interfere in the cardio-respiratory parameters. The SK induces more intense ataxia in mares and presents a larger analgesic potency in the first 60 minutes after the administration.

Effects of perceived and exerted pain control on neural activity during pain relief in experimental heat hyperalgesia: a fMRI study.

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Mohr, C; Leyendecker, S; Petersen, D; Helmchen, C

2012-04-01

Perceived control over pain can attenuate pain perception by mechanisms of endogenous pain control and emotional reappraisal irrespective of whether this control is exerted or only perceived. Self-initiated termination of pain elicits different expectations of subsequent pain relief as compared to perceived pain control. It is unknown whether and how this perceived vs. exerted control on pain differs and affects subsequent pain relief. Using fMRI, we studied two factors of pain control on pain relief: the (i) sense of control (perceived control but no execution) and (ii) the execution of control (exerted control). To account for the impact of factual execution of pain control on pain relief we applied bearable short and hardly bearable long contact-heat stimuli which were applied either controllable or not. Using controllability as factor, there was dissociable neural activity during pain relief: following the perceived control condition neural activity was found in the orbitofrontal and mediofrontal cortex and, following the exerted control condition, in the anterolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex. We conclude that (i) pain controllability has an impact on pain relief and (ii) the prefrontal cortex shows dissociable neural activity during pain relief following exerted vs. perceived pain control. This might reflect the higher grade of uncertainty during pain relief following perceived pain control mediated by the orbitofrontal and medial prefrontal cortex and processes of working memory and updating expectations during pain relief following exerted control mediated by the lateral prefrontal cortex. © 2011 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.

Prolonged knee pain relief by saphenous block (new technique

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Rajeev Harshe

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Pain in the knee joint can be from a variety of reasons. It can be either from the joint itself, it can be myofascial or it can be neuropathy, radicular pain. The myofascial component can be in different forms, namely, collateral ligament pain, bursitis, tendinitis, and so on. This responds well to local injections of steroids. Pain from the joint can be because of osteoarthritis (OA, rheumatoid arthritis or any other variety of arthritis. Among these osteoarthritis is the most common and naturally occurring pain. There are several modalities used for managing pain in the knee joint. They include medicines and physiotherapy, intra-articular steroid injection, intra-articular Hyalgan, Synvisc injection, prolotherapy, genicular nerve block, ablation, intra-articular pulsed radio frequency (PRF ablation, acupuncture, injection of platelet-rich plasma in the joint, total knee replacement, high tibial osteotomy, arthroscopy and lavage, and so on. All these modalities have their pros and cons. Literature and experience state that the pain relief provided may last for a few months with these modalities except in surgical interventions in advanced OA. The saphenous nerve is termination of femoral nerve and it is essentially sensory nerve. It supplies the medial compartment and some part of the anterior compartment of the knee joint. This nerve has been blocked near the knee joint by way of infiltration by surgeons and anesthetists, for relief of pain after knee surgery, with varying pain relief of postoperative pain. When we block the saphenous in the mid thigh in the sartorial canal, the fluid tends to block the medial branch of the anterior femoral cutaneous nerve also. It is hypothesized that this may give complete medial and anterior knee pain relief and as most of the knee OA patients have medial and anterior knee pain, this may prove useful. Use of ultrasonography helps to locate the nerve better, ensuring perfection. An effort has been made to

Barriers to spousal contribution to childbirth pain relief in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Emelonye, A U; Pitkäaho, T; Aregbesola, A; Vehviläinen-Julkunen, K

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the barriers inhibiting the use of spousal presence for childbirth pain relief in health facilities and recommendations from three perspectives: the midwife, the woman, and the spouse. Spousal presence is a non-invasive, participatory and inexpensive technique used in pain management during childbirth. Although it contributes to a large extent in relieving childbirth pain, it is underutilized in Nigerian hospitals. Overcoming the challenges impeding spousal presence and participation during childbirth will improve maternal outcome, satisfaction and midwifery care practices. A cross-sectional survey conducted in four hospitals in Nigeria involving midwives (n = 100), women (n = 142) and their spouses (n = 142) from June to December 2014 using pretested questionnaires. Five themes were identified: poor infrastructural facility, lack of adequate pain management policy, lack of midwife pain management practices, midwives' attitudes towards spousal presence during childbirth and feelings about spousal presence during childbirth pain relief. Infrastructural defects in the health facilities resulting in the lack of privacy in maternity units for both spouses and partners negatively influence the presence of a spouse during childbirth and pain relief. Adopting effective strategies such as good infrastructural facilities, staff training and spouse-friendly hospital policies will encourage spouses to fully participate in and contribute to childbirth pain relief. This study identified poor staff attitudes towards pain relief and spousal presence during childbirth as barriers. Providing adequate policies on pain management, continuous staff education and orientation on spousal relationship will improve active spousal participation and maternal satisfaction during childbirth. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

Relationship between onset of pain relief and patient satisfaction with fentanyl pectin nasal spray for breakthrough pain in cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Luis M; Revnic, Julia; Knight, Alastair D; Perelman, Michael

2014-10-01

Satisfaction with pain relief in patients with breakthrough pain in cancer (BTPc) has typically been assessed by overall efficacy without consideration of the rapidity of that response. To determine the relationship between speed of onset of pain relief and patient satisfaction for treated BTPc episodes overall and for individual treatments. Pooled data from two randomized, double-blinded crossover studies. Patients having 1-4 BTPc episodes per day on ≥60 mg/day oral morphine or equivalent. Episodes treated with fentanyl pectin nasal spray (FPNS; 100-800 μg), immediate-release morphine sulfate (IRMS), or placebo. Pain intensity was measured on an 11-point scale (5-60 minutes posttreatment); satisfaction was measured on a 4-point scale (30 and 60 minutes). The primary analysis assessed the overall relationship of time to onset of pain relief (pain intensity difference [PID]≥1) or time to clinically meaningfully reduction in pain (PID≥2) versus patient satisfaction and overall pain intensity (summed pain intensity difference at 30 [SPID30] and 60 minutes [SPID60]) assessed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). A secondary analysis assessed whether satisfaction was different between treatments using a within-patient comparison. Eight hundred thirty-one FPNS-treated, 368 IRMS-treated, and 200 placebo-treated episodes were analyzed. Overall, within the pool there was a statistically significant relationship between time to onset of pain relief (PID≥1 and PID≥2) and patient satisfaction (both speed of relief and overall) at 30 and 60 minutes (ppain intensity reduction. When treatment groups were compared using within-patient data, FPNS provided earlier onset of pain relief than IRMS or placebo (ppain relief resulted in greater patient satisfaction and overall relief of pain; between-treatment comparisons showed that FPNS provided earlier pain relief and greater satisfaction than IRMS or placebo.

Mindfulness meditation-related pain relief: Evidence for unique brain mechanisms in the regulation of pain

Science.gov (United States)

Zeidan, F.; Grant, J.A.; Brown, C.A.; McHaffie, J.G.; Coghill, R.C.

2013-01-01

The cognitive modulation of pain is influenced by a number of factors ranging from attention, beliefs, conditioning, expectations, mood, and the regulation of emotional responses to noxious sensory events. Recently, mindfulness meditation has been found attenuate pain through some of these mechanisms including enhanced cognitive and emotional control, as well as altering the contextual evaluation of sensory events. This review discusses the brain mechanisms involved in mindfulness meditation-related pain relief across different meditative techniques, expertise and training levels, experimental procedures, and neuroimaging methodologies. Converging lines of neuroimaging evidence reveal that mindfulness meditation-related pain relief is associated with unique appraisal cognitive processes depending on expertise level and meditation tradition. Moreover, it is postulated that mindfulness meditation-related pain relief may share a common final pathway with other cognitive techniques in the modulation of pain. PMID:22487846

CT-guided cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injection for cervical radiculopathy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Wei; Wu Chungen; Wu Chaoxian; Cheng Yongde

2009-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of CT-guided cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injection for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy. Methods: CT-guided cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injection was performed in 32 patients with cervical radioculopathy, encountered during the period of Dec. 2006 to June 2008, as the patients failed to respond to the conservative treatment in 2 weeks. The clinical data and the imaging findings were retrospectively analyzed. Before and after the procedure, visual analogue scale (VAS) and Odom criteria were used to evaluate the pain of the patient. Results: Three months after the injection, improvement judged by Odom criteria was seen in 28 patients (87.5%), and the mean pain relief value of VAS was 5.88 ± 1.10. No significant difference in effective rate and in VAS score (P>0.05) was found between protrusion group and degenerative group, between the group with the course over 6 months and the group with the course below 6 months, also between the group receiving one injection and the group receiving the second injection. Conclusion: CT-guided fine needle (23 gauge) puncture epidural steroid (Decadron) 'target spot' injection is an ideal alternative for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy, especially for the patients who fails to respond to the conservative treatment. (authors)

Penggunaan Anestesi Lokal dan Adjuvan pada Analgesi Epidural di Wilayah Jawa Barat Tahun 2015

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dedi Fitri Yadi

2017-08-01

Local Anesthetic and Adjuvan Used for Epidural Analgesia in West Java in 2015 Optimal analgesia epidural technique should promote effective pain relief with minor adverse event and major pastient satisfactory. Up till now, there was no data about local anesthetic and adjuvan agent used for epidural analgesia by anesthesiologist in Indonesia, especially in West Java. The purpose of this study to find data regarding local anesthetic and adjuvan agent used for epidural analgesia by anesthesiologist in Indonesia, especially in West Java in 2015. This research was conducted from August to September 2016 in the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung. This is a descriptive study with cross sectional approach using questionairre. Questionairre was sent to 120 anesthesiologist through mail and 30 questionairre was given to anesthesiologists worked at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung. Response was obtained 47.3%. This study shows that there were 73.2% anesthesiologist performed epidural analgesia in 2015. The most  local anesthetic used in epidural blockade was bupivacaine, amounted 94.23% and the most concentration is 0.125%, amounted 82%. The most used adjuvant was fentanyl, 96.9%. In Conclusion, most of the anesthesiologist used epidural as an analgesia so bupivacaine and fentanyl used most frequent Key words: Epidural analgesia, local anesthetic, adjuvan

Cervical Epidural Anaesthesia for Radical Mastectomy and Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome of Upper Limb - A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashok Jadon

2009-01-01

Full Text Available A 47-yrs-female patient presented with carcinoma right breast, swelling and allodynia of right upper limb. radical mastectomy with axillary clearance and skin grafting was done under cervical epidural anaesthesia through 18G epidural catheter placed at C6/C7 level. Postoperative analgesia and rehabilitation of affected right upper limb was managed by continuous epidural infusion of 0.125% bupivacaine and 2.5 µg/ml -1 clonidine solution through epidu-ral catheter for 5 days and physiotherapy. This case report highlights the usefulness of cervical epidural analgesia in managing a complex situation of carcinoma breast with associated periarthitis of shoulder joint and chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS of right upper limb.

Exercise Based- Pain Relief Program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zadeh, Mahdi Hossein

in the current study was to use exercise induced- muscle damage followed by ECC as an acute pain model and observe its effects on the sensitivity of the nociceptive system and blood supply in healthy subjects. Then, the effect of a repeated bout of the same exercise as a healthy pain relief strategy......Exercise-based pain management programs are suggested for relieving from musculoskeletal pain; however the pain experienced after unaccustomed, especially eccentric exercise (ECC) alters people´s ability to participate in therapeutic exercises. Subsequent muscle pain after ECC has been shown...... to cause localized pressure pain and hyperalgesia. A prior bout of ECC has been repeatedly reported to produce a protective adaptation known as repeated bout effect (RBE). One of the main scopes of the current project was to investigate the adaptations by which the RBE can be resulted from. The approach...

21 CFR 882.5870 - Implanted peripheral nerve stimulator for pain relief.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

....5870 Implanted peripheral nerve stimulator for pain relief. (a) Identification. An implanted peripheral nerve stimulator for pain relief is a device that is used to stimulate electrically a peripheral nerve... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Implanted peripheral nerve stimulator for pain...

Postoperative pain and gastro-intestinal recovery after colonic resection with epidural analgesia and multimodal rehabilitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Werner, M U; Gaarn-Larsen, L; Basse, L

2005-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate initial postoperative pain intensity and the association with recovery of gastrointestinal function and length of stay (LOS) in a multimodal programme with epidural analgesia, early oral nutrition and mobilisation with a 48 h planned hospital stay. One hundred...... of change in the surgical procedures (2), surgical morbidity (6), medical factors (4) and psychosocial or other factors (5) all independent of pain. Pain data were incomplete in two patients and therefore excluded. In the remaining 91 patients, median time to defaecation and LOS were 24 and 48 h......, respectively. Gastrointestinal recovery and LOS did not differ between patients with high (3-6) versus low (0-2) dynamic pain scores (P > 0.4 and P > 0.1, respectively). It is concluded that a multimodal rehabilitation program including continuous thoracic epidural analgesia leads to early recovery...

Photobiomodulation: Implications for Anesthesia and Pain Relief.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Roberta T; Armati, Patricia J

2016-12-01

This review examines the evidence of neural inhibition as a mechanism underlying pain relief and anesthetic effect of photobiomodulation (PBM). PBM for pain relief has also been used for more than 30 years; however, the mechanism of its effectiveness has not been well understood. We review electrophysiological studies in humans and animal models and cell culture studies to examine neural responses to PBM. Evidence shows that PBM can inhibit nerve function in vivo, in situ, ex vivo, and in culture. Animal studies using noxious stimuli indicate nociceptor-specific inhibition with other studies providing direct evidence of local conduction block, leading to inhibited translation of pain centrally. Evidence of PBM-disrupted neuronal physiology affecting axonal flow, cytoskeleton organization, and decreased ATP is also presented. PBM changes are reversible with no side effects or nerve damage. This review provides strong evidence in neuroscience identifying inhibition of neural function as a mechanism for the clinical application of PBM in pain and anesthesia.

The Team Approach to Pain Relief

Science.gov (United States)

... Navigation Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues The Team Approach to Pain Relief Past Issues / Fall 2007 ... Roberts is seen here with some of the team members, (left to right) Dr. Berger, Jacques Bolle, ...

Requests for cesarean deliveries: The politics of labor pain and pain relief in Shanghai, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Eileen

2017-01-01

Cesarean section rates have risen dramatically in China within the past 25 years, particularly driven by non-medical factors and maternal requests. One major reason women request cesareans is the fear of labor pain, in a country where a minority of women are given any form of pain relief during labor. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews with 26 postpartum women and 8 providers at a Shanghai district hospital in June and July of 2015, this article elucidates how perceptions of labor pain and the environment of pain relief constructs the cesarean on maternal request. In particular, many women feared labor pain and, in a context without effective pharmacological pain relief or social support during labor, they came to view cesarean sections as a way to negotiate their labor pain. In some cases, women would request cesarean sections during labor as an expression of their pain and a call for a response to their suffering. However, physicians, under recent state policy, deny such requests, particularly as they do not view pain as a reasonable indication for a cesarean birth. This disconnect leads to a mismatch in goals for the experience of birth. To reduce unnecessary C-sections, policy makers should instead address the lack of pain relief during childbirth and develop other means of improving the childbirth experience that may relieve maternal anxiety, such as allowing family members to support the laboring woman and integrating a midwifery model for low-risk births within China's maternal-services system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acupucture as pain relief during delivery - a randomized controlled trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borup, Lissa; Wurlitzer, Winnie; Hedegaard, Morten

2009-01-01

Background: Many women need some kind of analgesic treatment to relieve pain during childbirth. The objective of our study was to compare the effect of acupuncture with transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) and traditional analgesics for pain relief and relaxation during delivery...... with respect to pain intensity, birth experience, and obstetric outcome. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 607 healthy women in labor at term who received acupuncture, TENS, or traditional analgesics. Primary outcomes were the need for pharmacological and invasive methods, level of pain...... to existing pain relief methods. (BIRTH 36:1 March 2009)...

Combined approaches for the relief of spinal cord injury-induced neuropathic pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Gwak, Young S; Kim, Hee Young; Lee, Bong Hyo; Yang, Chae Ha

2016-04-01

The adequate treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced neuropathic pain still remains an unresolved problem. The current medications predominantly used in the SCI-induced neuropathic pain therapy are morphine, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and antiepileptics, which suggests that psychiatric aspects might be important factors in the treatment of neuropathic pain. It is well documented that the modulation of the sensory events is not a unique way for achieving pain relief. In addition, pain patients still express dissatisfaction and complain of unwanted effects of the medications, suggesting that alternative approaches for the treatment of neuropathic pain are essential. In psychiatry, pain relief represents relaxation and a feeling of comfort and satisfaction, which suggests that cognitive and emotional motivations are important factors in the treatment of neuropathic pain. The comorbidity of chronic pain and psychiatric disorders, which is well recognized, suggests that the effective therapeutic relief for neuropathic pain induced by SCI can be achieved in conjunction with the management of the sensory and psychiatric aspects of patient. In this review, we address the feasibility of a combined acupuncture and pharmacotherapy treatment for the relief of neuropathic pain behavior following SCI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

knowledge, attitude and use of pain relief in labour among women

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2014-07-01

Jul 1, 2014 ... Objective: To find out the knowledge, attitude and practice of pain relief methods during labour among ... all of which could adversely affect uterine blood flow. Pain relief in ... knowledge was low among women who did not use any form of ... Niven et al found that memories of labour pains can evoke intense ...

Oscillatory neural representations in the sensory thalamus predict neuropathic pain relief by deep brain stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yongzhi; Green, Alexander L; Hyam, Jonathan; Fitzgerald, James; Aziz, Tipu Z; Wang, Shouyan

2018-01-01

Understanding the function of sensory thalamic neural activity is essential for developing and improving interventions for neuropathic pain. However, there is a lack of investigation of the relationship between sensory thalamic oscillations and pain relief in patients with neuropathic pain. This study aims to identify the oscillatory neural characteristics correlated with pain relief induced by deep brain stimulation (DBS), and develop a quantitative model to predict pain relief by integrating characteristic measures of the neural oscillations. Measures of sensory thalamic local field potentials (LFPs) in thirteen patients with neuropathic pain were screened in three dimensional feature space according to the rhythm, balancing, and coupling neural behaviours, and correlated with pain relief. An integrated approach based on principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple regression analysis is proposed to integrate the multiple measures and provide a predictive model. This study reveals distinct thalamic rhythms of theta, alpha, high beta and high gamma oscillations correlating with pain relief. The balancing and coupling measures between these neural oscillations were also significantly correlated with pain relief. The study enriches the series research on the function of thalamic neural oscillations in neuropathic pain and relief, and provides a quantitative approach for predicting pain relief by DBS using thalamic neural oscillations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling the onset and offset of dental pain relief by ibuprofen.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hanbin; Mandema, Jaap; Wada, Russell; Jayawardena, Shyamalie; Desjardins, Paul; Doyle, Geraldine; Kellstein, David

2012-01-01

Onset and offset of dental pain relief by ibuprofen following third molar extraction were modeled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, 8-hour study of patients receiving either a novel effervescent ibuprofen tablet (400 mg; N = 30), standard ibuprofen tablets (Nurofen(®) 2 × 200 mg; N = 22), or placebo (N = 37). An Emax model was fit to pain relief scores. Linear hazard models were used to analyze the time to first perceptible relief (TFPR), the time to meaningful pain relief (TMPR), and time to remedication (REMD). Nomograms were created to correlate TFPR, TMPR, and REMD with different ibuprofen pharmacokinetic profiles. Effervescent ibuprofen was absorbed rapidly with 95% completion within 15 minutes. Maximum pain relief score by ibuprofen was 1.8 units greater than placebo, with an EC50 (effect-site) for ibuprofen concentration of 10.2 µg·mL(-1). The likelihood to achieve TFPR and TMPR was doubled for every 10 µg·mL(-1) increase in ibuprofen plasma concentration. REMD risk decreased 40-fold as the categorical pain relief score increased from 0 to 3. Rapid absorption of ibuprofen effervescent resulted in an earlier TFPR and TMPR, and a lower REMD rate than standard ibuprofen. The nomograms may be useful in predicting the onset and offset of new faster acting ibuprofen formulations, based on pharmacokinetic profiles.

Evaluating acute pain intensity relief: challenges when using an 11-point numerical rating scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Chauny, Jean-Marc; Paquet, Jean; Lavigne, Gilles; Marquis, Martin; Daoust, Raoul

2016-02-01

Percentage of pain intensity difference (PercentPID) is a recognized way of evaluating pain relief with an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) but is not without flaws. A new metric, the slope of relative pain intensity difference (SlopePID), which consists in dividing PercentPID by the time between 2 pain measurements, is proposed. This study aims to validate SlopePID with 3 measures of subjective pain relief: a 5-category relief scale (not, a little, moderate, very, complete), a 2-category relief question ("I'm relieved," "I'm not relieved"), and a single-item question, "Wanting other medication to treat pain?" (Yes/No). This prospective cohort study included 361 patients in the emergency department who had an initial acute pain NRS > 3 and a pain intensity assessment within 90 minutes after analgesic administration. Mean age was 50.2 years (SD = 19.3) and 59% were women. Area under the curves of receiver operating characteristic curves analyses revealed similar discriminative power for PercentPID (0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79-0.88) and SlopePID (0.82; 95% CI, 0.77-0.86). Considering the "very" category from the 5-category relief scale as a substantial relief, the average cutoff for substantial relief was a decrease of 64% (95% CI, 59-69) for PercentPID and of 49% per hour (95% CI, 44-54) for SlopePID. However, when a cutoff criterion of 50% was used as a measure of pain relief for an individual patient, PercentPID underestimated pain-relieved patients by 12.1% (P pain intensity at baseline was an odd number compared with an even number (32.9% vs 45.0%, respectively). SlopePID should be used instead of PercentPID as a metric to evaluate acute pain relief on a 0 to 10 NRS.

The roles of acute and chronic pain in regression of sensory analgesia during continuous epidural bupivacaine infusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, T; Scott, N B; Lund, Claus

1988-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether regression of sensory analgesia during constant epidural bupivacaine infusion was different in postoperative patients with acute pain than in patients with chronic nonsurgical pain. Sensory levels of analgesia (to pinprick) and pain (on a five......-point scale) were assessed hourly for 16 hours during continuous epidural infusion of 0.5% plain bupivacaine (8 ml/hr) in 12 patients with chronic nonsurgical pain and in 30 patients after major abdominal surgery performed under combined bupivacaine and halothane--N2O general anesthesia. No opiates were given....... If sensory analgesia decreased more than five segments from the initial level or if the pain score reached 2 (moderate pain), the patient was removed from the study. Initial levels of sensory analgesia after loading doses of 21.8 +/- 0.5 and 19.3 +/- 0.8 ml bupivacaine 0.5% were similar (T3.8 +/- 0.3 and T3...

Paracetamol for pain relief after surgical removal of lower wisdom teeth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weil, K.; Hooper, L.; Afzal, Z.; Esposito, M.; Worthington, H.V.; van Wijk, A.J.; Coulthard, P.

2008-01-01

Background: Paracetamol has been commonly used for the relief of postoperative pain following oral surgery. In this review we investigated the optimal dose of paracetamol and the optimal time for drug administration to provide pain relief, taking into account the side effects of different doses of

Patient expectations predict greater pain relief with joint arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Gandhi, Rajiv; Davey, John Roderick; Mahomed, Nizar

2009-08-01

We examined the relationship between patient expectations of total joint arthroplasty and functional outcomes. We surveyed 1799 patients undergoing primary hip or knee arthroplasty for demographic data and Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index scores at baseline, 3 months, and 1 year of follow-up. Patient expectations were determined with 3 survey questions. The patients with the greatest expectations of surgery were younger, male, and had a lower body mass index. Linear regression modeling showed that a greater expectation of pain relief with surgery independently predicted greater reported pain relief at 1 year of follow-up, adjusted for all relevant covariates (P relief after joint arthroplasty is an important predictor of outcomes at 1 year.

Parents' knowledge, attitudes, use of pain relief methods and satisfaction related to their children's postoperative pain management: a descriptive correlational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chng, Hui Yi; He, Hong-Gu; Chan, Sally Wai-Chi; Liam, Joanne Li Wee; Zhu, Lixia; Cheng, Karis Kin Fong

2015-06-01

To examine parents' knowledge about and attitudes towards pain management, use of pain relief strategies and satisfaction with their children's postoperative pain management, as well as the relationships among these variables. Children's postoperative pain is inadequately managed worldwide. Despite increasing emphasis on parental involvement in children's postoperative pain management, few studies have examined parents' management of their child's postoperative pain in Singapore. A descriptive correlational study. A convenience sample of 60 parents having 6- to 14-year-old children undergoing inpatient elective surgery in a public hospital in Singapore was recruited. Data were collected one day after each child's surgery using the Pain Management Knowledge and Attitudes questionnaire and the Parents' Use of Pain Relief Strategies questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were used for data analyses. Parents displayed moderate levels of knowledge, attitudes and use of pain relief methods in relation to their children's postoperative pain and pain management. They were generally satisfied with the management of their child's postoperative pain. There was significant difference in Parents' Use of Pain Relief Strategies scores between parents with and without previous experience of caring for their hospitalised child. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between parents' knowledge and attitude, knowledge and satisfaction, attitude and satisfaction, knowledge and pain relief strategies, as well as attitude and pain relief strategies. This study indicates the need to provide parents with more information regarding their children's postoperative pain management. Future studies are needed to develop educational interventions for parents to improve their knowledge and attitudes, which will eventually improve their use of pain relief strategies for their children. Health

Trajectory of phantom limb pain relief using mirror therapy: Retrospective analysis of two studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffin, Sarah C; Curran, Sean; Chan, Annie W Y; Finn, Sacha B; Baker, Chris I; Pasquina, Paul F; Tsao, Jack W

2017-04-01

Research indicates that mirror therapy reduces phantom limb pain (PLP). Objectives were to determine when mirror therapy works in those who respond to treatment, the relevance of baseline PLP to when pain relief occurs, and what pain symptoms respond to mirror therapy. Data from two independent cohorts with unilateral lower limb amputation were analyzed for this study (n=33). Mirror therapy consisted of 15-min sessions in which amputees performed synchronous movements of the phantom and intact legs/feet. PLP was measured using a visual analogue scale and the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. The severity of PLP at the beginning of treatment predicted when pain relief occurred. Those with low baseline PLP experienced a reduction (ppain relief by session 14 of treatment, and those with high baseline PLP experienced pain relief by session 21 of treatment. Mirror therapy reduced throbbing, shooting, stabbing, sharp, cramping, aching, tender, splitting, tiring/exhausting, and punishing-cruel pain symptoms. The degree of PLP at baseline predicts when mirror therapy relieves pain. This article indicates that the degree of baseline PLP affects when mirror therapy relieves pain: relief occurs by session 7 in patients with low PLP but by session 21 in patients with high PLP. Clinicians should anticipate slower pain relief in patients who begin treatment with high levels of pain. ClinicalTrials.gov numbers:NCT00623818 and NCT00662415. Copyright © 2017 Scandinavian Association for the Study of Pain. All rights reserved.

Opponent appetitive-aversive neural processes underlie predictive learning of pain relief.

Science.gov (United States)

Seymour, Ben; O'Doherty, John P; Koltzenburg, Martin; Wiech, Katja; Frackowiak, Richard; Friston, Karl; Dolan, Raymond

2005-09-01

Termination of a painful or unpleasant event can be rewarding. However, whether the brain treats relief in a similar way as it treats natural reward is unclear, and the neural processes that underlie its representation as a motivational goal remain poorly understood. We used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to investigate how humans learn to generate expectations of pain relief. Using a pavlovian conditioning procedure, we show that subjects experiencing prolonged experimentally induced pain can be conditioned to predict pain relief. This proceeds in a manner consistent with contemporary reward-learning theory (average reward/loss reinforcement learning), reflected by neural activity in the amygdala and midbrain. Furthermore, these reward-like learning signals are mirrored by opposite aversion-like signals in lateral orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex. This dual coding has parallels to 'opponent process' theories in psychology and promotes a formal account of prediction and expectation during pain.

The Application of Electroanalgesia Current for the Relief of Orofacial Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-09-01

A-A124 939 THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRORNALGESIA CURRENT FOR THE i/1 RELIEF OF OROFACIAL PAIN (U) OREGON UNIV HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER PORTLAND BIOPHYSICS...COVERED THE APPLICATION OF ELECTROANALGESIA CURRENT FOR Fnl-Fbur 90 and evelpmen Conand September 198 THE RELIEF OF OROFACIAL PAIN Spebr18 27. PERFORMING...of a suitable animal preparation. An excellent site to initiate orofacial pain is found in the tissue vhich also has o - timal relevance, the tooth

Epidural steroid injection for lumbosacral radiculopathy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sung, Mi Sook

2006-01-01

Low back pain combined with radicular pain remains as one of the most challenging musculoskeletal problems for its therapeutic management. This malady results from nerve root impingement and/or inflammation that causes neurologic symptoms in the distribution of the affected nerve root(s) Conservative treatment, percutaneous spine interventions and surgery have all been used as treatment; and the particular treatment that's chosen depends on the severity of the clinical and neurologic presentation. In 1930, Evans reported that sciatica could treated by epidural injection. The use of epidural corticosteroid injections for the treatment of axial and radicular back pain was first reported in 1953. Epidural steroid injections are currently used by many medical professionals for the treatment of lumbosacral radiculopathy. Performing 'blind' epidural steroid injection lacks target specificity that often results in incorrect delivery of medication to the lesion. Imaging-guided steroid injections are now becoming more popular despite the controversy regarding their efficacy. Many reports, including a few randomized controlled trials, have documented the clinical utility of epidural steroid injections

Epidural steroid injection for lumbosacral radiculopathy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sung, Mi Sook [The Catholic University of Korea, Pucheon (Korea, Republic of)

2006-06-15

Low back pain combined with radicular pain remains as one of the most challenging musculoskeletal problems for its therapeutic management. This malady results from nerve root impingement and/or inflammation that causes neurologic symptoms in the distribution of the affected nerve root(s) Conservative treatment, percutaneous spine interventions and surgery have all been used as treatment; and the particular treatment that's chosen depends on the severity of the clinical and neurologic presentation. In 1930, Evans reported that sciatica could treated by epidural injection. The use of epidural corticosteroid injections for the treatment of axial and radicular back pain was first reported in 1953. Epidural steroid injections are currently used by many medical professionals for the treatment of lumbosacral radiculopathy. Performing 'blind' epidural steroid injection lacks target specificity that often results in incorrect delivery of medication to the lesion. Imaging-guided steroid injections are now becoming more popular despite the controversy regarding their efficacy. Many reports, including a few randomized controlled trials, have documented the clinical utility of epidural steroid injections.

Posterior paramedian subrhomboidal analgesia versus thoracic epidural analgesia for pain control in patients with multiple rib fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Shelley, Casey L; Berry, Stepheny; Howard, James; De Ruyter, Martin; Thepthepha, Melissa; Nazir, Niaman; McDonald, Tracy; Dalton, Annemarie; Moncure, Michael

2016-09-01

Rib fractures are common in trauma admissions and are associated with an increased risk of pulmonary complications, intensive care unit admissions, and mortality. Providing adequate pain control in patients with multiple rib fractures decreases the risk of adverse events. Thoracic epidural analgesia is currently the preferred method for pain control. This study compared outcomes in patients with multiple acute rib fractures treated with posterior paramedian subrhomboidal (PoPS) analgesia versus thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA). This prospective study included 30 patients with three or more acute rib fractures admitted to a Level I trauma center. Thoracic epidural analgesia or PoPS catheters were placed, and local anesthesia was infused. Data were collected including patients' pain level, adjunct morphine equivalent use, adverse events, length of stay, lung volumes, and discharge disposition. Nonparametric tests were used and two-sided p Pain rating was lower in the PoPS group (2.5 vs. 5; p = 0.03) after initial placement. Overall, there was no other statistically significant difference in pain control or use of oral morphine adjuncts between the groups. Hypotension occurred in eight patients, 75% with TEA and only 25% with PoPS. No difference was found in adverse events, length of stay, lung volumes, or discharge disposition. In patients with rib fractures, PoPS analgesia may provide pain control equivalent to TEA while being less invasive and more readily placed by a variety of hospital staff. This pilot study is limited by its small sample size, and therefore additional studies are needed to prove equivalence of PoPS compared to TEA. Therapeutic study, level IV.

Spontaneous spinal epidural abscess.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ellanti, P

2011-10-01

Spinal epidural abscess is an uncommon entity, the frequency of which is increasing. They occur spontaneously or as a complication of intervention. The classical triad of fever, back pain and neurological symptoms are not always present. High index of suspicion is key to diagnosis. Any delay in diagnosis and treatment can have significant neurological consequences. We present the case of a previously well man with a one month history of back pain resulting from an epidural abscess.

Comparative Analysis of the Paravertebral Analgesic Pump Catheter with the Epidural Catheter in Elderly Trauma Patients with Multiple Rib Fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Brian S; Wasfie, Tarik; Chadwick, Mathew; Barber, Kimberly R; Yapchai, Raquel

2017-04-01

Presently, trauma guidelines recommend epidural analgesia as the optimal modality of pain relief from rib fractures. They are not ideally suited for elderly trauma patients and have disadvantages including bleeding risk. The paravertebral analgesic pump (PVP) eliminates such disadvantages and includes ease of placement in the trauma setting. This study compares pain control in patients treated by EPI versus PVP. This is a retrospective, historical cohort study comparing two methods of pain management in the trauma setting. Before 2010, patients who had epidural catheters (EPI) placed for pain control were compared with patients after 2010 in which the PVP was used. All patients had multiple rib fractures as diagnosed by CT scan. Analysis was adjusted for age, number of fractures, and comorbid conditions. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to compare average reported pain. A total of 110 patients, 31 PVP and 79 epidural catheters, were included in the study. Overall mean age was 65 years. The mean Injury Severity Score was 12.0 (EPI) and 11.1 (PVP). Mean number rib fractures was 4.29 (EPI) and 4.71 (PVP). PVP was associated with a 30 per cent greater decrease in pain than that seen with EPI (6.0-1.9 vs 6.4-3.4). After controlling for age, Injury Severity Score, and number of rib fractures, there were no differences in intensive care unit or total length of stay (P = 0.35) or in pain score (3.76 vs 3.56, P = 0.64). In conclusion, the PVP compares well with epidural analgesia in older trauma patients yet is safe, well tolerated, and easily inserted.

Somatosensory sensitivity in patients with persistent idiopathic orofacial pain is associated with pain relief from hypnosis and relaxation.

Science.gov (United States)

Baad-Hansen, Lene; Abrahamsen, Randi; Zachariae, Robert; List, Thomas; Svensson, Peter

2013-06-01

In a recent study hypnosis has been found to relieve persistent idiopathic orofacial pain. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is widely used to evaluate somatosensory sensitivity, which has been suggested as a possible predictor of management outcome. The objectives of this study were to examine: (1) possible associations between clinical pain relief and baseline somatosensory sensitivity and (2) the effect of hypnosis management on QST parameters. Forty-one patients with persistent idiopathic orofacial pain completed this randomized controlled study in 1 of 2 groups: hypnosis (hypnotic analgesia suggestions) or control (relaxation). QST at 2 intraoral (pain region and contralateral mirror image region) and 3 extraoral (hand and both cheeks) sites was performed at baseline and after the hypnosis/control management, together with pressure pain thresholds and pressure pain tolerance thresholds determined bilaterally at the masseter and temporalis muscles, the temporomandibular joints, and the third finger. Degree of pain relief was negatively correlated with a summary statistic of baseline somatosensory sensitivity (summed z-score), that is, high baseline somatosensory sensitivity was associated with low pain relief (r=-0.372, P=0.020). Hypnosis had no major effect on any QST measure compared with relaxation (P>0.063). High pain sensitivity at baseline may predict poor pain management outcome. In addition, despite clear clinical pain relief, hypnosis did not significantly or specifically influence somatosensory sensitivity. Future studies should further explore QST measures as possible predictors of different management response in orofacial pain conditions.

Evaluation of reward from pain relief

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Navratilova, Edita; Xie, Jennifer Yanhua; King, Tamara; Porreca, Frank

2014-01-01

The human experience of pain is multidimensional and comprises sensory, affective, and cognitive dimensions. Preclinical assessment of pain has been largely focused on the sensory features that contribute to nociception. The affective (aversive) qualities of pain are clinically significant but have received relatively less mechanistic investigation in preclinical models. Recently, operant behaviors such as conditioned place preference, avoidance, escape from noxious stimulus, and analgesic drug self-administration have been used in rodents to evaluate affective aspects of pain. An important advance of such operant behaviors is that these approaches may allow the detection and mechanistic investigation of spontaneous neuropathic or ongoing inflammatory/nociceptive (i.e., nonevoked) pain that is otherwise difficult to assess in nonverbal animals. Operant measures may allow the identification of mechanisms that contribute differentially to reflexive hypersensitivity or to pain affect and may inform the decision to progress novel mechanisms to clinical trials for pain therapy. Additionally, operant behaviors may allow investigation of the poorly understood mechanisms and neural circuits underlying motivational aspects of pain and the reward of pain relief. PMID:23496247

Labor epidural analgesia: Past, present and future

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Reena

2014-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most severe pains experienced by a woman is that of childbirth. Providing analgesia for labor has always been a challenge more so because of the myths and controversies surrounding labor. It is imperative to understand the pain transmission during various stages of labor in order to select a proper technique for providing labor analgesia. The adverse effects of labor pain are numerous and affect both the mother as well as the fetus. Currently lumbar epidural is considered to be the gold standard technique for labor analgesia. Local anaesthetics like bupivacaine and ropivacaine are commonly used and adjuvants like clonidine, fentanyl and neostigmine have been extensively studied. However, despite being so popular, epidural analgesia is not without complications, with hypotension being the most common. Other complications include accidental dural puncture, infection, intravascular placement, high block and epidural hematoma. Other neuraxial techniques include continuous caudal analgesia, and combined spinal epidural analgesia. The numerous studies investigating the various aspects of this method have also served to dispel various myths surrounding epidural analgesia like increased incidence of cesarean section and instrumental delivery, prolongation of labor and future back pain. The future of labor analgesia lies in the incorporation of ultrasound in identifying the epidural space helping in proper catheter placement. The keywords "labor epidural" in the PUBMED revealed a total of 5018 articles with 574 review articles and 969 clinical trials. The relevant articles along with their references were extensively studied.

Anti-Seizure Medications: Relief from Nerve Pain

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Anti-seizure medications: Relief from nerve pain Anti-seizure drugs often are used to help control the type of ... by damaged nerves. By Mayo Clinic Staff Anti-seizure medications were originally designed to treat people with ...

Feeling worse to feel better: pain-offset relief simultaneously stimulates positive affect and reduces negative affect.

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Franklin, Joseph C; Lee, Kent M; Hanna, Eleanor K; Prinstein, Mitchell J

2013-04-01

Although pain itself induces negative affect, the removal (or offset) of pain induces a powerful state of relief. Despite being implicated in a wide range of psychological and behavioral phenomena, relief remains a poorly understood emotion. In particular, some theorists associate relief with increased positive affect, whereas others associate relief with diminished negative affect. In the present study, we examined the affective nature of relief in a pain-offset paradigm with psychophysiological measures that were specific to negative valence (startle eyeblink reactivity) and positive valence (startle postauricular reactivity). Results revealed that pain offset simultaneously stimulates positive affect and diminishes negative affect for at least several seconds. Results also indicated that pain intensity differentially affects the positive and negative valence aspects of relief. These findings clarify the affective nature of relief and provide insight into why people engage in both normal and abnormal behaviors associated with relief.

A Review of Long-Term Pain Relief after Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation in Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis.

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Iannaccone, Ferdinand; Dixon, Samuel; Kaufman, Andrew

2017-03-01

Studies of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of genicular nerves have reportedly significantly decreased pain up to 3 months post ablation, but no longer term effects have been reported. We performed an analysis of long-term pain relief of 31 RFA procedures of the genicular nerves to analyze the degree of pain relief past 3 months, culminating at 6 months. Chart review and study design was approved by Newark Health Sciences Institutional Review Board (IRB). Chart review and follow-up was performed on all patients who underwent genicular nerve RFA during the period of February 2014 through August of 2015. During this inclusion period 41 genicular nerve RFAs were performed on 31 patients, 5 patients received RFA procedure in both knees. Patient follow-up was performed via telephone interview or in-office visit at least 3 months and 6 months post RFA. Procedures were performed in Medical Special Procedures at University Hospital in Newark, NJ, and the Pain Management Center at Overlook Medical Arts Center in Summit, NJ. Chart review and study design was approved by Newark Health Sciences IRB. Chart review was performed from February 2014 and continued through August 2015. Patient follow-up was conducted at 3 and at least 6 months post treatment to gauge degree of pain relief (0 - none, 100% - complete), their current day's pain score, other treatment modalities tried before RFA, and the medications used. Patients were asked to quantify their satisfaction with procedure length, pre-procedure anxiety, complications, and if they would recommend this procedure to others. Primary and secondary goals were the duration of pain relief after RFA, the quality of pain relief, and the efficacy of our approach for RFA of genicular nerves versus prior published techniques. At 3 month follow-up, the average pain relief was 67% improvement from baseline knee pain, 0% being no relief and 100% being complete relief, and average 0 - 10 pain score was 2.9. At 6 month follow-up, of those who

Food-Derived Natural Compounds for Pain Relief in Neuropathic Pain.

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Lim, Eun Yeong; Kim, Yun Tai

2016-01-01

Neuropathic pain, defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system, is characterized by dysesthesia, hyperalgesia, and allodynia. The number of patients with this type of pain has increased rapidly in recent years. Yet, available neuropathic pain medicines have undesired side effects, such as tolerance and physical dependence, and do not fully alleviate the pain. The mechanisms of neuropathic pain are still not fully understood. Injury causes inflammation and immune responses and changed expression and activity of receptors and ion channels in peripheral nerve terminals. Additionally, neuroinflammation is a known factor in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. During neuropathic pain development, the C-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) acts as an important signaling mediator. Traditional plant treatments have been used throughout the world for treating diseases. We and others have identified food-derived compounds that alleviate neuropathic pain. Here, we review the natural compounds for neuropathic pain relief, their mechanisms of action, and the potential benefits of natural compounds with antagonistic effects on GPCRs, especially those containing CCR2, for neuropathic pain treatment.

Assay sensitivity of pain intensity versus pain relief in acute pain clinical trials: ACTTION systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Singla, Neil; Hunsinger, Matthew; Chang, Phoebe D; McDermott, Michael P; Chowdhry, Amit K; Desjardins, Paul J; Turk, Dennis C; Dworkin, Robert H

2015-08-01

The magnitude of the effect size of an analgesic intervention can be influenced by several factors, including research design. A key design component is the choice of the primary endpoint. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare the assay sensitivity of 2 efficacy paradigms: pain intensity (calculated using summed pain intensity difference [SPID]) and pain relief (calculated using total pain relief [TOTPAR]). A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify acute pain studies that calculated both SPIDs and TOTPARs within the same study. Studies were included in this review if they were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigations involving medications for postsurgical acute pain and if enough data were provided to calculate TOTPAR and SPID standardized effect sizes. Based on a meta-analysis of 45 studies, the mean standardized effect size for TOTPAR (1.13) was .11 higher than that for SPID (1.02; P = .01). Mixed-effects meta-regression analyses found no significant associations between the TOTPAR - SPID difference in standardized effect size and trial design characteristics. Results from this review suggest that for acute pain studies, utilizing TOTPAR to assess pain relief may be more sensitive to treatment effects than utilizing SPID to assess pain intensity. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that TOTPAR may be more sensitive to treatment effects than SPIDs are in analgesic trials examining acute pain. We found that standardized effect sizes were higher for TOTPAR compared to SPIDs. Copyright © 2015 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The use of lumbar epidural injection of platelet lysate for treatment of radicular pain

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Centeno, Christopher; Markle, Jason; Dodson, Ehren; Stemper, Ian; Hyzy, Matthew; Williams, Christopher; Freeman, Michael

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Epidural steroid injections (ESI) are the most common pain management procedure performed in the US, however evidence of efficacy is limited. In addition, there is early evidence that the high dose of corticosteroids used can have systemic side effects. We describe the results of a case

Sympathetic Blocks Provided Sustained Pain Relief in a Patient with Refractory Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

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Jianguo Cheng

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The sympathetic nervous system has been implicated in pain associated with painful diabetic neuropathy. However, therapeutic intervention targeted at the sympathetic nervous system has not been established. We thus tested the hypothesis that sympathetic nerve blocks significantly reduce pain in a patient with painful diabetic neuropathy who has failed multiple pharmacological treatments. The diagnosis of small fiber sensory neuropathy was based on clinical presentations and confirmed by skin biopsies. A series of 9 lumbar sympathetic blocks over a 26-month period provided sustained pain relief in his legs. Additional thoracic paravertebral blocks further provided control of the pain in the trunk which can occasionally be seen in severe diabetic neuropathy cases, consequent to extensive involvement of the intercostal nerves. These blocks provided sustained and significant pain relief and improvement of quality of life over a period of more than two years. We thus provided the first clinical evidence supporting the notion that sympathetic nervous system plays a critical role in painful diabetic neuropathy and sympathetic blocks can be an effective management modality of painful diabetic neuropathy. We concluded that the sympathetic nervous system is a valuable therapeutic target of pharmacological and interventional modalities of treatments in painful diabetic neuropathy patients.

Evaluation of radiation therapy for bone metastases: pain relief and quality of life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, H.A.; Kagan, A.R.; Nussbaum, H.; Rao, A.R.; Satzman, J.; Chan, P.; Allen, B.; Forsythe, A.

1977-01-01

The records of 158 patients irradiated for bone metastases were reviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of pain relief and to judge the effect of treatment on overall quality of life. Within 3 months 73% of the sites treated had pain relief, with 55 to 65% having sustained relief up to 1 year or death. Of patients surviving more than 3 months, 63% maintained a satisfactory quality of life and were able to take care of most personal needs. The median survival of all patients was 1 year from initial treatment for bone metastasis. Radiation dose and the primary tumor site do not seem to be significant prognostic factors for initial pain relief or quality of life

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy under epidural anesthesia: a clinical feasibility study.

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Lee, Ji Hyun; Huh, Jin; Kim, Duk Kyung; Gil, Jea Ryoung; Min, Sung Won; Han, Sun Sook

2010-12-01

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has traditionally been performed under general anesthesia, however, owing in part to the advancement of surgical and anesthetic techniques, many laparoscopic cholecystectomies have been successfully performed under the spinal anesthetic technique. We hoped to determine the feasibility of segmental epidural anesthesia for LC. Twelve American Society of Anesthesiologists class I or II patients received an epidural block for LC. The level of epidural block and the satisfaction score of patients and the surgeon were checked to evaluate the efficacy of epidural block for LC. LC was performed successfully under epidural block, with the exception of 1 patient who required a conversion to general anesthesia owing to severe referred pain. There were no special postoperative complications, with the exception of one case of urinary retention. Epidural anesthesia might be applicable for LC. However, the incidence of intraoperative referred shoulder pain is high, and so careful patient recruitment and management of shoulder pain should be considered.

Careful: Acetaminophen in Pain Relief Medicines Can Cause Liver Damage

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... Pain Relievers and Fever Reducers Careful: Acetaminophen in pain relief medicines can cause liver damage Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing options Linkedin Pin ... ingredient in many over-the-counter and prescription medicines that help relieve pain and reduce fever. More than 600 over-the- ...

Pain relief and functional improvement in patients with neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury: an exploratory analysis of pregabalin clinical trials.

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Sadosky, Alesia; Parsons, Bruce; Emir, Birol; Nieshoff, Edward C

2016-01-01

Characterizing relationships between pain relief and function can inform patient management decisions. This analysis explored graphically the relationship between pain relief and functional improvement in patients with neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury in two clinical trials of pregabalin. This was a post hoc analysis of two randomized, double-blind, clinical trials in patients who were treated with pregabalin (n=181) or placebo (n=172) for neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury. The bivariate relationship between percent pain relief and absolute change in the functional outcomes with placebo and pregabalin was evaluated graphically using scatter plots, and loess curves illustrated the extent of the relationship between pain and function. Linear trend analysis evaluated the statistical significance of these relationships using Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT)-based thresholds of pain reduction (Pain Inventory pain interference with function in one of the studies and the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale (an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for the pooled studies. Data ellipses showed a shift with pregabalin relative to placebo toward greater improvement with increasing pain relief for all outcome measures except HADS. Loess curves suggested a relationship between increased pain relief and improved function except for HADS, with the clearest relationship observed for sleep. Linear trend analysis showed significant relationships between pain and Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale (Ppain and function on the modified Brief Pain Inventory Interference Index and most individual items (Ppain reduction. Pregabalin resulted in shifts from placebo toward greater functional improvement with greater pain relief.

Use, perceived effectiveness, and gender differences of pain relief strategies among the community-dwelling elderly in Taiwan.

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Yu, Hsing-Yi; Tang, Fu-In; Yeh, Ming-Chen; Kuo, Benjamin Ing-Tiau; Yu, Shu

2011-03-01

Pain is a common problem among the elderly. The entire scope of chronic pain relief strategies used by community elderly is still unclear. A limited number of studies have investigated this issue from diverse culture perspectives. In the present study, we investigated the use and perceived effectiveness of pain relief strategies adopted by the elderly; gender differences between frequently used relief strategies were also explored. Two hundred nineteen participants living in Taiwan City, Taiwan, were recruited by a random sampling method and interviewed face to face. The prevalence of chronic pain among the elderly was 42.0% (n = 92). The elderly tended to adopt multiple strategies (mean ± SD = 9.08 ± 3.56; range = 2-18) to relieve their chronic pain. In three domains of pain relief strategies, conventional medicine was used more frequently than complementary and alternative medicine and psychologic approaches. Most pain relief strategies were ineffective. Among the 22 strategies used, no strategy was reported as "much improved" by a majority of users. The top five pain relief strategies used by men and women were the same. Elderly women tended to adopt more psychologic approaches, such as acceptance and ignoring to relieve pain, than men. The findings suggest that nurses should pay more attention to the issue of chronic pain relief and provide the elderly with more effective pain relief strategies. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thoracic epidural analgesia in donor hepatectomy: An analysis.

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Koul, Archna; Pant, Deepanjali; Rudravaram, Swetha; Sood, Jayashree

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze whether supplementation of general anesthesia (GA) with thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) for right lobe donor hepatectomy is a safe modality of pain relief in terms of changes in postoperative coagulation profile, incidence of epidural catheter-related complications, and timing of removal of epidural catheter. Retrospective analysis of the record of 104 patients who received TEA for right lobe donor hepatectomy was done. Platelet count, international normalized ratio, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase were recorded postoperatively until the removal of the epidural catheter. The day of removal of the epidural catheter and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were also recorded. Any complication encountered was documented. Intraoperatively, central venous pressure (CVP), hemodynamic variables, and volume of intravenous fluids infused were also noted. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS statistical package, version 17.0 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL). Continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation. A total of 90% of patients had mean VAS scores between 1 and 4 in the postoperative period between days 1 and 5. None of the patients had a VAS score above 5. Although changes in coagulation status were encountered in all patients in the postoperative period, these changes were transient and did not persist beyond postoperative day (POD) 5. There was no delay in removal of the epidural catheter, and the majority of patients had the catheter removed by POD 4. There was no incidence of epidural hematoma. Aside from good intraoperative and postoperative analgesia, TEA in combination with balanced GA and fluid restriction enabled maintenance of low CVP and prevention of hepatic congestion. In conclusion, vigilant use of TEA appears to be safe during donor hepatectomy. Living liver donors should not be denied efficient analgesia for the fear of complications. Liver Transplantation 24 214

Bupivacaine constant continuous surgical wound infusion versus continuous epidural infusion for post cesarean section pain, randomized placebo-controlled study

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Hossam A. ELShamaa

2016-10-01

Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that bupivacaine administered by continuous epidural infusion provided a significantly lower pain scores with mobilization, and hence better analgesia for post cesarean section pain in the first postoperative day compared to continuous bupivacaine wound infusion through fenestrated catheter using the constant flow PainFusor system.

Effectiveness of the World Health Organization cancer pain relief guidelines: an integrative review

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Carlson, Cathy L

2016-01-01

Inadequate cancer pain relief has been documented extensively across historical records. In response, in 1986, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed guidelines for cancer pain treatment. The purpose of this paper is to disseminate the results of a comprehensive, integrative review of studies that evaluate the effectiveness of the WHO guidelines. Studies were included if they: 1) identified patients treated with the guidelines, 2) evaluated self-reported pain, 3) identified instruments used, 4) provided data documenting pain relief, and 5) were written in English. Studies were coded for duration of treatment, definition of pain relief, instruments used, findings related to pain intensity or relief, and whether measures were used other than the WHO analgesic ladder. Twenty-five studies published since 1987 met the inclusion criteria. Evidence indicates 20%–100% of patients with cancer pain can be provided pain relief with the use of the WHO guidelines – while considering their status of treatment or end-of-life care. Due to multiple limitations in included studies, analysis was limited to descriptions. Future research to examine the effectiveness of the WHO guidelines needs to consider recommendations to facilitate study comparisons by standardizing outcome measures. Recent studies have reported that patients with cancer experience pain at moderate or greater levels. The WHO guidelines reflect the knowledge and effectual methods to relieve most cancer pain, but the guidelines are not being adequately employed. Part of the explanation for the lack of adoption of the WHO guidelines is that they may be considered outdated by many because they are not specific to the pharmacological and interventional options used in contemporary pain management practices. The conundrum of updating the WHO guidelines is to encompass the latest pharmacological and interventional innovations while maintaining its original simplicity. PMID:27524918

Impact of radiotherapy on pain relief and recalcification in plasma cell neoplasms. Long-term experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balducci, Mario; Chiesa, Silvia; Manfrida, Stefania

2011-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of radiotherapy on pain relief and on recalcification in patients with osteolytic lesions due to plasma cell neoplasm. Patients and Methods: Pain relief was evaluated according to a 0-10 verbal numerical rating scale (NRS) and recalcification was measured using radiological imaging. Results: From 1996-2007, 52 patients were treated. Median total dose was 38 Gy (range, 16-50 Gy). Pain before radiotherapy was reported by 45 of 52 (86.5%) patients as being severe (8 ≤ NRS ≤ 10) in 5 (11%), moderate (5 ≤ NRS ≤ 7) in 27 (60%), and mild in 13 (29%). Pain relief was achieved in 41 of 45 patients (91%): complete relief was obtained in 21 (51.2%) and partial relief in 20 patients (48.8%); patients with severe pain experienced resolution and none presented an increase of pain. Drugs reduction/suspension was achieved in 7 of the 21 patients with complete response. Of 42 patients evaluable for recalcification, 21 (50%) presented a radiological response, which was identified as complete in 16 (38%). Conclusion: Our data confirm the effectiveness of radiotherapy for pain relief, including a reduction in drug intake, and on recalcification, thus, supporting its use in a multidisciplinary approach. (orig.)

Short Term Analgesic Effects of 5% Dextrose Epidural Injections for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

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Maniquis-Smigel, Liza; Dean Reeves, Kenneth; Jeffrey Rosen, Howard; Lyftogt, John; Graham-Coleman, Cassie; Cheng, An-Lin; Rabago, David

2017-02-01

Hypertonic dextrose injection (prolotherapy) is reported to reduce pain including non-surgical chronic low back pain (CLBP), and subcutaneous injection of 5% dextrose is reported to reduce neurogenic pain, hyperalgesia and allodynia. The mechanism in both cases is unclear, though a direct effect of dextrose on neurogenic pain has been proposed. This study assessed the short-term analgesic effects of epidural 5% dextrose injection compared with saline for non-surgical CLBP. Randomized double-blind (injector, participant) controlled trial. Adults with moderate-to-severe non-surgical low back pain with radiation to gluteal or leg areas for at least 6 months received a single epidurogram-confirmed epidural injection of 10 mL of 5% dextrose or 0.9% saline using a published vertical caudal injection technique. The primary outcome was change in a numerical rating scale (NRS, 0 - 10 points) pain score between baseline and 15 minutes; and 2, 4, and 48 hours and 2 weeks post-injection. The secondary outcome was percentage of participants achieving 50% or more pain improvement at 4 hours. No baseline differences existed between groups; 35 participants (54 ± 10.7 years old; 11 female) with moderate-to-severe CLBP (6.7 ± 1.3 points) for 10.6 ± 10.5 years. Dextrose participants reported greater NRS pain score change at 15 minutes (4.4 ± 1.7 vs 2.4 ± 2.8 points; P = 0.015), 2 hours (4.6 ± 1.9 vs 1.8 ± 2.8 points; P = 0.001), 4 hours (4.6 ± 2.0 vs 1.4 ± 2.3 points; P dextrose recipients and 19% (3/16) of saline recipients reported ≥ 50% pain reduction at 4 hours (P dextrose on pain at the dorsal root level; waning pain control at 2 weeks suggests the need to assess the effect of serial dextrose epidural injections in a long-term study with robust outcome assessment.

Reducing risk of spinal haematoma from spinal and epidural pain procedures.

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Breivik, Harald; Norum, Hilde; Fenger-Eriksen, Christian; Alahuhta, Seppo; Vigfússon, Gísli; Thomas, Owain; Lagerkranser, Michael

2018-04-25

Central neuraxial blocks (CNB: epidural, spinal and their combinations) and other spinal pain procedures can cause serious harm to the spinal cord in patients on antihaemostatic drugs or who have other risk-factors for bleeding in the spinal canal. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide a practise advisory on how to reduce risk of spinal cord injury from spinal haematoma (SH) during CNBs and other spinal pain procedures. Scandinavian guidelines from 2010 are part of the background for this practise advisory. We searched recent guidelines, PubMed (MEDLINE), SCOPUS and EMBASE for new and relevant randomised controlled trials (RCT), case-reports and original articles concerning benefits of neuraxial blocks, risks of SH due to anti-haemostatic drugs, patient-related risk factors, especially renal impairment with delayed excretion of antihaemostatic drugs, and specific risk factors related to the neuraxial pain procedures. Epidural and spinal analgesic techniques, as well as their combination provide superior analgesia and reduce the risk of postoperative and obstetric morbidity and mortality. Spinal pain procedure can be highly effective for cancer patients, less so for chronic non-cancer patients. We did not identify any RCT with SH as outcome. We evaluated risks and recommend precautions for SH when patients are treated with antiplatelet, anticoagulant, or fibrinolytic drugs, when patients' comorbidities may increase risks, and when procedure-specific risk factors are present. Inserting and withdrawing epidural catheters appear to have similar risks for initiating a SH. Invasive neuraxial pain procedures, e.g. spinal cord stimulation, have higher risks of bleeding than traditional neuraxial blocks. We recommend robust monitoring routines and treatment protocol to ensure early diagnosis and effective treatment of SH should this rare but potentially serious complication occur. When neuraxial analgesia is considered for a patient on anti

Increased joint loads during walking--a consequence of pain relief in knee osteoarthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Marius; Simonsen, Erik B; Alkjaer, T

2006-01-01

Joint pain is a primary symptom in knee osteoarthritis (OA), but the effect of pain and pain relief on the knee joint mechanics of walking is not clear. In this study, the effects of local knee joint analgesia on knee joint loads during walking were studied in a group of knee osteoarthritis....... Although the patients walked with less compressive knee joint forces compared to the reference group, the effects of pain relief may accelerate the degenerative changes....

Satisfaction with pain relief after operative treatment of an ankle fracture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Helmerhorst, Gijs T. T.; Lindenhovius, Anneluuk L. C.; Vrahas, Mark; Ring, David; Kloen, Peter

2012-01-01

Background: American patients are prescribed more opioid pain medication than Dutch patients after operative treatment of an ankle fracture, but it is possible that pain is undertreated in Dutch patients. This study tests if there is a difference in pain and satisfaction with pain relief between

How does pain experience relate to the need for pain relief? A secondary exploratory analysis in a large sample of cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnsen, Anna Thit; Petersen, Morten A; Snyder, Claire F; Pedersen, Lise; Groenvold, Mogens

2016-10-01

To explore (1) the information obtained from related but conceptually different approaches to pain assessment and (2) the extent to which the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) can be used as a screening tool to predict patient-reported need for pain relief. Cancer patients randomly sampled from 56 hospital departments were included. Questionnaire items assessed patients' (a) pain experience using the EORTC QLQ-C30 pain scale and its two pain items separately (pain intensity and pain interference) and (b) pain burden and (c) need for pain relief using the Three-Levels-of-Needs Questionnaire (3LNQ). Of the 2364 patients contacted by mail, 1447 (61 %) completed the questionnaires. Among these, 51 % reported at least "a little" pain on the pain intensity item. The number of patients reporting pain to be a burden was similar, and pain experience and pain burden were highly correlated (correlation coefficients ranged from 0.85 to 0.91). Pain experience and pain burden were moderately correlated with the need for pain relief. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the EORTC QLQ-C30 discriminated between patients with and without a need for pain relief to an acceptable degree (area under the curve (AUC) 0.73-0.77). The cut-point a little gave a sensitivity of 84 % and specificity of 59 % for the item "Have you had pain?" and a sensitivity of 72 % and a specificity of 72 % for the pain scale. The majority of patients who experienced pain felt it to be a problem. Pain experience and pain burden were substantially related to need for pain relief, and the latter could be predicted from the EORTC QLQ-C30.

Pain management for women in labour: an overview of systematic reviews.

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Jones, Leanne; Othman, Mohammad; Dowswell, Therese; Alfirevic, Zarko; Gates, Simon; Newburn, Mary; Jordan, Susan; Lavender, Tina; Neilson, James P

2012-03-14

included results for all comparisons. Most reviews compared the intervention with placebo or standard care, but with the exception of opioids and epidural analgesia, there were few direct comparisons between different forms of the same intervention, and even fewer comparisons between different interventions. Based on these three comparisons, we have categorised interventions into: " What works" ,"What may work", and "Insufficient evidence to make a judgement".WHAT WORKSEvidence suggests that epidural, combined spinal epidural (CSE) and inhaled analgesia effectively manage pain in labour, but may give rise to adverse effects. Epidural, and inhaled analgesia effectively relieve pain when compared with placebo or a different type of intervention (epidural versus opioids). Combined-spinal epidurals relieve pain more quickly than traditional or low dose epidurals. Women receiving inhaled analgesia were more likely to experience vomiting, nausea and dizziness.When compared with placebo or opioids, women receiving epidural analgesia had more instrumental vaginal births and caesarean sections for fetal distress, although there was no difference in the rates of caesarean section overall. Women receiving epidural analgesia were more likely to experience hypotension, motor blockade, fever or urinary retention. Less urinary retention was observed in women receiving CSE than in women receiving traditional epidurals. More women receiving CSE than low-dose epidural experienced pruritus.  WHAT MAY WORKThere is some evidence to suggest that immersion in water, relaxation, acupuncture, massage and local anaesthetic nerve blocks or non-opioid drugs may improve management of labour pain, with few adverse effects.  Evidence was mainly limited to single trials. These interventions relieved pain and improved satisfaction with pain relief (immersion, relaxation, acupuncture, local anaesthetic nerve blocks, non-opioids) and childbirth experience (immersion, relaxation, non-opioids) when

Epidural analgesia in labour and neonatal respiratory distress: a case-control study.

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Kumar, Manoj; Chandra, Sue; Ijaz, Zainab; Senthilselvan, Ambikaipakan

2014-03-01

Epidural analgesia is the commonest mode for providing pain relief in labour, with a combination of bupivacaine and fentanyl most often used in practice. To test whether late-preterm and term neonates exposed to opioids in epidural analgesia in labour are more likely to develop respiratory distress in the immediate neonatal period. A case-control study was conducted of singleton infants born during January 2006 to December 2010. Cases were neonates ≥34 weeks gestation, who developed respiratory distress within 24 h of life requiring supplemental oxygen ≥2 h and/or positive pressure ventilation in the neonatal intensive care unit. Controls were gestation and site-matched neonates who did not develop any respiratory distress within the same period. The information on exposure to epidural analgesia and on potential confounding variables was obtained from the standardised delivery record, routinely filled out on all women admitted to the labour wards. In our study, 206 cases and 206 matched controls were enrolled. Exposure to epidural analgesia was present in 146 (70.9%) cases as compared with 131 (63.6%) of the controls. The association between exposure to epidural analgesia and respiratory distress in neonates was statistically significant upon adjustment for all potential confounders (adjusted OR: 1.75, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.99; p = 0.04). When data was separately analysed for term and late-preterm infants, the results were consistent across these subpopulations, showing no interaction effect. Late-preterm and term infants exposed to maternal epidural analgesia in labour are more likely to develop respiratory distress in the immediate neonatal period.

Population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ketamine-induced pain relief of chronic pain.

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Dahan, Albert; Olofsen, Erik; Sigtermans, Marnix; Noppers, Ingeborg; Niesters, Marieke; Aarts, Leon; Bauer, Martin; Sarton, Elise

2011-03-01

Pharmacological treatment of chronic (neuropathic) pain is often disappointing. In order to enhance our insight in the complex interaction between analgesic drug and chronic pain relief, we performed a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) modeling study on the effect of S(+)-ketamine on pain scores in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 (CRPS-1) patients. Sixty CRPS-1 patients were randomly allocated to received a 100-h infusion of S(+)-ketamine or placebo. The drug infusion rate was slowly increased from 5 mg/h (per 70 kg) to 20 mg/h based upon the effect/side effect profile. Pain scores and drug blood samples were obtained during the treatment phase and pain scores were further obtained weekly for another 11 weeks. A population PK-PD model was developed to analyze the S(+)-ketamine-pain data. Plasma concentrations of S(+)-ketamine and its metabolite decreased rapidly upon the termination of S(+)-ketamine infusion. The chance for an analgesic effect from ketamine and placebo treatment was 67±10% and 23±9% (population value±SE), respectively. The pain data were well described by the PK-PD model with parameters C(50)=10.5±4.8 ng/ml (95% ci 4.37-21.2 ng/ml) and t½ for onset/offset=10.9±4.0 days (5.3-20.5 days). Long-term S(+)-ketamine treatment is effective in causing pain relief in CRPS-1 patients with analgesia outlasting the treatment period by 50 days. These data suggest that ketamine initiated a cascade of events, including desensitization of excitatory receptor systems in the central nervous system, which persisted but slowly abated when ketamine molecules were no longer present. Copyright © 2010 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pain relief and functional improvement in patients with neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury: an exploratory analysis of pregabalin clinical trials

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Sadosky A

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Alesia Sadosky,1 Bruce Parsons,1 Birol Emir,1 Edward C Nieshoff2 1Pfizer Inc., New York, NY, 2Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA Background: Characterizing relationships between pain relief and function can inform patient management decisions. This analysis explored graphically the relationship between pain relief and functional improvement in patients with neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury in two clinical trials of pregabalin. Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of two randomized, double-blind, clinical trials in patients who were treated with pregabalin (n=181 or placebo (n=172 for neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury. The bivariate relationship between percent pain relief and absolute change in the functional outcomes with placebo and pregabalin was evaluated graphically using scatter plots, and loess curves illustrated the extent of the relationship between pain and function. Linear trend analysis evaluated the statistical significance of these relationships using Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT-based thresholds of pain reduction (<15%, 15% <30%, 30% to <50%, and ≥50%. Outcome measures included modified Brief Pain Inventory pain interference with function in one of the studies and the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale (an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS for the pooled studies. Results: Data ellipses showed a shift with pregabalin relative to placebo toward greater improvement with increasing pain relief for all outcome measures except HADS. Loess curves suggested a relationship between increased pain relief and improved function except for HADS, with the clearest relationship observed for sleep. Linear trend analysis showed significant relationships between pain and Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale (P<0.0001 and between pain and function on the modified Brief Pain Inventory

Ear Acupuncture versus  local anaestethic for pain relief during perineal repair - a randomised controlled trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kindberg, Sara

2007-01-01

ACUPUNCTURE OR LOCAL ANAESTETICS FOR PAIN RELIEF DURING PERINEAL REPAIR AFTER VAGINAL DELIVERY: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL.   By:  Sara Kindberg. Midwife and PhD student, Sønderborg Hospital, Denmark. Objective: To evaluate acupuncture as a new method of pain relief for postpartum perineal...... as photos of the acupuncture points. Perspectives:  Basic midwifery services such as providing sufficient pain relief during perineal repair still need improvement. Clinical practice should be improved continuously and thus produce reliable evidence on different pain relief methods. Website:        http...

Patient Preference Before and After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: Which Is More Important, Pain Relief or Strength Return?

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Virk, Mandeep S; Levy, David M; Kuhns, Benjamin D; Krecher, James S; Parsley, Billy K; Burkhart, Stephen S; Romeo, Anthony A; Verma, Nikhil N; Cole, Brian J

Our understanding of patients' desired outcomes and expectations of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) is limited, particularly regarding the importance of pain relief and strength return relative to each other. We conducted a study of patient's ratings of the importance of pain relief and strength return after ARCR. Before undergoing surgery, 60 patients completed a shoulder questionnaire on which they assessed severity of symptoms and rated, on a 10-point scale, the importance of postoperative improvements in pain relief and strength return. After surgery, they completed the same questionnaire, again rating the importance of pain relief and strength return. About 50% of the patients valued pain relief and strength return equally before and after ARCR. However, overall patient ratings were higher for strength return over pain relief, both before surgery, mean (SD), 9.2 (2.1) vs 8.6 (2.3) (P = .02), and afterward, at a follow-up of 5.2 (0.2) years, 8.9 (1.9) vs 8.2 (3.1) (P = .03). This significant preference for strength return held irrespective of sex, age, active sports involvement, preoperative self-assessed pain score, and subjective shoulder weakness. Before surgery, increasing age was associated with a stronger preference for pain relief (r = 0.33, P = .01), and retirees preferred pain relief over strength return. These results show the patterns of patient preference for pain relief and strength return after ARCR. Improved understanding of these patients' expectations will allow meaningful changes in patient satisfaction.

Patient Controlled Epidural Analgesia during Labour: Effect of Addition of Background Infusion on Quality of Analgesia & Maternal Satisfaction

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Uma Srivastava

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA is a well established technique for pain relief during labor. But the inclusion of continuous background infusion to PCEA is controversial. The aim of this study was to assess whether the use of continuous infusion along with PCEA was beneficial for laboring women with regards to quality of analgesia, maternal satisfaction and neonatal outcome in comparison to PCEA alone. Fifty five parturients received epidural bolus of 10ml solution containing 0.125% bupivacaine +2 ìg.ml-1 of fentanyl. For maintenance of analgesia the patients of Group PCEA self administered 8 ml bolus with lockout interval of 20 minutes of above solution on demand with no basal infusion. While the patients of Group PCEA + CI received continuous epidural infusion at the rate of 10 ml.hr-1 along with self administered boluses of 3 ml with lockout interval of 10 minutes of similar epidural solution. Patients of both groups were given rescue boluses by the anaesthetists for distressing pain. Verbal analogue pain scores, incidence of distressing pain, need of supplementary/rescue boluses, dose of bupivacaine consumed, maternal satisfaction and neonatal Apgar scores were recorded. No significant difference was observed between mean VAS pain scores during labor, maternal satisfaction, mode of delivery or neonatal Apgar scores. But more patients (n=8 required rescue boluses in PCEA group for distressing pain. The total volume consumed of bupivacaine and opioid was slightly more in PCEA + CI group. In both the techniques the highest sensory level, degree of motor block were comparable& prolongation of labor was not seen. It was concluded that both the techniques provided equivalent labor analgesia, maternal satisfaction and neonatal Apgar scores. PCEA along with continuous infusion at the rate of 10 ml/ hr resulted in lesser incidence of distressing pain and need for rescue analgesic. Although this group consumed higher dose of bupivacaine

Pain relief in labor: a survey of awareness, attitude, and practice of health care providers in Zaria, Nigeria

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Ogboli-Nwasor E

2011-08-01

Full Text Available E Ogboli-Nwasor1, SE Adaji2, SB Bature2, OS Shittu21Department of Anesthesia, 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, NigeriaBackground: The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes of maternal health care providers to pain relief during labor in Zaria, Nigeria.Methods: This was a multicenter, collaborative, cross-sectional pilot study of provider perspectives concerning pain relief during labor. A structured, self-administered, questionnaire was completed by 95 consenting maternal health care providers at three high-volume facilities in Zaria, an ancient northern Nigerian city. Descriptive statistics was performed on the data.Results: Most respondents (94.8% agreed that pain relief is needed during labor. Only 2.1% of respondents were undecided about the provision of pain relief during labor and 3.2% were of the opinion that pain relief was not necessary during labor. Most respondents (93.7% had attended a woman in labor in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. Of these, 56.8% had counseled a parturient in labor. Most of the counseling (42.1% took place during labor. Less than half of the respondents (48.4% had administered pain relief in labor in the preceding 4 weeks and systemic opioids was the most commonly form of pain relief. Among the respondents who did not offer pain relief agents in labor, the majority (54.5% had no reason for not offering it. Unavailability of methods, inability to afford the cost of pain relief, lack of knowledge and skills, as well as lack of essential equipment to provide the procedure were also given by respondents as reasons for not offering pain relief.Conclusion: Even though maternal health care providers in this environment have a positive attitude to pain relief in labor, most women go through labor without the benefit of analgesia. There exists a gap between provider attitudes to pain relief in labor and practice of the same, with many providers

Immediate pain relief effect of low level laser therapy for sports injuries: Randomized, double-blind placebo clinical trial.

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Takenori, A; Ikuhiro, M; Shogo, U; Hiroe, K; Junji, S; Yasutaka, T; Hiroya, K; Miki, N

2016-12-01

To determine the immediate pain relief effect of low-level laser therapy on sports injuries in athletes and degree of pain relief by the therapy. Double-blind, randomized, comparative clinical study. Participants were 32 college athletes with motion pain at a defined site. Participants were randomized into two groups in which the tested or placebo laser therapy was administered to determine pain intensity from painful action before and after laser irradiation, using the Modified Numerical Rating Scale. The post-therapeutic Modified Numerical Rating Scale score was subtracted from the pre-therapeutic Modified Numerical Rating Scale score to determine pain intensity difference, and the rate of pain intensity difference to pre-therapeutic Modified Numerical Rating Scale was calculated as pain relief rate. Low-level laser therapy was effective in 75% of the laser group, whereas it was not effective in the placebo group, indicating a significant difference in favor of the laser group (p<0.001). Pain relief rate was significantly higher in the laser group than in the placebo group (36.94% vs. 8.20%, respectively, p<0.001), with the difference in pain relief rate being 28.74%. Low-level laser therapy provided an immediate pain relief effect, reducing pain by 28.74%. It was effective for pain relief in 75% of participants. Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Imaging pain relief in osteoarthritis (IPRO): protocol of a double-blind randomised controlled mechanistic study assessing pain relief and prediction of duloxetine treatment outcome.

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Reckziegel, Diane; Bailey, Helen; Cottam, William J; Tench, Christopher R; Mahajan, Ravi P; Walsh, David A; Knaggs, Roger D; Auer, Dorothee P

2017-06-26

Osteoarthritis (OA) pain is a major cause of long-term disability and chronic pain in the adult population. One in five patients does not receive satisfactory pain relief, which reflects the complexity of chronic pain and the current lack of understanding of mechanisms of chronic pain. Recently, duloxetine has demonstrated clinically relevant pain relief, but only in half of treated patients with OA. Here, the aim is to investigate the neural mechanisms of pain relief and neural signatures that may predict treatment response to duloxetine in chronic knee OA pain. This is an ongoing single-centre randomised placebo-controlled mechanistic study (2:1 (placebo) allocation), using a multimodal neuroimaging approach, together with psychophysiological (quantitative sensory testing), genetics and questionnaire assessments. Eighty-one subjects with chronic knee OA pain are planned to power for between-group comparisons (placebo, duloxetine responder and duloxetine non-responder). Participants have a baseline assessment and, following 6 weeks of duloxetine (30 mg for 2 weeks, then 60 mg for 4 weeks), a follow-up evaluation. Brain imaging is performed at 3T with blood-oxygen-level dependent functional MRI at rest and during pin-prick nociceptive stimulation for main outcome assessment; arterial spin labelling and structural imaging (T1-weighted) for secondary outcome assessment. Questionnaires evaluate pain, negative affect, quality of sleep and cognition. The study has been approved by the East Midlands, Nottingham and is being carried out under the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (64th, 2013) and Good Clinical Practice standards. Results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02208778).This work was supported by Arthritis Research UK (Grant 18769). © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights

Targinact--opioid pain relief without constipation?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-01

Targinact (Napp Pharmaceuticals Ltd) is a modified-release combination product containing the strong opioid oxycodone plus the opioid antagonist naloxone. It is licensed for "severe pain, which can be adequately managed only with opioid analgesics".1 The summary of product characteristics (SPC) states that "naloxone is added to counteract opioid-induced constipation by blocking the action of oxycodone at opioid receptors locally in the gut". Advertising for the product claims "better pain relief", "superior GI [gastrointestinal] tolerability" and "improved quality of life" "compared to previous treatment in a clinical practice study (n=7836)". Here we consider whether Targinact offers advantages over using strong opioids plus laxatives where required.

Modified dorsal root entry zone lesioning for intractable pain relief in patients with root avulsion injury.

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Takai, Keisuke; Taniguchi, Makoto

2017-08-01

OBJECTIVE Dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesioning has been the most effective surgical treatment for the relief of intractable pain due to root avulsion injury, but residual pain and a decrease in pain relief in the follow-up period have been reported in 23%-70% of patients. Based on pain topography in the most recent studies on neuropathic pain, the authors modified the conventional DREZ lesioning procedure to improve clinical outcomes. The presumed rationale for this procedure is to eliminate the spontaneous discharges of neurons in the superficial spinal dorsal horn as well as wide dynamic range neurons in the deep spinal dorsal horn. METHODS Ten patients with avulsion-related pain underwent surgery between 2011 and 2015. The surgical procedure was described and postoperative pain relief was assessed as follows: excellent (residual pain never exceeded 3 on the visual analog scale [VAS] without medication), good (residual pain never exceeded 5 on the VAS with medication), and poor (residual pain was greater than 5 with medication). Specific perioperative complications were assessed. RESULTS The aim of this surgical procedure was to destroy the deeper layers of the posterior horn of spinal gray matter, which was in contrast to the procedures of Nashold and Sindou, which were to destroy the superficial layers. All patients achieved excellent (n = 7, pain relief without medication) or good (n = 3, pain relief with medication) pain relief postoperatively, and the recurrence of pain was not reported in any patients (median 29 months after surgery, range 12-64 months). Nine patients (90%) achieved complete pain relief (a score of 0 or 1 on the VAS) with or without medication. No surgical site complications such as infection or CSF leakage were noted. No motor deficit was observed in any patient. A sensory deficit was observed in 2 patients and disappeared within 1 month in 1 patient. New pain at the adjacent level of DREZ lesioning was observed in 3 patients and

Prescription opioid use among addictions treatment patients: nonmedical use for pain relief vs. other forms of nonmedical use.

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Bohnert, Amy S B; Eisenberg, Anna; Whiteside, Lauren; Price, Amanda; McCabe, Sean Esteban; Ilgen, Mark A

2013-03-01

Differences between those who engage in nonmedical prescription opioid use for reasons other than pain relief and those who engage in nonmedical use for reasons related to pain only are not well understood. Adults in a residential treatment program participated in a cross-sectional self-report survey. Participants reported whether they used opioids for reasons other than pain relief (e.g., help sleep, improve mood, or relieve stress). Within those with past-month nonmedical opioid use (n=238), logistic regression tested differences between those who reported use for reasons other than pain relief and those who did not. Nonmedical use of opioids for reasons other than pain relief was more common (66%) than nonmedical use for pain relief only (34%), and those who used for reasons other than pain relief were more likely to report heavy use (43% vs. 11%). Nonmedical use for reasons other than pain relief was associated with having a prior overdose (odds ratio [OR]=2.54, 95% CI: 1.36-4.74) and use of heroin (OR=4.08, 95% CI: 1.89-8.79), barbiturates (OR=6.44, 95% CI: 1.47, 28.11), and other sedatives (OR=5.80, 95% CI: 2.61, 12.87). Individuals who reported nonmedical use for reasons other than pain relief had greater depressive symptoms (13.1 vs. 10.5) and greater pain medication expectancies across all three domains (pleasure/social enhancement, pain reduction, negative experience reduction). Among patients in addictions treatment, individuals who report nonmedical use of prescription opioids for reasons other than pain relief represent an important clinical sub-group with greater substance use severity and poorer mental health functioning. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

[Everything is valid in chronic pain: Interventions by older adults for pain relief].

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Alvarado-García, Alejandra María; Salazar-Maya, Ángela María

To describe interventions used by older adults with benign chronic pain. Qualitative study with 25 older adults with benign chronic pain, inhabitants of the cities of Medellín and Bogotá. The technique used to collect information was in-depth interview. The analysis was made using the tools of the theory based on the guidelines of Strauss and Corbin. Using open, axial and selective coding, the constant comparison method allowed the identification of categories and subcategories and simultaneously memos and diagrams were made to reach theoretical saturation. A number of categories were found in this study, suggesting interventions used by the elderly to address chronic pain. They started looking at a number of options such as: taking medication, self-prescribing, feeling fear of taking pills, identifying the damage caused by drugs, using hot water, staying still, taking right postures, walking and exercising, using attachments that help them and making home remedies; all of them become alternatives that can cause pain relief. The study allowed describing interventions that older adults use to mitigate their pain. This ranged from pharmacological to non-pharmacological interventions, as simple as posture, cold, heat, massage or distractions among others, which play an important role in pain relief. Knowing these interventions helps healthcare professionals consider care options different to medication intake, proposing strategies that are easily accessible and can operate at the time to address a patient with chronic pain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Pain relief by touch: a quantitative approach.

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Mancini, Flavia; Nash, Thomas; Iannetti, Gian Domenico; Haggard, Patrick

2014-03-01

Pain relief by touch has been studied for decades in pain neuroscience. Human perceptual studies revealed analgesic effects of segmental tactile stimulation, as compared to extrasegmental touch. However, the spatial organisation of touch-pain interactions within a single human dermatome has not been investigated yet. In 2 experiments we tested whether, how, and where within a dermatome touch modulates the perception of laser-evoked pain. We measured pain perception using intensity ratings, qualitative descriptors, and signal detection measures of sensitivity and response bias. Touch concurrent with laser pulses produced a significant analgesia, and reduced the sensitivity in detecting the energy of laser stimulation, implying a functional loss of information within the ascending Aδ pathway. Touch also produced a bias to judge laser stimuli as less painful. This bias decreased linearly when the distance between the laser and tactile stimuli increased. Thus, our study provides evidence for a spatial organisation of intrasegmental touch-pain interactions. Copyright © 2013 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sudden amnesia resulting in pain relief: the relationship between memory and pain.

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Choi, Daniel S; Choi, Deborah Y; Whittington, Robert A; Nedeljković, Srdjan S

2007-11-01

Nociceptive pain and its emotional component can result in the development of a "chronic pain memory". This report describes two patients who had long histories of chronic pain and opioid dependence. Both patients experienced sudden memory loss that was followed by significant pain reduction and an eradication of their need for opioid management. Neural centers involved in sensory pain, its affective component, opioid dependence, and memory overlap in the brain and share common pathways. The anterior cingulate cortex, the insular cortex, and the amygdala are examples of regions implicated in both pain and memory. One of the patients in the report experienced multiple seizure episodes, which may have contributed to memory loss and pain relief. The role of electroconvulsive therapy as it relates to amnesia and pain is reviewed. Questions are raised regarding whether therapies that address the memory component of pain may have a role in the treatment of long-term chronic pain patients.

Epidural versus intravenous steroids application following percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy.

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Hu, Annan; Gu, Xin; Guan, Xiaofei; Fan, Guoxin; He, Shisheng

2018-05-01

Retrospectively study.The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of intraoperative epidural steroids and single dose intravenous steroids following a percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD).Inflammatory irritation of dorsal root ganglia or sensory nerve roots may cause postoperative pain. Epidural steroids have been applied after a lumbar discectomy for more than 20 years. Epidural steroid application after a PELD is easier to perform and safer because the operations are under observation of the scope.We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation who had undergone transforaminal PELD at our department. There are 60 patients in epidural steroid group, intravenous steroid group, and control group, respectively. Visual analog scores (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were collected. Successful pain control is defined as 50% or more reduction in back and leg pain (VAS scores).VAS scores (back and leg) and ODI showed a significant decrease in all groups when comparing pre- and postoperatively. Epidural steroid group had a significant improvement in successful pain control compared with the control group at 2 weeks of follow-up. VAS scores (leg) in the epidural steroid group showed a significant decrease compared with the intravenous steroids group at 1, 3, and 7 days after the surgery, but this difference had no statistical significance at 1, 6, and 12 months of follow-up. All groups did not show a significant difference in ODI at 1, 6, and 12 months follow-up.Epidural application of steroid has a better effect on controlling the postoperative pain of PELD in the short term. The epidural application of steroid did not show a tendency to cause infection.

A clinical trial comparing Lanconone® with ibuprofen for rapid relief in acute joint pain.

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Girandola, Robert N; Srivastava, Shalini; Loullis, Costas C

2016-04-06

To study the effect of Lanconone® (1000 mg) on acute pain on exertion as compared to the standard of care, Ibuprofen (400 mg). The study recruited 72 subjects diagnosed with mild to moderate knee joint pain on exertion. Subjects with Pain Visual Analogue Scale of more than 40 mm were included. Uphill walking was provided as the stressor using Naughton's protocol on a treadmill. The subjects walked for 10 minutes continuously followed by a rest period and baseline pain score for index knee joint was recorded. Subjects were administered a single dose of Lanconone® (1000 mg)/Ibuprofen (400 mg). Thereafter the same stressor was provided at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 hours, subsequently, pain scores were recorded on a visual analogue scale. Double stopwatch method was used to evaluate the onset of pain relief and time taken to meaningful pain relief. Both Lanconone® and Ibuprofen showed the first perceived pain relief at 65.31 ± 35.57 mins as compared to 60.82 ± 32.56 mins respectively. The mean time taken to experience meaningful pain relief in Lanconone® group was 196.59 ± 70.85 mins compared to 167.13 ± 71.41 mins amongst Ibuprofen group. The meaningful pain relief continued for 6 hours. The current study successfully demonstrated rapid pain-relieving potential of Lanconone® which was comparable to Ibuprofen. No adverse event related to the interventions was reported in the study. Clinical trials.gov NCT02417506 . 21 January 2015.

Hemiparesis Caused by Cervical Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Hematoma: A Report of 3 Cases

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Kinya Nakanishi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We report three cases of spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH with hemiparesis. The first patient was a 73-year-old woman who presented with left hemiparesis, neck pain, and left shoulder pain. A cervical MRI scan revealed a left posterolateral epidural hematoma at the C3–C6 level. The condition of the patient improved after laminectomy and evacuation of the epidural hematoma. The second patient was a 62-year-old man who presented with right hemiparesis and neck pain. A cervical MRI scan revealed a right posterolateral dominant epidural hematoma at the C6-T1 level. The condition of the patient improved after laminectomy and evacuation of the epidural hematoma. The third patient was a 60-year-old woman who presented with left hemiparesis and neck pain. A cervical MRI scan revealed a left posterolateral epidural hematoma at the C2–C4 level. The condition of the patient improved with conservative treatment. The classical clinical presentation of SSEH is acute onset of severe irradiating back pain followed by progression to paralysis, whereas SSEH with hemiparesis is less common. Our cases suggest that acute cervical spinal epidural hematoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with clinical symptoms of sudden neck pain and radicular pain with progression to hemiparesis.

OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) nerve blocks provide durable pain relief for men with chronic scrotal pain: a pilot open-label trial.

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Khambati, Aziz; Lau, Susan; Gordon, Allan; Jarvi, Keith A

2014-12-01

Chronic scrotal pain (CSP) is a common, often debilitating, condition affecting approximately 4.75% of men. While nerve blocks using local anesthetics usually provide temporary pain relief, there are no publications on the use of longer acting nerve blocks to provide more durable pain relief for men with CSP. The aim of this study was to determine if onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) cord blocks provide durable pain relief for men with CSP. In this pilot open-label study, men with CSP who had failed medical management but experienced temporary pain relief from a standard cord block underwent a cord block with 100U Botox. The outcomes measured were changes 1, 3, and 6 months post-Botox injection in (i) a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) pain score; (ii) scrotal tenderness on a three-point scale as rated by physical examination; and (iii) the Chronic Epididymitis Symptom Index (CESI) to measure the severity and impact of scrotal pain on men. Paired t-tests were used to compare groups. Eighteen patients with CSP seen between April and September 2013 had Botox injected as a cord block. At the 1-month follow-up, pain reduction was reported by 72% of patients (mean VAS score: 7.36 vs. 5.61, P pain reduction and reduced tenderness based on the VAS score (mean: 7.36 vs. 6.02, P pain and tenderness. Our pilot study found that Botox cord blocks provide pain reduction for 3 months or more for most men with CSP. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Early and effective use of ketamine for treatment of phantom limb pain

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Harsha Shanthanna

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Treatment for phantom limb pain is difficult and challenging. There is often suboptimum treatment with fewer than 10% receiving lasting relief. Treatments based broadly on other neuropathic pains may not be appropriate for a clinical success. We report a case of phantom limb pain, which proved resistant to multiple analgesics, including opioids and continuous epidural blockade. Treatment with intravenous (IV ketamine as an alternate day infusion, gave complete remission of phantom limb pain. This demonstrates an early and effective use of a potent NMDA antagonist for treatment of phantom limb pain. Mechanisms underlying phantom limb pain are briefly discussed.

Effect of hydromorphone hydrochloride combined with bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia on serum pain mediators and placental hypoxia molecules after cesarean section

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xiao-Hui Yuan; Jian-Guo Xia; Xiao-Yang Jiang

2017-01-01

Objective:To study the effect of hydromorphone hydrochloride combined with bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia on serum pain mediators and placental hypoxia molecules after cesarean section.Methods: 126 women accepting cesarean section in our hospital between May 2013 and December 2015 were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into two groups, observation group of subjects received hydromorphone hydrochloride combined with bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia and control group of subjects accepted bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. 1, 3 and 5 d after delivery, serum was collected to determine the levels of pain mediators; the placenta tissue was collected to detect the levels of oxidative stress molecules and endoplasmic reticulum stress molecules.Results: 1, 3 and 5 d after delivery, serum substance P (SP),β-endorphin (β-EP), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), nitric oxide (NO) and norepinephrine (NE) levels of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group whileβ-EP levels were significantly higher than those of control group (P<0.05); reactive oxide species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), GRP78, ERdj1, CHOP and ASK1 levels in placenta tissue of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group while glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and vitamin C (VitC) levels were significantly higher than those of control group (P<0.05).Conclusions: Hydromorphone hydrochloride combined with bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia can adjust the pain mediator secretion, relieve postoperative pain and inhibit oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

The role of hydromorphone and OPRM1 in postoperative pain relief with hydrocodone.

Science.gov (United States)

Boswell, Mark V; Stauble, M Elaine; Loyd, Gary E; Langman, Loralie; Ramey-Hartung, Bronwyn; Baumgartner, Richard N; Tucker, William W; Jortani, Saeed A

2013-01-01

Postoperative pain management remains a challenge for clinicians due to unpredictable patient responses to opioid therapy. Some of this variability may result from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the human opioid mu-1 receptor (OPRM1) that modify receptor binding or signal transduction. The OPRM1 variant with the highest frequency is the A118G SNP. However, previous studies have produced inconsistent results regarding the clinical effects of A118G on opioid response. We hypothesized that measurement of serum opioid concentrations, in addition to determining total opioid consumption, may provide a more precise method of assessing the effects of A118G on analgesic response. The current study evaluated the relationship of analgesia, side effects, total hydrocodone consumption, quantitative serum hydrocodone and hydromorphone concentrations, and A118G SNP in postoperative patients following Cesarean section. 158 women scheduled for Cesarean section were enrolled prospectively in the study. The patients had bupivacaine spinal anesthesia for surgery and received intrathcal morphine with the spinal anesthetic or parenteral morphine for the first 24 hours after surgery. Thereafter, patients received hydrocodone/acetaminophen for postoperative pain control. On postoperative day 3, venous blood samples were obtained for OPRM1 A118G genotyping and serum opioid concentrations. 131 (82.9%) of the subjects were homozygous for the 118A allele of OPRM1 (AA) and 27 (17.1%) carried the G allele (AG/GG). By regression analysis, pain relief was significantly associated with total hydrocodone dose in the AA group (P = 0.01), but not in the AG/GG group (P = 0.554). In contrast, there was no association between pain relief and serum hydrocodone concentration in either group. However, pain relief was significantly associated with serum hydromorphone concentration (a metabolite of hydrocodone) in the AA group (P = 0.004), but not in the AG/GG group (P = 0.724). Conversely, side

Evaluating the Efficacy of Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System and Danazol for Relief of Postoperative Pain in Endometriosis.

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Taneja, Ashima; Kaur, Satinder; Soni, R K; Bhanupriya; Kaur, Jaspreet; Singla, Laveen

2017-07-01

Endometriosis is an oestrogen-dependent disorder, manifests during reproductive years and is associated with pain and infertility. There is considerable debate about the effectiveness of various interventions for pain relief. To evaluate the efficacy of Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System (LNG-IUS) and Danazol in postoperative pain relief for patients with endometriosis. Hundred patients with diagnosis of endometriosis, who were treated laparoscopically, entered the study to receive either danazol (600 mg once daily) or LNG-IUS (inserted during immediate post operative period) postsurgery, for pain relief. Patients were analysed for pain relief according to VAS score and recurrence of disease using ultrasonography at third and sixth months of follow up. There were 50% patients in stage IV of endometriosis. Majority of them presented with complaint of infertility (49%) and pelvic pain (43%). It was observed that LNG-IUS was significantly more effective in relieving pain compared to danazol (65.2% vs 38.0%, ppain compared to danazol.

Unusual Spinal Epidural Lipomatosis and Lumbosacral Instability

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David Ruiz Picazo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Epidural lipomatosis is most frequently observed in patients on chronic steroid treatment. Only a few idiopathic epidural lipomatosis cases have been described. Material and Methods. 64-year-old male patient presented with low back pain and left leg pain. Later, the patient experienced neurogenic claudication and radicular pain in the left leg without urinary dysfunction. Plain radiography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an abnormal fat tissue overgrowth in the epidural space with compression of the dural sac, degenerative disc disease at L4-L5 level, and instability at L5-S1. Endocrinopathic diseases and chronic steroid therapy were excluded. If conservative treatment failed, surgical treatment can be indicated. Results. After surgery, there was a gradual improvement in symptoms and signs, and six months later the patient returned to daily activities and was neurologically normal. Conclusion. In the absence of common causes of neurogenic claudication, epidural lipomatosis should be considered. The standard test for the diagnosis of epidural lipomatosis is magnetic resonance (MR. At first, conservative treatment must be considered; weight loss and the suspension of prior corticosteroid therapy are indicated. In the presence of neurological impairment, the operative treatment of wide surgical decompression must be performed soon after diagnosis.

Evaluation of pain relief sufficiency using the Cumulative Analgesic Consumption Score (CACS) and its modification (MACS).

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Frank, Alexander Harald Ralf; Groene, Philipp; von Ehrlich-Treuenstätt, Viktor; Heiliger, Christian; Werner, Jens; Karcz, Konrad

2017-12-01

Postoperative pain is one of the major complications in general and bariatric surgery, associated with ongoing problems such as ileus, pneumonia and prolonged mobilization. In this study, patients undergoing bariatric surgery were analyzed according to their postoperative pain relief regime. In one group patients were treated with a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device, while the other group was treated with oral and intravenous analgesic medication. The aim of this study was to analyze which postoperative pain relief therapy would be more appropriate. We chose the Cumulative Analgesic Consumption Score (CACS) and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain measurement. For better comparison, we performed a modification of CACS according to PCA treatment. We observed better pain relief in the PCA group. Furthermore, we observed an advantage of treatment with laxatives in patients treated with PCA. In conclusion, PCA devices are appropriate instruments for postoperative pain relief in bariatric patients. CACS is a practical tool for postoperative pain measurement, describing individual pain sensation more objectively, although holding further potential in modification.

Spinal epidural empyema in two dogs

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Dewey, C.W.; Kortz, G.D.; Bailey, C.S.

1998-01-01

Extensive, diffuse, epidural spinal cord compression was visualized myelographically in two dogs presented for rapid development of nonambulatory tetraparesis and paraplegia, respectively. Purulent fluid containing bacterial organisms was aspirated percutaneously under fluoroscopic guidance from the epidural space of each dog. One dog responded poorly to aggressive medical therapy, which included installation of an epidural lavage and drainage system. Both dogs were euthanized due to the severe nature of their disorder and the poor prognosis. Spinal epidural empyema (i.e., abscess) is a rare condition in humans and has not been reported previously in the veterinary literature. Spinal epidural empyema should be considered as a differential diagnosis in dogs presenting with painful myelopathies, especially when accompanied by fever

Relief of depression and pain improves daily functioning and quality of life in patients with major depressive disorder.

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Lin, Ching-Hua; Yen, Yung-Chieh; Chen, Ming-Chao; Chen, Cheng-Chung

2013-12-02

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of depression relief and pain relief on the improvement in daily functioning and quality of life (QOL) for depressed patients receiving a 6-week treatment of fluoxetine. A total of 131 acutely ill inpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) were enrolled to receive 20mg of fluoxetine daily for 6 weeks. Depression severity, pain severity, daily functioning, and health-related QOL were assessed at baseline and again at week 6. Depression severity, pain severity, and daily functioning were assessed using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Body Pain Index, and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale. Health-related QOL was assessed by three primary domains of the SF-36, including social functioning, vitality, and general health perceptions. Pearson's correlation and structural equation modeling were used to examine relationships among the study variables. Five models were proposed. In model 1, depression relief alone improved daily functioning and QOL. In model 2, pain relief alone improved daily functioning and QOL. In model 3, depression relief, mediated by pain relief, improved daily functioning and QOL. In model 4, pain relief, mediated by depression relief, improved daily functioning and QOL. In model 5, both depression relief and pain relief improved daily functioning and QOL. One hundred and six patients completed all the measures at baseline and at week 6. Model 5 was the most fitted structural equation model (χ(2) = 8.62, df = 8, p = 0.376, GFI = 0.975, AGFI = 0.935, TLI = 0.992, CFI = 0.996, RMSEA = 0.027). Interventions which relieve depression and pain improve daily functioning and QOL among patients with MDD. The proposed model can provide quantitative estimates of improvement in treating patients with MDD. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of the efficacy of epidural autologous blood patch in the treatment of spontaneous intracranial hypotension and post-dural puncture headache

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Yoon, Sung Hyun; Lee, Jon Woo; Lee, Geun Young; Lee, Eu Gene; Kang, Heung Sik [Dept. of Radiology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of)

2014-04-15

To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of fluoroscopy-guided epidural blood patch (EBP) in patients with post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) and spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH). Between August 2012 and September 2013, 16 patients (12 with PDPH, 4 with SIH; 5 males, 11 females; age range 19-58 years, mean age 32.8 years) who underwent EBP in the Department of Radiology were included in this study. Pain relief within three days after EBP was evaluated based on medical record and classified on a 3-level scale: complete relief; incomplete relief; and failure. Recurrence is defined as aggravated postural headache after three days. We evaluated and compared treatment outcome between PDPH and SIH, using Fisher's exact test (considered as significant when p < 0.05). In 12 PDPH patients, the EBP provided complete relief in 5 patients (41.7%), and incomplete relief in 7 patients (58.3%). In 4 SIH patients, the EBP provided complete relief in 1 patient (25%), and incomplete relief in 3 patients (75%). There was no significant difference (p = 0.511) of pain relief rate between PDPH and SIH. There was recurrence in 5 patients with PDPH and 1 patient with SIH. Five PDPH patients were retreated by EBP with incomplete relief. Fluoroscopy-guided EBP provides effective treatment of postural headache for both SIH and PDPH patients.

Comparison of the efficacy of epidural autologous blood patch in the treatment of spontaneous intracranial hypotension and post-dural puncture headache

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Sung Hyun; Lee, Jon Woo; Lee, Geun Young; Lee, Eu Gene; Kang, Heung Sik

2014-01-01

To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of fluoroscopy-guided epidural blood patch (EBP) in patients with post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) and spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH). Between August 2012 and September 2013, 16 patients (12 with PDPH, 4 with SIH; 5 males, 11 females; age range 19-58 years, mean age 32.8 years) who underwent EBP in the Department of Radiology were included in this study. Pain relief within three days after EBP was evaluated based on medical record and classified on a 3-level scale: complete relief; incomplete relief; and failure. Recurrence is defined as aggravated postural headache after three days. We evaluated and compared treatment outcome between PDPH and SIH, using Fisher's exact test (considered as significant when p < 0.05). In 12 PDPH patients, the EBP provided complete relief in 5 patients (41.7%), and incomplete relief in 7 patients (58.3%). In 4 SIH patients, the EBP provided complete relief in 1 patient (25%), and incomplete relief in 3 patients (75%). There was no significant difference (p = 0.511) of pain relief rate between PDPH and SIH. There was recurrence in 5 patients with PDPH and 1 patient with SIH. Five PDPH patients were retreated by EBP with incomplete relief. Fluoroscopy-guided EBP provides effective treatment of postural headache for both SIH and PDPH patients.

Bilateral CT-guided percutaneous cordotomy for cancer pain relief

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Yegul, I. E-mail: iyegul@med.ege.edu.tr; Erhan, E. E-mail: elvanerhan@yahoo.com

2003-11-01

AIM: CT-guided percutaneous cordotomy is a useful procedure for treating unilateral cancer pain, however, bilateral cordotomy can be required on some occasions. We evaluated the effectiveness and complications of bilateral cordotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-four patients who suffered from unilateral cancer pain underwent CT-guided percutaneous cordotomy. The procedure was repeated in 22 patients, and nine patients had bilateral cordotomy. Effectiveness and complications were recorded after each procedure. RESULTS: Of nine patents (three women and six men) having bilateral percutaneous cordotomy in our study, four patients had mirror pain after the first procedure. In the remaining five patients the contralateral pain was due to new pain sites. The pain scores before and after the first procedure were 9.3 (range 7-10) and 1.2 (range 0-3), respectively. After the first procedure complete or satisfactory pain relief was achieved in all patients. The duration between the two procedures ranged from 7-243 days (mean 59.8 days). The pain scores before and after the second procedure were 8.4 (range 5-10) and 1.6 (range 0-4), respectively. After the second procedure complete or satisfactory pain relief was reported in all patients. There were no complications in four patients. One patient developed transient motor deficit after the first procedure. Other complications (nausea/vomiting, headache, ipsilateral neck pain, postcordotomy dysesthesia) were mild and transient. CONCLUSION: CT-guided percutaneous cordotomy is a useful procedure for the treatment of severe unilateral cancer pain syndromes. The procedure can be repeated on the other side at least 1 week later. These results show that the success on the second side appears to be similar to the first side with low complication rate for both procedures.

Bilateral CT-guided percutaneous cordotomy for cancer pain relief

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yegul, I.; Erhan, E.

2003-01-01

AIM: CT-guided percutaneous cordotomy is a useful procedure for treating unilateral cancer pain, however, bilateral cordotomy can be required on some occasions. We evaluated the effectiveness and complications of bilateral cordotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-four patients who suffered from unilateral cancer pain underwent CT-guided percutaneous cordotomy. The procedure was repeated in 22 patients, and nine patients had bilateral cordotomy. Effectiveness and complications were recorded after each procedure. RESULTS: Of nine patents (three women and six men) having bilateral percutaneous cordotomy in our study, four patients had mirror pain after the first procedure. In the remaining five patients the contralateral pain was due to new pain sites. The pain scores before and after the first procedure were 9.3 (range 7-10) and 1.2 (range 0-3), respectively. After the first procedure complete or satisfactory pain relief was achieved in all patients. The duration between the two procedures ranged from 7-243 days (mean 59.8 days). The pain scores before and after the second procedure were 8.4 (range 5-10) and 1.6 (range 0-4), respectively. After the second procedure complete or satisfactory pain relief was reported in all patients. There were no complications in four patients. One patient developed transient motor deficit after the first procedure. Other complications (nausea/vomiting, headache, ipsilateral neck pain, postcordotomy dysesthesia) were mild and transient. CONCLUSION: CT-guided percutaneous cordotomy is a useful procedure for the treatment of severe unilateral cancer pain syndromes. The procedure can be repeated on the other side at least 1 week later. These results show that the success on the second side appears to be similar to the first side with low complication rate for both procedures

Ibuprofen is superior to paracetamol for pain relief following third molar removal.

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Ferraiolo, Debra M; Veitz-Keenan, Analia

2014-12-01

The Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase and the metaRegister of Controlled Trials were searched with no language restrictions. Randomised controlled double-blinded clinical trials using the third molar model were included. Two review authors independently and in duplicate extracted data. The proportion of patients with at least 50% pain relief (based on total pain relief (TOTPAR) and summed pain intensity difference (SPID) data) was calculated for all three drugs at both two and six hours post-dosing and meta-analysed for comparison. Seven studies involving 2241 patients were included. Two studies were considered to be at low risk of bias, three at high risk and two unclear risk of bias. Ibuprofen was found to be a superior analgesic to paracetamol at several doses, with high quality evidence suggesting that ibuprofen 400 mg is superior to 1000 mg paracetamol based on pain relief (estimated from TOTPAR data) and the use of rescue medication meta-analyses. Risk ratio (RR) for at least 50% pain relief (based on TOTPAR) at six hours was 1.47 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28 to 1.69; five trials) favouring 400 mg ibuprofen over 1000 mg paracetamol, RR for not using rescue medication (also favouring ibuprofen) was 1.50 (95% CI 1.25 to 1.79; four trials). For combined drug RR for at least 50% of the maximum pain relief over six hours of 1.77 (95% CI 1.32 to 2.39) (paracetamol 1000 mg and ibuprofen 400 mg) (one trial; moderate quality evidence). RR not using rescue medication 1.60 (95% CI 1.36 to 1.88) (two trials; moderate quality evidence). Adverse events were comparable between the treatment groups, but no formal analysis could be undertaken. There is high quality evidence that ibuprofen is superior to paracetamol at doses of 200 mg to 512 mg and 600 mg to 1000 mg respectively based on pain relief and use of rescue medication data collected at six hours postoperatively. The

Efficacy and speed of onset of pain relief of fast-dissolving paracetamol on postsurgical dental pain: two randomized, single-dose, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies.

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Yue, Yong; Collaku, Agron; Brown, Jean; Buchanan, William L; Reed, Kenneth; Cooper, Stephen A; Otto, James

2013-09-01

Paracetamol (APAP), also known as acetaminophen, is the most commonly used over-the-counter analgesic for the treatment of mild-to-moderate pain. However, the speed of onset of pain relief is limited mainly to the standard, immediate-release formulation. Efficacy and speed of onset of pain relief are critical in acute pain situations such as postsurgical dental pain, because reducing pain can improve clinical outcome and reduce the risk of transition from acute pain to more chronic pain. Efficacy and rapid onset also reduce the risk of excessive dosing with the analgesic. We sought to investigate the dose-response efficacy and speed of onset of pain relief of a fast-dissolving APAP formulation compared with lower doses of APAP and placebo in dental patients after impacted third molar extraction. Two single-center, single-dose, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group studies (Study I and Study II) were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and speed of onset of pain relief of different doses of a fast-dissolving APAP tablet (FD-APAP), standard APAP, and placebo in patients with postsurgical dental pain following third molar extraction. In Study I, a single dose of FD-APAP 1000 mg, FD-APAP 500 mg, or placebo was given to 300 patients; in Study II, a single dose of FD-APAP 1000 mg, standard APAP 650 mg, or placebo was given to 401 patients. All 701 patients from both studies were included in the analysis and safety assessment. FD-APAP 1000 mg demonstrated significantly greater effect compared with FD-APAP 500 mg, APAP 650 mg, and placebo for all efficacy measurements, including sum of pain relief and pain intensity difference, total pain relief, sum of pain intensity difference, pain intensity difference, and pain relief score during 6 hours after the dose. Onset of confirmed first perceptible relief in subjects treated with FD-APAP 1000 mg was 15 minutes, which was 32% and 25% significantly shorter than onset of pain relief of FD

Effect of hydromorphone hydrochloride combined with bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia on serum pain mediators and placental hypoxia molecules after cesarean section

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Xiao-Hui Yuan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: To study the effect of hydromorphone hydrochloride combined with bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia on serum pain mediators and placental hypoxia molecules after cesarean section. Methods: 126 women accepting cesarean section in our hospital between May 2013 and December 2015 were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into two groups, observation group of subjects received hydromorphone hydrochloride combined with bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia and control group of subjects accepted bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. 1, 3 and 5 d after delivery, serum was collected to determine the levels of pain mediators; the placenta tissue was collected to detect the levels of oxidative stress molecules and endoplasmic reticulum stress molecules. Results: 1, 3 and 5 d after delivery, serum substance P (SP, β-endorphin (β-EP, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, nitric oxide (NO and norepinephrine (NE levels of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group while β-EP levels were significantly higher than those of control group (P<0.05; reactive oxide species (ROS, reactive nitrogen species (RNS, GRP78, ERdj1, CHOP and ASK1 levels in placenta tissue of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group while glutathione peroxidase (GPx, catalase (CAT and vitamin C (VitC levels were significantly higher than those of control group (P<0.05. Conclusions: Hydromorphone hydrochloride combined with bupivacaine combined spinal-epidural anesthesia can adjust the pain mediator secretion, relieve postoperative pain and inhibit oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

'Birthgasm': A Literary Review of Orgasm as an Alternative Mode of Pain Relief in Childbirth.

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Mayberry, Lorel; Daniel, Jacqueline

2016-12-01

Childbirth is a fundamental component of a woman's sexual cycle. The sexuality of childbirth is not well recognized in Western society despite research showing that some women experience orgasm(s) during labor and childbirth. Current thinking supports the view that labor and childbirth are perceived to be physically painful events, and more women are relying on medical interventions for pain relief in labor. This review explores the potential of orgasm as a mode of pain relief in childbirth and outlines the physiological explanations for its occurrence. Potential barriers to sexual expression during childbirth and labor, including the influence of deeply held cultural beliefs about sexuality, the importance of privacy and intimacy in facilitating orgasmic birth experiences, and the value of including prospective fathers in the birthing experience, are discussed. The role of midwives and their perceptions of the use of complementary and alternative therapies for pain relief in labor are examined. While there are indications of widespread use of complementary and alternative therapies such as hydrotherapy, herbal remedies, and breathing techniques for pain relief in childbirth, orgasm was not among those mentioned. Lack of recognition of the sexuality of childbirth, despite findings that orgasm can attenuate the effects of labor pain, suggests the need for greater awareness among expectant parents, educators, and health professionals of the potential of orgasm as a means of pain relief in childbirth. © The Author(s) 2015.

Immediate pain relief by microvascular decompression for idiopathic trigeminal neuralagia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haq, N.U.; Ali, M.; Khan, H.M.; Ishaq, M.; Khattak, M.I.

2016-01-01

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia is a common entity which is managed by neurosurgeons in day to day practice. Up-till now many treatment options have been adopted for it but micro-vascular decompression is much impressive in terms of pain control and recurrence rate in all of them. The objective of study was known the efficacy of micro vascular decompression for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia by using muscle patch in terms of immediate pain relief. Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in Neurosurgery Department lady reading hospital, Peshawar from January 2010 to December 2012. All patients who underwent micro vascular decompression for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia were included in the study. Patients were assessed 72 hours after the surgery by borrow neurological institute pain scale (BNIP scale) for pain relief and findings were documented on predesigned proforma. Data was analysed by SPSS-17. Results: Total 52 patients were included in this study. Among these 32 (61.53 percentage) were female and 20 (38.46 percentage) were males having age from 22-76 years (mean 49 years). Right side was involved in 36 (69.23 percentage) and left side in 16 (30.76 percentage) patients. Duration of symptoms ranged from 6 months to 16 years (mean 8 years). History of dental extraction and peripheral neurectomy was present in 20 (38 percentage) and 3(5.76 percentage) patients while V3 was most commonly involved branch with 28(57.69 percentage) frequency and combined V2,V3 involvement was 1 (11.53 percentage). Superior cerebellar artery was most common offending vessel in 46(88.46 percentage) while arachnoid adhesions were in 2(3.84 percentage) patients. We assessed patient immediate postoperatively using BNIP pain scale. Conclusion: Micro-vascular decompression is most effective mode of treatment for trigeminal neuralgia in terms of immediate pain relief. (author)

Frequency of instrumental vaginal delivery in patients with and without receiving epidural analgesia

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Phool, B.

2013-01-01

Aims and Objectives: Frequency of instrumental vaginal delivery in women receiving epidural analgesia and those who are not receiving.Study Design: It was a cohort study. Duration: 6th month. Results: Majority of the patients were found between 20 - 25 years of age in both A and B groups, in Group - A 46.11% (n = 83) and in Group - B 52.22% (n = 94), mean and standard deviation was calculated 26.21 +- 3.56 in Group - A and 27.34 +- 3.78 in Group - B, comparison of instrumental vaginal delivery reveals 10.55% (n = 19) in Group - A were with instrumental delivery while in Group - B only 2.78% (n = 5) cases were found delivered with instruments.Conclusion: Epidural analgesia is considered to be an effective method of pain relief during labor but due to the higher risk of increased duration of 2nd stage of labour it increases the possibility of instrumental delivery. (author)

Spinal Epidural Haemangioma Associated with Extensive Gastrointestinal Haemangiomas

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Cheng, L.T.E.; Lim, W.E.H.

2005-01-01

Summary A case of spinal epidural cavernous haemangioma associated with gastrointestinal haemangiomas is discussed. The patient was a young Chinese female presenting with chronic lower back pain. She had a history of extensive gastric and small bowel haemangiomas. Lumbar spine MRI showed a heterogeneously enhancing epidural mass infiltrating the paravertebral muscles. Open biopsy confirmed an epidural cavernous haemangioma. To our knowledge, an association between spinal epidural cavernous haemangiomas and gastrointestinal haemangiomas has not been reported. PMID:20584496

[Modification of the analgetic effects (buprenorphine, pentazocine, pethidine) on respiration and haemodynamics by epidural, halothane- or neuroleptanaesthesia (author's transl)].

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Wüst, H J; Moritz, K G; Sandmann, W; Richter, O

1980-04-01

In 38 patients buprenorphine, meperidine and pentazocine were given in a single dose for postoperative pain relief 20 hours after the end of anaesthesia. Measuring the parameters of the high- and low-pressure system as well as the metabolism the authors found that the effects of these analgetic medicaments, intravenously injected were significantly influenced by fentanyl, halothane or diazepam, given under the course of operation. Especially buprenorphine, injected after epidural anaesthesia in combination with diazepam sedation, proved to have a rather negative effect, because it caused a strong depression of respiration and circulation. On the other hand buprenorphine had, given after neuroleptanaesthesia, a neutralizing - and pentazocine and pethidine in combination with neuroleptanaesthesia a stimulating influence on the circulation. After halothane-anaesthesia the effect of the analegtics on the cardiovascular system was, when buprenorphine was given, depressing and when pentazocine was given indifferent. Similar reactions, but more pronounced, could be seen in the epidural group. With certain reservations, caused by the preliminary character of this study, the following conclusions can be drawn for the anaesthetic practice: 1 Choosing analgetic drugs for postoperative pain relief, the anaesthesist has to be aware of the interactions, possibly resulting from the medicaments, given during anaesthesia. 2. The number of medicaments, given during anaesthesia, should be kept small, considering the eventual interactions and the unintentional secondary effects.

Anaesthetic injection versus ischemic compression for the pain relief of abdominal wall trigger points in women with chronic pelvic pain.

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Montenegro, Mary L L S; Braz, Carolina A; Rosa-e-Silva, Julio C; Candido-dos-Reis, Francisco J; Nogueira, Antonio A; Poli-Neto, Omero B

2015-12-01

Chronic pelvic pain is a common condition among women, and 10 to 30 % of causes originate from the abdominal wall, and are associated with trigger points. Although little is known about their pathophysiology, variable methods have been practiced clinically. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of local anaesthetic injections versus ischemic compression via physical therapy for pain relief of abdominal wall trigger points in women with chronic pelvic pain. We conducted a parallel group randomized trial including 30 women with chronic pelvic pain with abdominal wall trigger points. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups. One group received an injection of 2 mL 0.5 % lidocaine without a vasoconstrictor into a trigger point. In the other group, ischemic compression via physical therapy was administered at the trigger points three times, with each session lasting for 60 s, and a rest period of 30 s between applications. Both treatments were administered during one weekly session for four weeks. Our primary outcomes were satisfactory clinical response rates and percentages of pain relief. Our secondary outcomes are pain threshold and tolerance at the trigger points. All subjects were evaluated at baseline and 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the interventions. The study was conducted at a tertiary hospital that was associated with a university providing assistance predominantly to working class women who were treated by the public health system. Clinical response rates and pain relief were significantly better at 1, 4, and 12 weeks for those receiving local anaesthetic injections than ischemic compression via physical therapy. The pain relief of women treated with local anaesthetic injections progressively improved at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after intervention. In contrast, women treated with ischemic compression did not show considerable changes in pain relief after intervention. In the local anaesthetic injection group, pain threshold

The importance of context: When relative relief renders pain pleasant

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Leknes, Siri; Berna, Chantal; Lee, Michael C.; Snyder, Gregory D.; Biele, Guido; Tracey, Irene

2013-01-01

Context can influence the experience of any event. For instance, the thought that “it could be worse” can improve feelings towards a present misfortune. In this study we measured hedonic feelings, skin conductance, and brain activation patterns in 16 healthy volunteers who experienced moderate pain in two different contexts. In the “relative relief context,” moderate pain represented the best outcome, since the alternative outcome was intense pain. However, in the control context, moderate pain represented the worst outcome and elicited negative hedonic feelings. The context manipulation resulted in a “hedonic flip,” such that moderate pain elicited positive hedonics in the relative relief context. Somewhat surprisingly, moderate pain was even rated as pleasant in this context, despite being reported as painful in the control context. This “hedonic flip” was corroborated by physiological and functional neuroimaging data. When moderate pain was perceived as pleasant, skin conductance and activity in insula and dorsal anterior cingulate were significantly attenuated relative to the control moderate stimulus. “Pleasant pain” also increased activity in reward and valuation circuitry, including the medial orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortices. Furthermore, the change in outcome hedonics correlated with activity in the periacqueductal grey (PAG) of the descending pain modulatory system (DPMS). The context manipulation also significantly increased functional connectivity between reward circuitry and the PAG, consistent with a functional change of the DPMS due to the altered motivational state. The findings of this study point to a role for brainstem and reward circuitry in a context-induced “hedonic flip” of pain. PMID:23352758

Anticipation and choice heuristics in the dynamic consumption of pain relief.

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Story, Giles W; Vlaev, Ivo; Dayan, Peter; Seymour, Ben; Darzi, Ara; Dolan, Raymond J

2015-03-01

Humans frequently need to allocate resources across multiple time-steps. Economic theory proposes that subjects do so according to a stable set of intertemporal preferences, but the computational demands of such decisions encourage the use of formally less competent heuristics. Few empirical studies have examined dynamic resource allocation decisions systematically. Here we conducted an experiment involving the dynamic consumption over approximately 15 minutes of a limited budget of relief from moderately painful stimuli. We had previously elicited the participants' time preferences for the same painful stimuli in one-off choices, allowing us to assess self-consistency. Participants exhibited three characteristic behaviors: saving relief until the end, spreading relief across time, and early spending, of which the last was markedly less prominent. The likelihood that behavior was heuristic rather than normative is suggested by the weak correspondence between one-off and dynamic choices. We show that the consumption choices are consistent with a combination of simple heuristics involving early-spending, spreading or saving of relief until the end, with subjects predominantly exhibiting the last two.

Anticipation and Choice Heuristics in the Dynamic Consumption of Pain Relief

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Story, Giles W.; Vlaev, Ivo; Dayan, Peter; Seymour, Ben; Darzi, Ara; Dolan, Raymond J.

2015-01-01

Humans frequently need to allocate resources across multiple time-steps. Economic theory proposes that subjects do so according to a stable set of intertemporal preferences, but the computational demands of such decisions encourage the use of formally less competent heuristics. Few empirical studies have examined dynamic resource allocation decisions systematically. Here we conducted an experiment involving the dynamic consumption over approximately 15 minutes of a limited budget of relief from moderately painful stimuli. We had previously elicited the participants’ time preferences for the same painful stimuli in one-off choices, allowing us to assess self-consistency. Participants exhibited three characteristic behaviors: saving relief until the end, spreading relief across time, and early spending, of which the last was markedly less prominent. The likelihood that behavior was heuristic rather than normative is suggested by the weak correspondence between one-off and dynamic choices. We show that the consumption choices are consistent with a combination of simple heuristics involving early-spending, spreading or saving of relief until the end, with subjects predominantly exhibiting the last two. PMID:25793302

The simple query "Do you want more pain medication?" is not a reliable way to assess acute pain relief in patients in the emergency department.

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Chauny, Jean-Marc; Marquis, Martin; Paquet, Jean; Lavigne, Gilles; Cournoyer, Alexis; Manzini, Christiane; Daoust, Raoul

2018-01-01

The management of acute pain constitutes an essential skill of emergency department (ED) physicians. However, the accurate assessment of pain intensity and relief represents a clinically challenging undertaking. Some studies have proposed to define effective pain relief as the patient's refusal for additional analgesic administration. The aim of this study was to verify whether such a refusal is effectively indicative of pain relief. This prospective cohort study included ED patients who received single or multiple doses of pain medication for an acute pain problem. Patients were evaluated for pain relief using one Likert scale and two dichotomous questions: Is your pain relieved? and Do you want more analgesics? Non-relieved patients were further analysed using a checklist as to the reasons behind their refusal for supplemental pain medication. We have recruited 378 adult patients with a mean age of 50.3 years (±19.1); 60% were women and had an initial mean pain level of 7.3 (±2.0) out of 10. We observed that 68 out of 244 patients who were adequately relieved from pain asked for more analgesics (28%), whereas 51 out of 134 patients who were not relieved from pain refused supplemental drugs (38%). Reasons for refusal included wanting to avoid side effects, feeling sufficiently relieved, and disliking the medication's effects. Over a third of ED patients in acute pain were not relieved but refused supplemental pain medication. Patients have reported legitimate reasons to decline further analgesics, and this refusal cannot be used as an indication of pain relief.

The prevalence and characterization of self-medication for obtaining pain relief among undergraduate nursing students.

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Souza, Layz Alves Ferreira; da Silva, Camila Damázio; Ferraz, Gisely Carvalho; Sousa, Fátima Aparecida Emm Faleiros; Pereira, Lílian Varanda

2011-01-01

This study investigates the prevalence of self-medication among undergraduate nursing students seeking to relieve pain and characterizes the pain and relief obtained through the used medication. This epidemiological and cross-sectional study was carried out with 211 nursing students from a public university in Goiás, GO, Brazil. A numerical scale (0-10) measured pain intensity and relief. The prevalence of self-medication was 38.8%. The source and main determining factor of this practice were the student him/herself (54.1%) and lack of time to go to a doctor (50%), respectively. The most frequently used analgesic was dipyrone (59.8%) and pain relief was classified as good (Md=8.5;Max=10;Min=0). The prevalence of self-medication was higher than that observed in similar studies. Many students reported that relief obtained through self-medication was good, a fact that can delay the clarification of a diagnosis and its appropriate treatment.

A Rare Case: Isolated Testicular and Epidural Abscess Associated with Brucellosis

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Tugce Kalayci

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Coincidence of isolated testicular abscess and epidural-paravertebral abscess is a rare complication of brucellosis. A 24-year-old male patient was admitted to our clinic with 2 months ongoing back pain, night sweats and left scrotal pain. Septal cystic lesion with dense content in the left testis was considered to isolated testicular abscess in scrotal Doppler examination. Multiple spinal epidural and right paraspinal abscess were detected in the spinal magnetic resonance imaging. The patient was treated with drainage of abscess and oral antibiotics. The rare combination of spinal epidural and testicular abscess should be kept in the mind if a patient presented with low back pain and scrotal pain in regions where brucellosis was endemic.

Epidural Analgesia after Rib Fractures.

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Zaw, Andrea A; Murry, Jason; Hoang, David; Chen, Kevin; Louy, Charles; Bloom, Matthew B; Melo, Nicolas; Alban, Rodrigo F; Margulies, Daniel R; Ley, Eric J

2015-10-01

Pain associated with rib fractures impairs respiratory function and increases pulmonary morbidity. The purpose of this study was to determine how epidural catheters alter mortality and complications in trauma patients. We performed a retrospective study involving adult blunt trauma patients with moderate-to-severe injuries from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2013. During the 10-year period, 526 patients met the inclusion criteria; 43/526 (8%) patients had a catheter placed. Mean age of patients with epidural catheter (CATH) was higher compared with patients without epidural catheter (NOCATH) (54 vs 48 years, P = 0.021), Injury Severity Score was similar (26 CATH vs 27 NOCATH, P = 0.84), and CATH had higher mean rib fractures (7.4 vs 4.1, P ribs fractured. The epidural cohort had longer hospital LOS and decreased mortality. In contrast to other studies, DVT rates were increased in patients who received epidural catheters.

Reversibility of lumbar epidural lipomatosis in obese patients after weight-reduction diet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borstlap, A.C.W.; Rooij, W.J.J. van; Sluzewski, M.; Leyten, A.C.M.; Beute, G.

1995-01-01

We present three obese patients with symptomatic lumbar epidural lipomatosis. All three were treated with a calorie-controlled diet and considerable weight reduction was achieved. MRI demonstrated a reduction in the epidural fat and relief of thecal sac compression in all three; two also improved clinically. (orig.). With 3 figs., 1 tab

Determination and Comparison of Neonatal Complications in Painless Epidural Delivery and without Pain Control Qom Izadi Hospital during the Years 2004-5

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N. Tashakorinia

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Background and objectives Provision of standard childbirth facilities has been considered as an important healthcare issue for a long time. The physical and psychological states of mothers are important factors determining the fate of delivery. Therefore, several programs have been established to decrease the mother-child mortality rates and the complications of delivery. One of the most common approaches for controlling the pain of delivery is application of local anesthesia such as epidural, spinal, or a combination of these methods. It has been shown that complications of epidural anesthesia are less than other methods of local anesthesia employed for the painless delivery. In this study, a comparison is made between two groups of 80 neonates delivered by either NVD or EU.Methods A form was designed for collection of data including Apgar score at first minute, need for CPR, NICU admission, FHR variability, breast feeding time, duration of hospital stay, and neonatal reflexes. The data were analyzed by chi-square and fisher tests using SPSS software.Results There was no significant difference between the neonates born by EA or NVD at the 95% confidence level.Conclusion Based on these findings it could be concluded that epidural anesthesia for delivery does not lead to neonatal complications more than that of NVD without pain control. Therefore, this method could be recommended to mothers, who choose elective cesarean section to avoid the pain of childbirth.Keywords: Heart Rate, Fetal ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Intensive care, Neonatal; Anesthesia, Epidural

The search for pain relief in people with chronic fatigue syndrome: a descriptive study.

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Marshall, Rebecca; Paul, Lorna; Wood, Les

2011-07-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use and perceived benefit of complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) and physiotherapy treatments tried by people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) to ease painful symptoms. This study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design. People with CFS who experienced pain were recruited to this study. Participants were asked during a semistructured interview about the treatments they had tried to relieve their pain. Each interview was conducted in the home of the participant. Fifty participants were recruited, of which, 10 participants were severely disabled by CFS. Eighteen participants were trying different forms of CAM treatment for pain relief at the time of assessment. Three participants were currently receiving physiotherapy. Throughout the duration of their illness 45 participants reported trying 19 different CAM treatments in the search for pain relief. Acupuncture was reported to provide the most pain relief (n=16). Twenty-seven participants reported a total of 16 different interventions prescribed by their physiotherapist. The results of this study suggest some physiotherapy and CAM treatments may help people manage painful CFS symptoms. Future research should be directed to evaluating the effectiveness of interventions such as acupuncture or gentle soft tissue therapies to reduce pain in people with CFS.

Phototherapy — a treatment modality for wound healing and pain relief

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Phototherapy — a treatment modality for wound healing and pain relief. D Hawkins, H Abrahamse. Abstract. When applied properly, phototherapy or Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) has proved to be very efficient in relieving pain and improving wound healing. However, until recently there has been a lack of scientific

Predictors of Post-Operative Pain Relief in Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis Undergoing the Frey or Whipple Procedure.

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Sinha, Amitasha; Patel, Yuval A; Cruise, Michael; Matsukuma, Karen; Zaheer, Atif; Afghani, Elham; Yadav, Dhiraj; Makary, Martin A; Hirose, Kenzo; Andersen, Dana K; Singh, Vikesh K

2016-04-01

Post-operative pain relief in chronic pancreatitis (CP) is variable. Our objective was to determine clinical imaging or histopathologic predictor(s) of post-operative pain relief in CP patients undergoing the Whipple or Frey procedure. All patients who underwent a Whipple (n = 30) or Frey procedure (n = 30) for painful CP between January 2003 and September 2013 were evaluated. A toxic etiology was defined as a history of alcohol use and/or smoking. The pre-operative abdominal CT was evaluated for calcification(s) and main pancreatic duct (MPD) dilation (≥5 mm). The post-operative histopathology was evaluated for severe fibrosis. Clinical imaging and histopathologic features were evaluated as predictors of post-operative pain relief using univariable and multivariable regression analysis. A total of 60 patients (age 51.6 years, 53% males) were included in our study, of whom 42 (70%) reported post-operative pain relief over a mean follow-up of 1.1 years. There were 37 (62%) patients with toxic etiology, 36 (60%) each with calcification(s) and MPD dilation. A toxic etiology, calcifications, and severe fibrosis were associated with post-operative pain relief on univariable analysis (all p Whipple or Frey procedure.

Survey of plants popularly used for pain relief in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil

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Eveline D. Stolz

Full Text Available Ethnobotanical data can be an important tool in the search for new drugs. The Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency accepts the registration of herbal medicines based on ethnopharmacological and ethnobotanical studies. With the purpose of increasing the knowledge of potentially useful plants for the treatment of painful conditions, we analyzed the ethnobotanical studies carried out in Rio Grande do Sul state (RS-Southern Brazil; we had access to nineteen studies.To our knowledge, this is the first compilation of ethnobotanical studies that focus on pain relief carried out in RS. The species native to RS cited in at least nine (about 50% of these studies were selected. The search retrieved 28 native species cited as used to alleviate painful conditions, which are distributed in eighteen botanical families, being Asteraceae the most mentioned. The species more frequently cited for pain relief were Achyrocline satureioides, Baccharis articulata, Baccharis crispa, Lepidium didymum, Eugenia uniflora and Maytenus ilicifolia. The only species not reported in any pre-clinical study associated with pain relief was B. articulata. Among the six species cited, no studies on clinical efficacy were found. In conclusion, the folk use of native plants with therapeutic purposes is widespread in RS State (Brazil, being pain relief an important property.

Outcome analysis of two different injection solutions for epidural injection in radicular lumbar backache syndromes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saqib, M.; Mukhtar, M.; Bhatti, S.N; Afridi, E.A.K.; Khan, R.

2017-01-01

Background: Backache is a significant source of disability and suffering in our society. The treatment modalities need continued enhancement in order to achieve the desired goals of lowering morbidity and financial losses while improving the response of the patient. Methods: This prospective comparative study was conducted at the department of Orthopaedics and Spine Surgery, Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar from July 2013 to June 2015. Two interventional groups were designated; Group 1 was comprised of 54 patients who were injected with epidural bupivacaine plus methylprednisolone while Group 2 included 55 patients who were injected with bupivacaine only. Outcome was assessed using the visual analogue scale and Oswestry disability index (ODI). Results: Fifty-five female and 54 male patients with mean age 49.37 years+-10.46 SD, Mean symptoms duration was 15.01 months+-9.32 SD. Common presenting symptoms were backache (77.1 percent), lower limbs pain (66.1 percent), dermatomal paresthesias (54.1 percent) and neurogenic claudication in 57.8 percent patients. The mean visual analogue score (VAS) after injection was 3.18+-1.29 while mean ODI after injection was 23.615. There was a statistically significant reduction in VAS scores (2-sided p=0.003, OR =4.03, 95 percent CI: 1.535-10.60) following the injection. Conclusion: An epidural spinal injection is a viable option for achieving relief of pain and improves functioning in individuals with radicular backache. However, further research is advised in order to clarify the role of ESI for long-term relief. (author)

RANDOMISED CONTROLLED STUDY COMPARING A 0.75% ROPIVACAINE TO A CONVENTIONAL DOSE OF HYPERBARIC BUPIVACAINE FOR CESARIAN SECTION BY EPIDURAL ANALGESIA

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Porika

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Central neuraxial blocked is one of the safest and efficacious methods of anaesthesia and analgesia. It has the added advantage of prolonged pain relief into the postoperative period. Epidural analgesia has increased steadily in popularity when compared to spinal anaesthes ia due to its neurological consequences and improved post - operative analgesia with epidural Opioids and as a consequence decreased side effects and prolonged the duration of analgesia. Present study is undertaken to compare hemodynamic and analgesic charac teristics using a 0.75% ropivacaine to a conventional dose of 0.5% bupivacaine for cesarean section under epidural anaesthesia. This study was conducted in ASA Grade I 50 singleton parturient to compare hemodynamics, APGAR scores and analgesic characterist ics of ropivacaine and bupivacaine. We have observed that the onset of sensory blockade was slower with ropivacaine and the duration of sensory blockade was also less. Whereas there was no significant change in haemodynamics and APGAR scores with both the drugs.

Music therapy in relief of pain in oncology patients

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Mariana Franco

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate the perception of oncology patients with chronic pain as to the effects of music in alleviating pain, to identify if there are changes in the vital signs of these patients before and after the musicotherapy session, and to identify whether the intensity of pain is diminished after the music session as per an analogic scale of pain. Methods: This level II, descriptive-exploratory and cross-sectional study used a quantitative and qualitative approach. The sample consisted of ten oncology patients with chronic pain. Rresults: There was a reduction in vital signs and in intensity of pain in ten patients of the sample; after the music sessions, the patients reported a sensation of relief of pain, relaxation, and a belief in the power of music as a supplementary therapy. Cconclusions: Music showed an influence in reducing vital signs and pain intensity, and the patients perceived a reduction of pain and anxiety, and began to believe in music as a form of therapy.

Paracetamol vs dexketoprofen for perineal pain relief after episiotomy or perineal tear.

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Akil, A; Api, O; Bektas, Y; Yilmaz, A Onan; Yalti, S; Unal, O

2014-01-01

A randomised controlled trial was conducted to investigate efficacy of paracetamol and dexketoprofen trometamol for perineal pain relief after perineal repair. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive two doses of either 50 mg of intravenous dexketoprofen trometamol via slow i.v. infusion (Group I, n = 49) or 1,000 mg of paracetamol via intravenous infusion (Group II, n = 46). The main outcome measure was a VAS (visual analogue scale) for pain recorded at 1 h (VAS 1). A total of 82 patients were included in the final analysis (Group I, n = 41; Group II, n = 41). There was no difference among groups in terms of pain scores at the beginning (VAS 0). The pain was decreased in 70% of the patients in Group I and in 62% of the patients in Group II (p = 0.502). Both paracetamol and dexketoprofen are effective in perineal pain relief after episiotomy or perineal tear repair.

Imaging Determinants of Clinical Effectiveness of Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections.

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Maus, Timothy P; El-Yahchouchi, Christine A; Geske, Jennifer R; Carter, Rickey E; Kaufmann, Timothy J; Wald, John T; Diehn, Felix E

2016-12-01

To examine associations between imaging characteristics of compressive lesions and patient outcomes after lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESIs) stratified by steroid formulation (solution versus suspension). Retrospective observational study, academic radiology practice. A 516-patient sample was selected from 2,634 consecutive patients receiving lumbar TFESI for radicular pain. The advanced imaging study(s) preceding sampled TFESI were reviewed. Compressive lesions were described by a) nature of the lesion [disc herniation, fixed stenosis, synovial cyst, epidural fibrosis, no lesion] b) degree of neural compression [4 part scale], and c) presence of a tandem lesion. Associations between 2-month categorical outcomes (responder rates for pain, functional recovery) and imaging characteristics, stratified by steroid formulation, were examined with chi-squared tests of categorical outcomes and multivariable logistic regression models. Disc herniation patients had more responders for functional recovery than patients with fixed lesions (54% versus 38%, P = 0.01). Patients with fixed lesions receiving steroid solution (dexamethasone) had more responders for pain relief, with a similar trend for functional recovery, than patients receiving suspensions (59% versus 40%, P = 0.01). Outcomes for patients with fixed lesions treated with dexamethasone were not statistically different from those for disc herniation patients. Patients with single compressive lesions had more responders than those with tandem lesions (55% versus 41%, P = 0.03). In the entire sample, outcomes for disc herniations were more favorable than for fixed lesions. However, fixed lesions treated with dexamethasone had outcomes indistinguishable from disc herniations. Single lesions had better outcomes than tandem lesions. © 2016 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Knowledge of and attitude towards pain relief during labour of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study determined women's knowledge of and attitudes to pain relief during labour. Methods ... Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa .... Breathing exercises. 25.

The prevalence and characterization of self-medication for obtaining pain relief among undergraduate nursing students

OpenAIRE

Souza,Layz Alves Ferreira; Silva,Camila Damázio da; Ferraz,Gisely Carvalho; Sousa,Fátima Aparecida Emm Faleiros; Pereira,Lílian Varanda

2011-01-01

This study investigates the prevalence of self-medication among undergraduate nursing students seeking to relieve pain and characterizes the pain and relief obtained through the used medication. This epidemiological and cross-sectional study was carried out with 211 nursing students from a public university in Goiás, GO, Brazil. A numerical scale (0-10) measured pain intensity and relief. The prevalence of self-medication was 38.8%. The source and main determining factor of this practice were...

Effectiveness of Acupressure Treatment for Pain Management and Fatigue Relief in Gulf War Veterans

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2016-10-01

only one site – Cleveland Clinic Foundation. No cost extension of a 12-months of period has been submitted. Study Advertisements The online ads...other documentation. Effectiveness of Acupressure Treatment for Pain Management and Fatigue Relief in Gulf War Veterans REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE...2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Effectiveness of Acupressure Treatment for Pain Management and Fatigue Relief in Gulf War Veterans 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b

Pain Relief in Labor: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Conclusions: This study showed that 600 mg intramuscular paracetamol provides similar and modest pain relief in labor when compared to 100 mg intramuscular tramadol. It also has fewer maternal adverse effects and favorable neonatal outcome such as tramadol. It is concluded that intramuscular paracetamol is simple, ...

A novel and effective acupuncture modality as a complementary therapy to acute pain relief in inpatients with rib fractures.

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Ho, Hsin-Yi; Chen, Chao-Wei; Li, Ming-Chieh; Hsu, Yu-Pao; Kang, Shih-Ching; Liu, Erh-Hao; Lee, Ko-Hung

2014-01-01

Pain control has been emphasized as a priority for both practitioners and inpatients with rib fractures, since analgesia could only offer limited relief from severe pain. A prospective and randomized controlled trial was conducted to analyze the efficacy and efficiency of acupuncture in acute pain relief for inpatients with rib fractures. A total of 58 inpatients were recruited and allocated to two groups, receiving identical doses of conventional oral analgesics as well as filiform needles as treatment and thumbtack intradermal (TI) needles placed upon the skin surface as a control, respectively, via novel acupuncture modality once daily for three consecutive days. The effect of pain relief was evaluated during activities that induce pain, and sustained maximal inspiration (SMI) lung volumes and sleep quality were assessed. The patients treated with filiform needles had more effective pain relief than those in the TI needle group during deep breathing, coughing, and turning over the body (p pain relief via acupuncture. The active evaluation could provide a more adaptive model for assessing pain intensity due to rib fractures. This novel acupuncture modality in which the needle insertion sites are corresponding to the pain spots can be a safe and viable therapy for relieving pain in inpatients with rib fractures.

Caudal epidural anesthesia during intracavitary brachytherapy for cervical cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isoyama-Shirakawa, Yuko; Abe, Madoka; Nakamura, Katsumasa

2015-01-01

It has been suggested that pain control during intracavitary brachytherapy for cervical cancer is insufficient in most hospitals in Japan. Our hospital began using caudal epidural anesthesia during high-dose-rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy in 2011. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively investigate the effects of caudal epidural anesthesia during HDR intracavitary brachytherapy for cervical cancer patients. Caudal epidural anesthesia for 34 cervical cancer patients was performed during HDR intracavitary brachytherapy between October 2011 and August 2013. We used the patients' self-reported Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score at the first session of HDR intracavitary brachytherapy as a subjective evaluation of pain. We compared NRS scores of the patients with anesthesia with those of 30 patients who underwent HDR intracavitary brachytherapy without sacral epidural anesthesia at our hospital between May 2010 and August 2011. Caudal epidural anesthesia succeeded in 33 patients (97%), and the NRS score was recorded in 30 patients. The mean NRS score of the anesthesia group was 5.17 ± 2.97, significantly lower than that of the control group's 6.80 ± 2.59 (P = 0.035). The caudal epidural block resulted in no side-effects. Caudal epidural anesthesia is an effective and safe anesthesia option during HDR intracavitary brachytherapy for cervical cancer. (author)

Predictors of Pain Relief Following Spinal Cord Stimulation in Chronic Back and Leg Pain and Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis

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Taylor, Rod S; Desai, Mehul J; Rigoard, Philippe; Taylor, Rebecca J

2014-01-01

We sought to assess the extent to which pain relief in chronic back and leg pain (CBLP) following spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is influenced by patient-related factors, including pain location, and technology factors. A number of electronic databases were searched with citation searching of included papers and recent systematic reviews. All study designs were included. The primary outcome was pain relief following SCS, we also sought pain score (pre- and post-SCS). Multiple predictive factors were examined: location of pain, history of back surgery, initial level of pain, litigation/worker's compensation, age, gender, duration of pain, duration of follow-up, publication year, continent of data collection, study design, quality score, method of SCS lead implant, and type of SCS lead. Between-study association in predictive factors and pain relief were assessed by meta-regression. Seventy-four studies (N = 3,025 patients with CBLP) met the inclusion criteria; 63 reported data to allow inclusion in a quantitative analysis. Evidence of substantial statistical heterogeneity (P pain relief following SCS was noted. The mean level of pain relief across studies was 58% (95% CI: 53% to 64%, random effects) at an average follow-up of 24 months. Multivariable meta-regression analysis showed no predictive patient or technology factors. SCS was effective in reducing pain irrespective of the location of CBLP. This review supports SCS as an effective pain relieving treatment for CBLP with predominant leg pain with or without a prior history of back surgery. Randomized controlled trials need to confirm the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of SCS in the CLBP population with predominant low back pain. PMID:23834386

The Use of Analgesic and Other Pain-Relief Drugs to Manage Chronic Low Back Pain: Results from a National Survey.

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Gouveia, Nélia; Rodrigues, Ana; Ramiro, Sofia; Eusébio, Mónica; Machado, Pedro M; Canhão, Helena; Branco, Jaime C

2017-03-01

To analyze and characterize the intake profile of pain-relief drugs in a population-based study of adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP). EpiReumaPt was a cross-sectional Portuguese population-based study (10,661 subjects). Self-reported active CLBP was considered to be low back pain on the day of enrollment and for ≥ 90 days. Prevalence and profile of analgesic intake was characterized among those self-reporting active CLBP, taking into account the intensity of pain and the World Health Organization (WHO) analgesic ladder. We further investigated whether the presence of active CLBP was a factor independently associated with the intake of analgesics (adjusted for potential confounders). Among 1,487 subjects with active CLBP, only 18.7% were using analgesic/pain-relief drugs. Estimated prevalence was anxiolytics, 14.1%; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), 12.3%; antidepressants, 10.1%; analgesic, antipyretics, 6.6%; anticonvulsants, 3.4%; central muscle relaxants, 2.6%; and analgesic opioids, 1.6%. Most subjects with severe pain were in the first step of the WHO analgesic ladder: NSAIDs plus anxiolytics (4.6%), NSAIDs plus antidepressants (3.2%), or NSAIDs plus muscle relaxants (2.5%). The presence of active CLBP was significantly associated with the intake of all therapeutic groups: antidepressants (odds ratio [OR] = 12.56; P pain-relief drug intake in patients with active CLBP was very low, even for those with severe pain. The WHO analgesic ladder was carefully followed, with an extremely conservative use of analgesic opioids even for those with severe pain. © 2016 World Institute of Pain.

Audiovisual distraction for pain relief in paediatric inpatients: A crossover study.

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Oliveira, N C A C; Santos, J L F; Linhares, M B M

2017-01-01

Pain is a stressful experience that can have a negative impact on child development. The aim of this crossover study was to examine the efficacy of audiovisual distraction for acute pain relief in paediatric inpatients. The sample comprised 40 inpatients (6-11 years) who underwent painful puncture procedures. The participants were randomized into two groups, and all children received the intervention and served as their own controls. Stress and pain-catastrophizing assessments were initially performed using the Child Stress Scale and Pain Catastrophizing Scale for Children, with the aim of controlling these variables. The pain assessment was performed using a Visual Analog Scale and the Faces Pain Scale-Revised after the painful procedures. Group 1 received audiovisual distraction before and during the puncture procedure, which was performed again without intervention on another day. The procedure was reversed in Group 2. Audiovisual distraction used animated short films. A 2 × 2 × 2 analysis of variance for 2 × 2 crossover study was performed, with a 5% level of statistical significance. The two groups had similar baseline measures of stress and pain catastrophizing. A significant difference was found between periods with and without distraction in both groups, in which scores on both pain scales were lower during distraction compared with no intervention. The sequence of exposure to the distraction intervention in both groups and first versus second painful procedure during which the distraction was performed also significantly influenced the efficacy of the distraction intervention. Audiovisual distraction effectively reduced the intensity of pain perception in paediatric inpatients. The crossover study design provides a better understanding of the power effects of distraction for acute pain management. Audiovisual distraction was a powerful and effective non-pharmacological intervention for pain relief in paediatric inpatients. The effects were

Experiences and unmet needs of women with physical disabilities for pain relief during labor and delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Long-Bellil, Linda; Mitra, Monika; Iezzoni, Lisa I; Smeltzer, Suzanne C; Smith, Lauren D

2017-07-01

Childbirth is widely acknowledged as one of the most painful experiences most women will undergo in their lifetimes. Alleviating labor and delivery pain for women with physical disabilities can involve an additional level of complexity beyond that experienced by most women, but little research has explored their experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of women with physical disabilities with respect to pain relief during labor and delivery with the goal of informing their care. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with twenty-five women with physical disabilities from across the United States. Women expressed specific preferences for the method of pain relief. Some confronted systemic barriers in exploring their options for pain relief, while others were given a choice. At times, anesthesiologists lacked knowledge and experience in caring for women with disabilities. Conversely, some women described how the administration of anesthesia was meticulously planned and attributed their positive labor and delivery experiences to this careful planning. Advanced, individualized planning and evaluation of their options for pain relief was most satisfying to women and enabled them to make an informed choice. This approach is consistent with the recommendations of clinicians who have successfully provided pain relief during labor to women with complex physical disabilities. Clinicians who have successfully delivered babies of women with these and similar disabilities emphasize the importance of a team approach where the anesthesiologist and other specialists are involved early on in a woman's care. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An audit of aspects of informed consent and pain relief in general ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

They were asked what they knew or had been informed about their diagnosis, operation and complications of surgery. On pain relief, patients were asked about their experiences on the first post-operative day and what relief they had from analgesics. Twenty four did not know the diagnosis and 36 were not told what ...

Endogenous opioid activity in the anterior cingulate cortex is required for relief of pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Navratilova, Edita; Xie, Jennifer Yanhua; Meske, Diana; Qu, Chaoling; Morimura, Kozo; Okun, Alec; Arakawa, Naohisa; Ossipov, Michael; Fields, Howard L; Porreca, Frank

2015-05-06

Pain is aversive, and its relief elicits reward mediated by dopaminergic signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a part of the mesolimbic reward motivation pathway. How the reward pathway is engaged by pain-relieving treatments is not known. Endogenous opioid signaling in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), an area encoding pain aversiveness, contributes to pain modulation. We examined whether endogenous ACC opioid neurotransmission is required for relief of pain and subsequent downstream activation of NAc dopamine signaling. Conditioned place preference (CPP) and in vivo microdialysis were used to assess negative reinforcement and NAc dopaminergic transmission. In rats with postsurgical or neuropathic pain, blockade of opioid signaling in the rostral ACC (rACC) inhibited CPP and NAc dopamine release resulting from non-opioid pain-relieving treatments, including peripheral nerve block or spinal clonidine, an α2-adrenergic agonist. Conversely, pharmacological activation of rACC opioid receptors of injured, but not pain-free, animals was sufficient to stimulate dopamine release in the NAc and produce CPP. In neuropathic, but not sham-operated, rats, systemic doses of morphine that did not affect withdrawal thresholds elicited CPP and NAc dopamine release, effects that were prevented by blockade of ACC opioid receptors. The data provide a neural explanation for the preferential effects of opioids on pain affect and demonstrate that engagement of NAc dopaminergic transmission by non-opioid pain-relieving treatments depends on upstream ACC opioid circuits. Endogenous opioid signaling in the ACC appears to be both necessary and sufficient for relief of pain aversiveness. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/357264-08$15.00/0.

Antioxidant therapy for pain relief in patients with chronic pancreatitis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Guo-Hong; Huang, Jing; Zhao, Yan; Chen, Jing; Wu, Huang-Hui; Dong, Yu-Lin; Smith, Howard S; Li, Yun-Qing; Wang, Wen; Wu, Sheng-Xi

2013-01-01

Currently, there is no specific therapy for chronic pancreatitis (CP). The treatment of micronutrient antioxidant therapy for painful CP has been sporadically used for more than 30 years, however, its efficacy are still poorly understood. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to investigate the safety and efficacy of antioxidant therapy for pain relief in patients with CP. University Hospital in China Systematic review and meta-analysis Two authors independently reviewed the search results and extracted data and disagreements were resolved by discussion. Effects were summarized using standardized mean differences (SMDs), weighted mean differences, or odds ratio (OR) according to the suitable effect model. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials  were searched from 1980 through December 2012. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that studied antioxidant supplementation for pain relief in patients with CP were analyzed. Nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 390 patients were included. Overall, there was no association of antioxidant therapy with pain reduction in CP patients (SMD, -0.55; 95% CI, -1.22 to 0.12; P = 0.67). However, antioxidant therapy significantly increased blood levels of antioxidants in CP patients versus the placebo group (SMD, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.43; P pain relief (SMD, -0.93; 95% CI, -1.72 to -0.14; P = 0.02), while the trials in which a single antioxidant was used revealed no significant pain relief (SMD, -0.12; 95% CI, -1.23 to 0.99; P = 0.83) in CP patients. Strong evidence was obtained that the antioxidants increased adverse effects (OR, 6.09; 95% CI, 2.29 to 16.17, P pain relief in CP patients. Measures of total antioxidant status may not help to monitor the efficacy of antioxidant therapy for patients with CP.

Non-invasive nursing technologies for pain relief during childbirth--the Brazilian nurse midwives' view.

Science.gov (United States)

Vargens, Octavio M C; Silva, Alexandra C V; Progianti, Jane M

2013-11-01

to describe the non-invasive care technologies most frequently used by nurse midwives to relieve childbirth pain, and provide a synthesis of studies published by Brazilian nurse midwives on the use of such technologies. a systematic literature review focusing on the non-invasive pain relief strategies used by nurse midwives in Brazil. Surveys of three databases (BDENF, CINAHL and MEDLINE) were conducted between 2002 and 2012. The inclusion criteria were: (1) full-text article available; (2) published between 2002 and 2012; (3) written by Brazilian nurse midwives, and (4) fitting the descriptors: childbirth pain; non-invasive technologies; labour; and pain relief. For purposes of analysis, the technologies mentioned were classified into four main categories of support as they relate to environment, position, tactile stimulation, and energy level. we located 21 scientific articles that met the inclusion criteria and addressed the non-invasive technologies that nurse midwives use to provide pain relief during labour. The technologies most used was: stimulation of breathing and relaxation; use of massage with essential oils; encouraging freedom to move, to walk and the free choice for vertical positioning; use of showers and baths; use of birth ball. Brazilian nurse midwives have made efforts to focus care during delivery on the parturient. By studying and publishing about the non-invasive care technologies they have strengthened de-medicalised knowledge, based on scientific evidence and good outcomes in pain relief during labour. the study presented ideas towards improved theoretical foundations and strategies for establishing practice consonant with humanised care. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Human milk for neonatal pain relief during ophthalmoscopy

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Laiane Medeiros Ribeiro

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Ophthalmoscopy performed for the early diagnosis of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP is painful for preterm infants, thus necessitating interventions for minimizing pain. The present study aimed to establish the effectiveness of human milk, compared with sucrose, for pain relief in premature infants subjected to ophthalmoscopy for the early diagnosis of ROP. This investigation was a pilot, quasi-experimental study conducted with 14 premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU of a university hospital. Comparison between the groups did not yield a statistically significant difference relative to the crying time, salivary cortisol, or heart rate (HR. Human milk appears to be as effective as sucrose in relieving acute pain associated with ophthalmoscopy. The study’s limitations included its small sample size and lack of randomization. Experimental investigations with greater sample power should be performed to reinforce the evidence found in the present study.

IMPACT OF INTERFERENTIAL CURRENT ON PAIN RELIEF AMONG PATIENTS WITH ORCHIALGIA

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Hany M.I. Elgohary

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Scrotal discomfort can contribute to unusual impact on body scheme and result in behavioral alterations, as well as changes in sexual function such as delay of sexual ability that may affect both man and his companion. There are many physiotherapy modalities to reduce the intratesticular pain such as pelvic floor muscle training, hydrotherapy, ultrasound and electrotherapy. Interferential current therapy is a noninvasive therapy used to reduce acute and chronic, post-operative and post-trauma acute pain. It provides a safe and effective alternative to pharmacological approaches to pain control. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of interferential current in alleviating testicular pain. Methods: Randomized clinical study conducted on 50 participants. They divided into two equal groups: Group A received interferential current with two electrodes placed over the upper medial aspects of thighs and the other two electrodes were positioned over the suprapubic area. While group B received placebo interferential current. The treatment protocol was applied 3 times/ week for six successive weeks, in a total of 18 sessions. Patients were evaluated before and after the six weeks of the treatment by visual analogue scale and pain intensity while pain relief scale was measured after the treatment. Results: Group A showed a significant pain improvement in both inter and intra group comparison in all measured parameters (visual analogue scale and pain intensity while pain relief scale (p <0.05. Conclusion: The findings show that interferential current is an effective modality and can be recommended for the treatment of testicular pain.

Pentazocine Pain Relief in Adult Patients With Acute Abdominal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

jen

on pain relief, diagnostic accuracy and treatment decisions in patients with acute ... With level of power at 80% and a 5% significance level, a ... 72 hours` duration and were judged by the attending physician to require surgical consultation. .... Clinically Important Differences Between Pre Injection, Post Injection and Final ...

Spinal Epidural Haemangioma Associated with Extensive Gastrointestinal Haemangiomas: A Case Report

OpenAIRE

Cheng, L.T.E.; Lim, W.E.H.

2005-01-01

A case of spinal epidural cavernous haemangioma associated with gastrointestinal haemangiomas is discussed. The patient was a young Chinese female presenting with chronic lower back pain. She had a history of extensive gastric and small bowel haemangiomas. Lumbar spine MRI showed a heterogeneously enhancing epidural mass infiltrating the paravertebral muscles. Open biopsy confirmed an epidural cavernous haemangioma. To our knowledge, an association between spinal epidural cavernous haemangiom...

Timing of administration of epidural analgesia and risk of operative delivery in nulliparous women: A case–control randomised study

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Ipsita Chattopadhyay

2018-01-01

Full Text Available >Background and Aim: Epidural analgesia (EA offers an effective form of labour analgesia. The time of administration of EA and its relationship with the mode of delivery is controversial. Our study tried to assess whether early initiation of epidural analgesia influences the obstetric outcome in nulliparous women.Materials and Methods: This was a case control, randomised study which included 60 parturients in spontaneous labour divided into two equal groups, the cases and controls. Cases received EA with 10 mL of 0.125% injection bupivacaine, whereas the control group received a systemic opioid (injection pethidine 100 mg intramuscularly for pain relief. Cases were further divided into parturients receiving EA at a cervical dilatation of 3 cm or less classified as the early epidural group and those receiving EA at 4 cm or more classified as the late epidural group. The modes of delivery for the study population were recorded. Data analysis was done using Wilcoxon two-sample test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The rate of instrumental vaginal delivery between the early epidural group [95% confidence interval (CI 0.358–10.821; P = 0.43] and late epidural group (95% CI 0.150–6.055; P = 0.96 was not significantly different. The cesarean-delivery rate was also not significantly different between those receiving early EA (P = 0.95 and late EA (P = 0.58 when compared with control group.Conclusion: This study showed no significant difference in the incidence of caesarean or instrumental delivery for women receiving early epidural analgesia when compared with late epidurals or no EA.

Comparing the effects of epidural methylprednisolone acetate injected in patients with pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis or herniated disks: a prospective study

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Gharibi F

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Jafar Mobaleghi1, Faramarz Allahdini2, Karim Nasseri3, Behzad Ahsan3, Shoaleh Shami4, Mansour Faizi5, Fardin Gharibi51Department of Surgery, 2Department of Neurosurgery, 3Department of Anesthesia, 4Faculty of Nursing, 5Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Kurdistan, IranObjective: Satisfactory results have been seen with epidural steroid injections (ESI in patients with herniated disks (HD, but the role in lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS has been less investigated. We compared long-term effects of ESI in HD and LSS patients.Methods: In a prospective, single-blind uncontrolled study, 60 patients with radicular pain due to HD (n = 32 or LSS (n = 28 were enrolled over a 9-month period. Methylprednisolone acetate 80 mg plus 0.5% bupivacaine 10 mg were diluted in normal saline up to a total volume of 10 mL, and injected into the epidural space. The amount of pain based on numeric pain score, level of activity, and subjective improvement were reported by patients after 2 and 6 months by telephone. Demographic data were analyzed with the chi-square test. The differences in numeric pain scale scores between the two groups at different times were analyzed with the t-test.Results: There were no differences between HD and LSS patients regarding age, sex, and average duration of pain prior to ESI. The degree of pain was significantly higher in LSS patients in comparison with HD patients in the pre-injection period. The amount of pain was significantly reduced in both groups 2 months after injection. This pain reduction period lasted for 6 months in the HD group, but to a lesser extent in LSS patients (P < 0.05.Discussion: Epidural methylprednisolone injection has less analgesic effect in LSS, with less permanent effect in comparison with HD.Keywords: methylprednisolone acetate, lumbar spinal stenosis, herniated disk

Introducing a patient-controlled analgesia-based acute pain relief ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The 10 months after the introduction of the first acute pain relief service (APRS) in southern Africa is described. Seven hundred patients were treated with morphine by means of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), administered to patients after major surgery or extensive burns via the intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (SC) ...

Testing the impact of a multimedia video CD of patient-controlled analgesia on pain knowledge and pain relief in patients receiving surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsing-Hsia; Yeh, Mei-Ling; Yang, Hui-Ju

2005-07-01

This study aimed to develop a multimedia video CD (VCD) of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) and test its effects on pain knowledge and pain relief in patients receiving surgery. This multimedia VCD of PCA was created to convey fundamental knowledge to both patients and their family members and help patients properly utilize PCA devices to relieve pain and improve recovery. The content of multimedia VCD of PCA included pre-admission pain education, introduction of PCA, nursing care procedures, and questions and answers. This study used a quasi-experimental research design to test effects of the multimedia education program in the experimental group of 30 subjects compared to the control subjects of equal number (without the multimedia VCD of PCA). (1) The intervention of multimedia VCD of PCA resulted in a statistically significant difference in pain knowledge between the experimental and control groups. (2) Subjects in the experimental group obtained a better outcome of pain relief compared to control subjects. (3) Subjects in the experimental group indicated that the multimedia VCD of PCA indeed helped them effectively operate their PCA devices to relieve surgery pain. The clinical application of the multimedia VCD of PCA could help patients improve knowledge on pain, learn how to use PCA devices, achieve proper pain relief, and increase effectiveness of recovery activities.

Pain relief in labour: tramadol versus pentazocine

OpenAIRE

Kavita Chandnani; H. B. Sainee

2013-01-01

Background: The present study was undertaken to compare the effect of 100 mg intramuscular tramadol to 30 mg intramuscular Pentazocine for labour analgesia. Methods: A total of 60 cases with 37-40 weeks pregnancy in labour, without any foetal or maternal complications were selected. Out of them Inj. Tramadol was given to 30 cases while rest of the 30 patients received injection Pentazocine. Results: In Tramadol group pain relief was observed in 80% cases, effect started as early as 7-8 min an...

OUR EXPERIENCE WITH EPIDURAL LABOUR ANALGESIA

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Uršula Reš Muravec

2003-12-01

, headache, a drop in blood pressure were not increased in none of the regional analgesia technique group.Conclusions. Since regional analgesic techniques offer excellent labour pain relief with minimal adverse effects on labour outcome, it is reasonable to proceed using them in the future, as well as to thoroughly inform the parturient about this effective method of pain relief prior to labour.

Epidural extramedullary haemopoiesis in thalassaemia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyacigil, S.; Ali, A.; Ardic, S.; Yuksel, E.

2002-01-01

lntrathoracic extramedullary haematopoiesis is a rare condition. Involvement of the spinal epidural space with haematopoietic tissue is rather unusual. A 31-year-old-man with a known diagnosis of β-thalassaemia was referred with focal back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed diffuse bone-marrow changes, thoracic paraspinal masses and lobulated epidural masses, suggesting extramedullary haemopoiesis. The patient was treated with radiotherapy and blood transfusions. Follow-up MRI was performed for evaluation efficacy of the treatment. Copyright (2002) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd

Effectiveness of paracervical block for pain relief in women undergoing hysterosalpingography

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Shikha Jain

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To evaluate the potential benefit, in terms of pain relief, of the paracervical block with 2% lignocaine in women undergoing hysterosalpingography (HSG. Study Design: This study was a prospective randomized controlled study. Settings: This study was conducted in infertility clinic of a tertiary care center. Materials and Methods: Four hundred and six patients undergoing HSG as a part of infertility evaluation were included in the study. These women were randomized into two groups: Group I received paracervical block with 2% lignocaine at the time of HSG (n = 53 and Group II (n = 53 served as control. Hyoscine (10 mg oral tablet was given to all the patients 30 min before the procedure. Pain perception during the procedure was analyzed by the patient between 0 and 10 on a numeric rating scale, immediately after HSG. Results: The baseline demographic characteristics of participants in two groups were similar. Mean pain score immediately after HSG in the study group and control group was 4.84 ± 2.56 and 5.21 ± 1.89, respectively (P = 0.21. Conclusions : There is no benefit of paracervical block with 2% lignocaine, in terms of pain relief, in women undergoing HSG.

Multiple cutaneous leiomyomas: Pain relief with pulsed hysocine butyl bromide

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Kaliyadan Feroze

2009-01-01

Full Text Available A 35-year-old male patient presented to our outpatient department, complaining of multiple, raised skin lesions on the forehead and back, associated with intermittent pain, especially on exposure to cold. A diagnosis of cutaneous leiomyoma (type 2 segmental was made, which was confirmed by skin biopsy. The patient was started on a trial of pulsed Hyoscine Butyl bromide tablets, following which the patient had significant relief from pain associated with the lesions.

Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma: a case report and review of the literature; Hematoma epidural cervical espontaneo: a proposito de un caso y revision de la bibligrafia

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Aparici, F.; Mas, F.; Solera, M. C.; Moro, G. [Hospital Universitario La Fe. Valencia (Spain)

2002-07-01

We present the case of a 78-year-old woman with a spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma that presented with sudden interscapular pain accompanied by left hemiparesis and a significant improvement 15 minutes later. Initially diagnosed as angina, the persistence of pain in dorsal cervical spine suggested the need to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The images demonstrated a lesion in the epidural spinal canal at level C3-D2 that presented a heterogeneous signal intensity, with hyperintense areas in T1-weighted sequences and hypointense areas in gradient-echo sequences, with no sign of compression myelopathy. A diagnosis of epidural hematoma was established and, given the favorable clinical course, conservative treatment was indicated. The second MRI study showed the complete resorption of the epidural hematoma. (Author) 12 refs.

Comparison of Transversus Abdominis Plane Infiltration with Liposomal Bupivacaine versus Continuous Epidural Analgesia versus Intravenous Opioid Analgesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayad, Sabry; Babazade, Rovnat; Elsharkawy, Hesham; Nadar, Vinayak; Lokhande, Chetan; Makarova, Natalya; Khanna, Rashi; Sessler, Daniel I; Turan, Alparslan

2016-01-01

Epidural analgesia is considered the standard of care but cannot be provided to all patients Liposomal bupivacaine has been approved for field blocks such as transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks but has not been clinically compared against other modalities. In this retrospective propensity matched cohort study we thus tested the primary hypothesis that TAP infiltration are noninferior (not worse) to continuous epidural analgesia and superior (better) to intravenous opioid analgesia in patients recovering from major lower abdominal surgery. 318 patients were propensity matched on 18 potential factors among three groups (106 per group): 1) TAP infiltration with bupivacaine liposome; 2) continuous Epidural analgesia with plain bupivacaine; and; 3) intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA). We claimed TAP noninferior (not worse) over Epidural if TAP was noninferior (not worse) on total morphine-equivalent opioid and time-weighted average pain score (10-point scale) within first 72 hours after surgery with noninferiority deltas of 1 (10-point scale) for pain and an increase less of 20% in the mean morphine equivalent opioid consumption. We claimed TAP or Epidural groups superior (better) over IV PCA if TAP or Epidural was superior on opioid consumption and at least noninferior on pain outcome. Multivariable linear regressions within the propensity-matched cohorts were used to model total morphine-equivalent opioid dose and time-weighted average pain score within first 72 hours after surgery; joint hypothesis framework was used for formal testing. TAP infiltration were noninferior to Epidural on both primary outcomes (pconsumption (p = 0.37). We did not find noninferiority of Epidural over IV PCA on pain scores (P = 0.13) and nor did we find superiority on opioid consumption (P = 0.98). TAP infiltration with liposomal bupivacaine and continuous epidural analgesia were similar in terms of pain and opioid consumption, and not worse in pain compared with IV PCA

Epidural versus intravenous fentanyl for postoperative analgesia following orthopedic surgery: randomized controlled trial

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Marcelo Soares Privado

Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Controversy exists regarding the site of action of fentanyl after epidural injection. The objective of this investigation was to compare the efficacy of epidural and intravenous fentanyl for orthopedic surgery. DESIGN AND SETTING: A randomized double-blind study was performed in Hospital São Paulo. METHODS: During the postoperative period, in the presence of pain, 29 patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 14 received 100 µg of fentanyl epidurally and 2 ml of saline intravenously; group 2 (n = 15 received 5 ml of saline epidurally and 100 µg of fentanyl intravenously. The analgesic supplementation consisted of 40 mg of tenoxicam intravenously and, if necessary, 5 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine epidurally. Pain intensity was evaluated on a numerical scale and plasma concentrations of fentanyl were measured simultaneously. RESULTS: The percentage of patients who required supplementary analgesia with tenoxicam was lower in group 1 (71.4% than in group 2 (100%: 95% confidence interval (CI = 0.001-0.4360 (P = 0.001, Fisher's exact test; relative risk, RR = 0.07. Epidural bupivacaine supplementation was also lower in group 1 (14.3% than in group 2 (53.3%: 95% CI = 0.06-1.05 (P = 0.03, Fisher's exact test; RR = 0.26. There was no difference in pain intensity on the numerical scale. Mean fentanyl plasma concentrations were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION: Intravenous and epidural fentanyl appear to have similar efficacy for reducing pain according to the numerical scale, but supplementary analgesia was needed less frequently when epidural fentanyl was used. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00635986

Study Protocol- Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injections for Spinal Stenosis (LESS: a double-blind randomized controlled trial of epidural steroid injections for lumbar spinal stenosis among older adults

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Friedly Janna L

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Lumbar spinal stenosis is one of the most common causes of low back pain among older adults and can cause significant disability. Despite its prevalence, treatment of spinal stenosis symptoms remains controversial. Epidural steroid injections are used with increasing frequency as a less invasive, potentially safer, and more cost-effective treatment than surgery. However, there is a lack of data to judge the effectiveness and safety of epidural steroid injections for spinal stenosis. We describe our prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial that tests the hypothesis that epidural injections with steroids plus local anesthetic are more effective than epidural injections of local anesthetic alone in improving pain and function among older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis. Methods We will recruit up to 400 patients with lumbar central canal spinal stenosis from at least 9 clinical sites over 2 years. Patients with spinal instability who require surgical fusion, a history of prior lumbar surgery, or prior epidural steroid injection within the past 6 months are excluded. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either ESI with local anesthetic or the control intervention (epidural injections with local anesthetic alone. Subjects receive up to 2 injections prior to the primary endpoint at 6 weeks, at which time they may choose to crossover to the other intervention. Participants complete validated, standardized measures of pain, functional disability, and health-related quality of life at baseline and at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months after randomization. The primary outcomes are Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and a numerical rating scale measure of pain intensity at 6 weeks. In order to better understand their safety, we also measure cortisol, HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, weight, and blood pressure at baseline, and at 3 and 6 weeks post-injection. We also obtain data on resource utilization

Acupuncture as pain relief during delivery: a randomized controlled trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borup, Lissa; Wurlitzer, Winnie; Hedegaard, Morten

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Many women need some kind of analgesic treatment to relieve pain during childbirth. The objective of our study was to compare the effect of acupuncture with transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) and traditional analgesics for pain relief and relaxation during delivery...... with respect to pain intensity, birth experience, and obstetric outcome. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 607 healthy women in labor at term who received acupuncture, TENS, or traditional analgesics. Primary outcomes were the need for pharmacological and invasive methods, level of pain...... with the intention-to-treat principle. RESULTS: Use of pharmacological and invasive methods was significantly lower in the acupuncture group (acupuncture vs traditional, p acupuncture vs TENS, p = 0.031). Pain scores were comparable. Acupuncture did not influence the duration of labor or the use of oxytocin...

More in hope than expectation: a systematic review of women's expectations and experience of pain relief in labour

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Macphail Sheila

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Childbirth is one of the most painful events that a woman is likely to experience, the multi-dimensional aspect and intensity of which far exceeds disease conditions. A woman's lack of knowledge about the risks and benefits of the various methods of pain relief can heighten anxiety. Women are increasingly expected, and are expecting, to participate in decisions about their healthcare. Involvement should allow women to make better-informed decisions; the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has stated that we need effective ways of supporting pregnant women in making informed decisions during labour. Our aim was to systematically review the empirical literature on women's expectations and experiences of pain and pain relief during labour, as well as their involvement in the decision-making process. Methods A systematic review was conducted using the following databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL, Bath Information and Database Service (BIDS, Excerpta Medica Database Guide (EMBASE, Midwives Information and Resource (MIDIRS, Sociological Abstracts and PsychINFO. Studies that examined experience and expectations of pain, and its relief in labour, were appraised and the findings were integrated into a systematic review. Results Appraisal revealed four key themes: the level and type of pain, pain relief, involvement in decision-making and control. Studies predominantly showed that women underestimated the pain they would experience. Women may hope for a labour free of pain relief, but many found that they needed or benefited from it. There is a distinction between women's desire for a drug-free labour and the expectation that they may need some sort of pain relief. Inaccurate or unrealistic expectations about pain may mean that women are not prepared appropriately for labour. Many women acknowledged that they wanted to

Mindfulness Meditation-Based Pain Relief Employs Different Neural Mechanisms Than Placebo and Sham Mindfulness Meditation-Induced Analgesia

Science.gov (United States)

Emerson, Nichole M.; Farris, Suzan R.; Ray, Jenna N.; Jung, Youngkyoo; McHaffie, John G.; Coghill, Robert C.

2015-01-01

Mindfulness meditation reduces pain in experimental and clinical settings. However, it remains unknown whether mindfulness meditation engages pain-relieving mechanisms other than those associated with the placebo effect (e.g., conditioning, psychosocial context, beliefs). To determine whether the analgesic mechanisms of mindfulness meditation are different from placebo, we randomly assigned 75 healthy, human volunteers to 4 d of the following: (1) mindfulness meditation, (2) placebo conditioning, (3) sham mindfulness meditation, or (4) book-listening control intervention. We assessed intervention efficacy using psychophysical evaluation of experimental pain and functional neuroimaging. Importantly, all cognitive manipulations (i.e., mindfulness meditation, placebo conditioning, sham mindfulness meditation) significantly attenuated pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings when compared to rest and the control condition (p Mindfulness meditation reduced pain intensity (p = 0.032) and pain unpleasantness (p Mindfulness meditation also reduced pain intensity (p = 0.030) and pain unpleasantness (p = 0.043) ratings more than sham mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness-meditation-related pain relief was associated with greater activation in brain regions associated with the cognitive modulation of pain, including the orbitofrontal, subgenual anterior cingulate, and anterior insular cortex. In contrast, placebo analgesia was associated with activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and deactivation of sensory processing regions (secondary somatosensory cortex). Sham mindfulness meditation-induced analgesia was not correlated with significant neural activity, but rather by greater reductions in respiration rate. This study is the first to demonstrate that mindfulness-related pain relief is mechanistically distinct from placebo analgesia. The elucidation of this distinction confirms the existence of multiple, cognitively driven, supraspinal mechanisms for pain

Mindfulness Meditation-Based Pain Relief Employs Different Neural Mechanisms Than Placebo and Sham Mindfulness Meditation-Induced Analgesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeidan, Fadel; Emerson, Nichole M; Farris, Suzan R; Ray, Jenna N; Jung, Youngkyoo; McHaffie, John G; Coghill, Robert C

2015-11-18

Mindfulness meditation reduces pain in experimental and clinical settings. However, it remains unknown whether mindfulness meditation engages pain-relieving mechanisms other than those associated with the placebo effect (e.g., conditioning, psychosocial context, beliefs). To determine whether the analgesic mechanisms of mindfulness meditation are different from placebo, we randomly assigned 75 healthy, human volunteers to 4 d of the following: (1) mindfulness meditation, (2) placebo conditioning, (3) sham mindfulness meditation, or (4) book-listening control intervention. We assessed intervention efficacy using psychophysical evaluation of experimental pain and functional neuroimaging. Importantly, all cognitive manipulations (i.e., mindfulness meditation, placebo conditioning, sham mindfulness meditation) significantly attenuated pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings when compared to rest and the control condition (p pain intensity (p = 0.032) and pain unpleasantness (p pain intensity (p = 0.030) and pain unpleasantness (p = 0.043) ratings more than sham mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness-meditation-related pain relief was associated with greater activation in brain regions associated with the cognitive modulation of pain, including the orbitofrontal, subgenual anterior cingulate, and anterior insular cortex. In contrast, placebo analgesia was associated with activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and deactivation of sensory processing regions (secondary somatosensory cortex). Sham mindfulness meditation-induced analgesia was not correlated with significant neural activity, but rather by greater reductions in respiration rate. This study is the first to demonstrate that mindfulness-related pain relief is mechanistically distinct from placebo analgesia. The elucidation of this distinction confirms the existence of multiple, cognitively driven, supraspinal mechanisms for pain modulation. Recent findings have demonstrated that mindfulness meditation

Thoracic epidural analgesia reduces myocardial injury in ischemic patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery

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Mohamad MF

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Mohamad Farouk Mohamad,1 Montaser A Mohammad,1 Diab F Hetta,1 Eman Hasan Ahmed,2 Ahmed A Obiedallah,3 Alaa Ali M Elzohry1 1Department of Anesthesia, ICU and Pain Relief, 2Department of Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, 3Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Arab Republic of Egypt Background and objectives: Major abdominal cancer surgeries are associated with significant perioperative mortality and morbidity due to myocardial ischemia and infarction. This study examined the effect of perioperative patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA on occurrence of ischemic cardiac injury in ischemic patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery.Patients and methods: One hundred and twenty patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade II and III of either sex were scheduled for elective upper gastrointestinal cancer surgeries. Patients were allocated randomly into two groups (60 patients each to receive, besides general anesthesia: continuous intra and postoperative intravenous (IV infusion with fentanyl for 72 h postoperatively (patient controlled intravenous analgesia [PCIA] group or continuous intra and postoperative epidural infusion with bupivacaine 0.125% and fentanyl (PCEA group for 72 h postoperatively. Perioperative hemodynamics were recorded. Postoperative pain was assessed over 72 h using visual analog scale (VAS. All patients were screened for occurrence of myocardial injury (MI by electrocardiography, echocardiography, and cardiac troponin I serum level. Other postoperative complications as arrhythmia, deep venous thrombosis (DVT, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, and death were recorded.Results: There was a significant reduction in overall adverse cardiac events (myocardial injury, arrhythmias, angina, heart failure and nonfatal cardiac arrest in PCEA group in comparison to PCIA group. Also, there was a significant reduction in dynamic VAS pain score in group PCEA in comparison

Pain affecting procedures in non-resectable pancreatic carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Plachkov, I; Chernopolski, P; Bozhkov, V; Madjov, R

2013-01-01

Pancreatic cancer is third most common cancer of the gastrointestinal tract in Bulgaria, accouting for 11, 6% in 2008. The leading symptom in patients with pancreatic cancer is the pain. The pain can be related with neoplasms and their metastasis. We should use all kind of resourses for pain relief: conventional drugs (according to the three steps strategy of WHO), interventional or surgical procedures. To present the interventional and surgical techniques in our practice and to share our experience for pain control in patients with nonresectable pancreatic cancer to improve their quality of life. In a seven year period (2004-2011) we performed 59 thoracoscopic splanhnicectomies/30--bilateral/ 4 intraoperative resections of celiac ganglion, 25 CT--control celiac plexus neurolysis and 90 cases pain relief with epidural analgesia. Concerning the quality of life we applied a questionnaire of a spannish medical center " City of Hope" adapted for patients with cancer and the level of pain with visual analogue scale VAS. The long-term duration of the pain relief technique depends on applied technic, of cancer invasion and of the technic itself. The technique with the longest effect are the intraoperative celiac ganglion removal and the bilateral thoracoscopic splanhnicectomy. On the other hand the shortest effect we report the celiac plexus neurolysis, and the epudural analgesia. These data are in correlation with the reduction of the pain shown using VAS thus improving the quality of life. The surgical and interventional methods for control of cancer pain have their own collocation improving the quality of life of these patients. New strategies for the pain control are need in the future.

Fluoroscopy-guided intrA-articular facet joint steroid injection for the management of low back pain: Therapeutic effectiveness and arthrographic pattern

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Su Jin; Lee, Jun Woo; Lee, Guen Young; You, Ja Yeon; Kang, Heung Sik; Chai, Jae Won; Ahn, Joong Mo

2015-01-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of fluoroscopy-guided intra-articular facet joint steroid injection for the management of low back pain, and to document the incidence of epidural leakage. In total, 320 facet joint injections of 244 consecutive patients were included in this study. All patients had undergone an intra-articular facet joint steroid injection in 2007 and had follow-up post-treatment medical records. The response to treatment was analyzed on the basis of chart documentation (aggravated, no change, slightly improved, much improved, no pain). Fluoroscopic arthrograms of the injections were retrospectively analyzed by two radiologists. Of the 244 patients, 85.2% (n = 208) showed improvement after an initial intra-articular facet joint steroid injection. A total of 77.9% (n = 162) of the patients showed symptom recurrence, with a median of a 69 day symptom-free interval, while 30.3% (n = 74) of the patients showed symptom-free intervals of more than six months. Overall, 74 (33.3%) of the 222 cases of intra-articular facet joint steroid injections without concomitant epidural steroid injection showed epidural leakage in fluoroscopic arthrograms. Fluoroscopy-guided intra-articular facet joint injection is a reliable technique for the management of low back pain, with excellent immediate effectiveness and good prolonged (> 2 months) pain relief. Epidural leakage during injection was detected in one-third of the cases

Fluoroscopy-guided intrA-articular facet joint steroid injection for the management of low back pain: Therapeutic effectiveness and arthrographic pattern

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Su Jin; Lee, Jun Woo; Lee, Guen Young; You, Ja Yeon; Kang, Heung Sik [Dept. of Radiology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of); Chai, Jae Won [Dept. of Radiology, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Joong Mo [Dept. of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh (United States)

2015-09-15

To evaluate the effectiveness of fluoroscopy-guided intra-articular facet joint steroid injection for the management of low back pain, and to document the incidence of epidural leakage. In total, 320 facet joint injections of 244 consecutive patients were included in this study. All patients had undergone an intra-articular facet joint steroid injection in 2007 and had follow-up post-treatment medical records. The response to treatment was analyzed on the basis of chart documentation (aggravated, no change, slightly improved, much improved, no pain). Fluoroscopic arthrograms of the injections were retrospectively analyzed by two radiologists. Of the 244 patients, 85.2% (n = 208) showed improvement after an initial intra-articular facet joint steroid injection. A total of 77.9% (n = 162) of the patients showed symptom recurrence, with a median of a 69 day symptom-free interval, while 30.3% (n = 74) of the patients showed symptom-free intervals of more than six months. Overall, 74 (33.3%) of the 222 cases of intra-articular facet joint steroid injections without concomitant epidural steroid injection showed epidural leakage in fluoroscopic arthrograms. Fluoroscopy-guided intra-articular facet joint injection is a reliable technique for the management of low back pain, with excellent immediate effectiveness and good prolonged (> 2 months) pain relief. Epidural leakage during injection was detected in one-third of the cases.

A novel and effective acupuncture modality as a complementary therapy to acute pain relief in inpatients with rib fractures

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Hsin-Yi Ho

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Pain control has been emphasized as a priority for both practitioners and inpatients with rib fractures, since analgesia could only offer limited relief from severe pain. A prospective and randomized controlled trial was conducted to analyze the efficacy and efficiency of acupuncture in acute pain relief for inpatients with rib fractures. Methods: A total of 58 inpatients were recruited and allocated to two groups, receiving identical doses of conventional oral analgesics as well as filiform needles as treatment and thumbtack intradermal (TI needles placed upon the skin surface as a control, respectively, via novel acupuncture modality once daily for three consecutive days. The effect of pain relief was evaluated during activities that induce pain, and sustained maximal inspiration (SMI lung volumes and sleep quality were assessed. Results: The patients treated with filiform needles had more effective pain relief than those in the TI needle group during deep breathing, coughing, and turning over the body (p < 0.05, and the effect persisted for at least 6 h in most patients. Sustained maximal inspiration lung volumes and sleep quality did not show improvement through every acupuncture intervention, and they could not respond accurately to pain relief via acupuncture. Conclusion: The active evaluation could provide a more adaptive model for assessing pain intensity due to rib fractures. This novel acupuncture modality in which the needle insertion sites are corresponding to the pain spots can be a safe and viable therapy for relieving pain in inpatients with rib fractures.

Is there a difference in treatment outcomes between epidural injections with particulate versus non-particulate steroids?

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Bensler, Susanne; Sutter, Reto; Pfirrmann, Christian W.A.; Peterson, Cynthia K. [Orthopedic University Hospital Balgrist, Department of Radiology, Zurich (Switzerland); University of Zurich, Faculty of Medicine, Zurich (Switzerland)

2017-04-15

To compare the outcomes of patients after interlaminar computed tomography (CT)-guided epidural injections of the lumbar spine with particulate vs. non-particulate steroids. 531 consecutive patients were treated with CT-guided lumbar interlaminar epidural injections with steroids and local anaesthetics. 411 patients received a particulate steroid and 120 patients received a non-particulate steroid. Pain levels were assessed using the 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) and overall reported 'improvement' was assessed using the Patients Global Impression of Change (PGIC) at 1 day, 1 week and 1 month post-injection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Patients receiving particulate steroids had statistically significantly higher NRS change scores (p = 0.0001 at 1 week; p = 0.0001 at 1 month). A significantly higher proportion of patients receiving particulate steroids reported relevant improvement (PGIC) at both 1 week and 1 month post injection (p = 0.0001) and they were significantly less likely to report worsening at 1 week (p = 0.0001) and 1 month (p = 0.017). Patients treated with particulate steroids had significantly greater pain relief and were much more likely to report clinically relevant overall 'improvement' at 1 week and 1 month compared to the patients treated with non-particulate steroids. (orig.)

Is there a difference in treatment outcomes between epidural injections with particulate versus non-particulate steroids?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bensler, Susanne; Sutter, Reto; Pfirrmann, Christian W.A.; Peterson, Cynthia K.

2017-01-01

To compare the outcomes of patients after interlaminar computed tomography (CT)-guided epidural injections of the lumbar spine with particulate vs. non-particulate steroids. 531 consecutive patients were treated with CT-guided lumbar interlaminar epidural injections with steroids and local anaesthetics. 411 patients received a particulate steroid and 120 patients received a non-particulate steroid. Pain levels were assessed using the 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) and overall reported 'improvement' was assessed using the Patients Global Impression of Change (PGIC) at 1 day, 1 week and 1 month post-injection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Patients receiving particulate steroids had statistically significantly higher NRS change scores (p = 0.0001 at 1 week; p = 0.0001 at 1 month). A significantly higher proportion of patients receiving particulate steroids reported relevant improvement (PGIC) at both 1 week and 1 month post injection (p = 0.0001) and they were significantly less likely to report worsening at 1 week (p = 0.0001) and 1 month (p = 0.017). Patients treated with particulate steroids had significantly greater pain relief and were much more likely to report clinically relevant overall 'improvement' at 1 week and 1 month compared to the patients treated with non-particulate steroids. (orig.)

Bacterial infection in deep paraspinal muscles in a parturient following epidural analgesia.

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Yang, Ying-Wei; Chen, Wei-Ting; Chen, Jui-Yuan; Lee, She-Chin; Chang, Yi; Wen, Yeong-Ray

2011-06-01

We report a case of paraspinal muscle infection shortly after epidural analgesia for labor pain in a nulliparous parturient who was subjected to emergent Cesarean section because of fetal distress. Epidural morphine was administered for 3 days for postoperative pain control. She began to have constant lower back pain on postpartum Day 4. Magnetic resonance image study revealed a broad area of subcutaneous edema with a continuum along the catheter trajectory deep to the paraspinal muscles. An injection-related bacterial infection was suspected; the patient was treated with intravenous antibiotics and was soon cured uncomplicatedly. Epidural analgesia is effective to control labor pain and, in general, it is safe. However, the sequelae of complicated infection may be underestimated. We herein report a case complicated by iatrogenic infection, discuss the causes, and give suggestions for prevention. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Comparison of efficacy of continuous epidural block and pulsed radiofrequency to the dorsal root ganglion for management of pain persisting beyond the acute phase of herpes zoster.

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Eung Don Kim

Full Text Available There is little evidence regarding the effectiveness of intervention methods in the treatment of zoster-related pain (ZAP after the acute phase of zoster. Generally, if ZAP remains after more than 180 days from its onset, the likelihood of pain reduction is very low; this condition is considered as a "well established" post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN. Although the clinical efficacy of intrathecal steroid injection and spinal cord stimulation (SCS for ZAP management has been reported, these interventions are not widely used due to inherent disadvantages. Continuous epidural block is widely used in clinical practice, and the effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF to the dorsal root ganglion (DRG in the treatment of ZAP already has been reported.The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of continuous epidural block and DRG PRF beyond acute phase of zoster, bur before PHN was well established (from 30 days to180 days after zoster onset.Retrospective comparative study.A total of 42 medical records were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the type of procedure utilized: continuous epidural block (continuous epidural group and DRG PRF (PRF group. The clinical efficacy of the procedure was evaluated using a numeric rating scale (NRS and the medication dose before and 1 to 6 months after the procedure.There was a significant decrease in the NRS value with time in both groups. However, this decrease was more significant in the PRF group than in the continuous epidural group. The medication doses decreased significantly in the PRF group over time, but not in the continuous epidural group. The rate of clinically meaningful PHN (NRS≥3 was also lower in the PRF group than in the continuous epidural group.This study revealed that DRG PRF was more effective than a continuous epidural block in treating ZAP after the acute phase of zoster. A neuromodulation method such as DRG PRF may be a useful option for

Determination and Comparison of Neonatal Complications in Painless Epidural Delivery and without Pain Control Qom Izadi Hospital during the Years 2004-5

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N Tashakorinia

2012-05-01

Full Text Available

Background and objectives

 Provision of standard childbirth facilities has been considered as an important healthcare issue for a long time. The physical and psychological states of mothers are important factors determining the fate of delivery. Therefore, several programs have been established to decrease the mother-child mortality rates and the complications of delivery. One of the most common approaches for controlling the pain of delivery is application of local anesthesia such as epidural, spinal, or a combination of these methods. It has been shown that complications of epidural anesthesia are less than other methods of local anesthesia employed for the painless delivery. In this study, a comparison is made between two groups of 80 neonates delivered by either NVD or EU.

Methods

 A form was designed for collection of data including Apgar score at first minute, need for CPR, NICU admission, FHR variability, breast feeding time, duration of hospital stay, and neonatal reflexes. The data were analyzed by chi-square and fisher tests using SPSS software.

Results

 There was no significant difference between the neonates born by EA or NVD at the 95% confidence level.

Conclusion

 Based on these findings it could be concluded that epidural anesthesia for delivery does not lead to neonatal complications more than that of NVD without pain control. Therefore, this method could be recommended to mothers, who choose elective cesarean section to avoid the pain of childbirth.

Keywords: Heart Rate, Fetal ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Intensive care, Neonatal; Anesthesia, Epidural

[Comparison of clinical effectiveness of thoracic epidural and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia for the treatment of rib fractures pain in intensive care unit].

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Topçu, Ismet; Ekici, Zeynep; Sakarya, Melek

2007-07-01

The results of thoracic epidural and systemic patient controlled analgesia practice were evaluated retrospectively in patients with thoracic trauma. Patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit between 1997 and 2003, with a diagnosis of multiple rib fractures related to thoracic trauma were evaluated retrospectively. Data were recorded from 49 patients who met the following criteria; three or more rib fractures, initiation of PCA with I.V. phentanyl or thoracic epidural analgesia with phentanyl and bupivacaine. There were no significant differences between the groups concerning injury severity score. APACHE II score (8.1+/-1.6 and 9.2+/-1.7) and the number of rib fractures (4+/-1.1 and 6.8+/-2.7) were higher in thoracic epidural analgesia group (pPain scores of patients who received thoracic epidural analgesia were significantly lower as from 6th hour during whole therapy (prib fractures who require intensive care.

Sciatica caused by lumbar epidural gas.

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Belfquih, Hatim; El Mostarchid, Brahim; Akhaddar, Ali; gazzaz, Miloudi; Boucetta, Mohammed

2014-01-01

Gas production as a part of disc degeneration can occur but rarely causes nerve compression syndromes. The clinical features are similar to those of common sciatica. CT is very useful in the detection of epidural gas accumulation and nerve root compression. We report a case of symptomatic epidural gas accumulation originating from vacuum phenomenon in the intervertebral disc, causing lumbo-sacral radiculopathy. A 45-year-old woman suffered from sciatica for 9 months. The condition worsened in recent days. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated intradiscal vacuum phenomenon, and accumulation of gas in the lumbar epidural space compressing the dural sac and S1 nerve root. After evacuation of the gas, her pain resolved without recurrence.

Ibuprofen and/or paracetamol (acetaminophen) for pain relief after surgical removal of lower wisdom teeth, a Cochrane systematic review.

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Bailey, E; Worthington, H; Coulthard, P

2014-04-01

This paper compares the beneficial and harmful effects of paracetamol, ibuprofen and the novel combination of both in a single tablet for pain relief following the surgical removal of lower wisdom teeth. In this systematic review only randomised controlled double-blinded clinical trials were included. We calculated the proportion of patients with at least 50% pain relief at 2 and 6 hours post dosing, along with the proportion of participants using rescue medication at 6 and 8 hours. Adverse events were also analysed. Data was meta-analysed where possible. Seven studies were included with a total of 2,241 participants enrolled. Ibuprofen 400 mg is superior to 1,000 mg paracetamol with a risk ratio for at least 50% pain relief at 6 hours of 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28 to 1.69). For the combined drug, the risk ratio for at least 50% maximum pain relief over 6 hours is 1.77 (95% CI 1.32 to 2.39) based on total pain relief (TOTPAR) data. There is high quality evidence that ibuprofen is superior to paracetamol. The novel combination drug shows encouraging results when compared to the single drugs (based on two trials).

Continous Infusion of Remifentanil Plus Ketamine Compared with Continous Remifentanil for Pain Relief in Labour

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Anooshe Khajehdehi

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background and objective: Pain relief during labour is an important determinant of a women’s birth experience. There are numerous pain relief techniques which can be used either with or without pain medication. The aim of our study was to compare the effect of remifentanil alone and its effect in pain relief while using with ketamine during labour. Methods: After obtaining informed consent and approval of hospital ethics committee, 40 women with gestational age between 38 and 42 weeks gestation in early labour were recruited for this study. They were randomly allocated into two groups: group RK (20 cases received 25 μg remifentanil as a starting dose and continuous infusion of 0.06 μg/kg/min remifentanil plus 0.5 mg/kg/h ketamine for 4 hours via pump and group R (20 cases received 25 μg remifentanil as a starting dose and continous infusion of 0.06 μg/kg/min remifentanil. Results: The baseline of pain scores were similar in both groups (5.75 ± 2.51 vs 7 ± 2.45, p= 0.12 but after 30 minutes to 120 minutes the VAS scores were significantly higher in R group (p< 0.001. The rate of patients who were satisfied (excellent and very good in RK was 80% but in R group was 45% (p = 0.03. Nausea and vomiting were significantly higher in R group (p<0.05. Conclusion: The remifentanil plus ketamine produced better pain relief during labour with continous monitoring than continous remifentanil with no adverse effects for mothers and infants.

Effects of labor analgesia on maternal and neonatal outcome by epidural low concentration of bupivacaine combined with anisodamine

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Yang Xiaoli; Zhou Chunqin; Li Xiaogang; Shen Xiaodong; Zou Yuliang

2008-01-01

Objective To observe the effects of labor analgesia on maternal and neonatal outcome by epidural application of 0.125% bupivacaine combined with anisodamine on the labor stage, and modes of delivery and neonatal Apgar's score. Methods A total of 220 primiparaes with full-term pregnancy, monocyesis and fetal head presentation without any obstetrical or systematic complications were chosen and divided into analgesic group and control group (110 in each group). The mixture of bupivaeaine and anisodamine was injected into the epidural space of the parturients in the analgesic group while those patients in the control group did not receive any analgesics. Results The analgesic effect was satisfactory (91.8 %), and no side effects occurred in the second stage of labor. The instrument delivery rate was lower in the analgesic group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups in neonatal Apgar's score. Conclusion The method is feasible in clinic for labor pain relief without increasing the rate of dystocla and complications of delivery.

Radiation-induced relief of pain in an animal model with bone invasion from cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seong, J.; Kim, J.; Kim, K.H.; Kim, U.J.; Lee, B.W.

2003-01-01

In clinic, local radiation is effective for relief of pain from cancer invasion into the bones. This effect is usually observed before the regression of tumor occurs, which implies radiation-induced pain relief by mechanisms other than tumor irradication. In this study, possible mechanisms were explored in animal model system. To establish an animal model, syngeneic hepatocarcinoma, HCa-I was transplanted on femoral periosteum of C3H/HeJ male mice and bone-invasive tumor growth was identified through the histological analysis. Development of tumor-induced pain was assessed by von Frey filament test, acetone test, and radiant heat test. Animals were also irradiated for their tumors. Any change in pain was analyzed by above tests for the quantitative change and by immunohistochemical stain for the expression of molecules such as c-fos, substance P, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in lumbar spinal cord. Cancer invasion into the bone was started from 7th day after transplantation and became evident at day 14. Objective increase of pain in the ipsilateral thigh was observed at day 14 on von Frey filament test and acetone test, while there was no remarkable regression of the tumors. In this model system, local radiation of tumor resulted in decrease in objective pain on von Frey filament test and acetone test. In the immunohistochemical stain for lumbar spinal cord, the expression of substance P and CGRP but not c-fos increased in tumor-bearing animal compared to the control. The expression of these molecules decreased in animals given local radiation. In summary, an animal model system was established for objective pain from cancer invasion into the bones. Local radiation of tumor induced objective pain relief and this effect seems to be mediated not by tumor regression but through altered production of pain-related molecules

Radiation-induced relief of pain in an animal model with bone invasion from cancer

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Seong, J; Kim, J; Kim, K H; Kim, U J; Lee, B W [Yonsei University Medical College, (Korea, Republic of)

2003-07-01

In clinic, local radiation is effective for relief of pain from cancer invasion into the bones. This effect is usually observed before the regression of tumor occurs, which implies radiation-induced pain relief by mechanisms other than tumor irradication. In this study, possible mechanisms were explored in animal model system. To establish an animal model, syngeneic hepatocarcinoma, HCa-I was transplanted on femoral periosteum of C3H/HeJ male mice and bone-invasive tumor growth was identified through the histological analysis. Development of tumor-induced pain was assessed by von Frey filament test, acetone test, and radiant heat test. Animals were also irradiated for their tumors. Any change in pain was analyzed by above tests for the quantitative change and by immunohistochemical stain for the expression of molecules such as c-fos, substance P, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in lumbar spinal cord. Cancer invasion into the bone was started from 7th day after transplantation and became evident at day 14. Objective increase of pain in the ipsilateral thigh was observed at day 14 on von Frey filament test and acetone test, while there was no remarkable regression of the tumors. In this model system, local radiation of tumor resulted in decrease in objective pain on von Frey filament test and acetone test. In the immunohistochemical stain for lumbar spinal cord, the expression of substance P and CGRP but not c-fos increased in tumor-bearing animal compared to the control. The expression of these molecules decreased in animals given local radiation. In summary, an animal model system was established for objective pain from cancer invasion into the bones. Local radiation of tumor induced objective pain relief and this effect seems to be mediated not by tumor regression but through altered production of pain-related molecules.

The Effect of Different Local Anesthesia Methods on Pain Relief in Outpatient Endometrial Biopsy: Randomized Clinical Trial

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Elaheh Olad-Saheb-Madarek

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Endometrial biopsy is necessary for diagnosing the reason of abnormal uterine bleeding in perimenopausal women. Currently outpatient endometrial biopsy is used for evaluation of abnormal uterine bleeding which is associated with moderate to severe pain. Using lidocaine is one of the procedures which is used for pain relief while biopsy. This study is aimed at comparing the effect of different local anesthesia procedures on pain relief during endometrial biopsy. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 160 multiparous 40-55 years old women with AUB, candidates for endometrial biopsy, were randomly assigned into four equal groups, to receive: 1-intrauterine lidocaine; 2-cervical spray lidocaine; 3- intrauterine lidocaine plus cervical spray lidocaine; or 4-intrauterine distilled water. Pain relief was measured at 3 different times: during endometrial biopsy, just after and 15 minutes after biopsy. Results: Pain intensity was reduced significantly at different times in intrauterine lidocaine and intrauterine lidocaine with cervical spray lidocaine receivers in compare with the groups which received cervical spray lidocaine and distilled water. The mean of difference pain relief during biopsy and 15 minutes after that was reduced significantly in the group which received intrauterine lidocaine and intrauterine lidocaine with cervical spray lidocaine in comparison with the other two groups. Conclusion: Intrauterine lidocaine was effective during endometrial biopsy, and using it with cervical spray lidocaine had no more beneficial effect.

Chronic spinal epidural hematoma in hemophilia A in a child

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Stanley, P.; McComb, J.G.

1983-06-01

A case of chronic spinal epidural hematoma in a thirteen-year-old male, subsequently found to have hemophilia A is reported. Following myelography, surgery was undertaken with clotting factor replacement with relief of cord compression. The patient made an uneventful recovery.

Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma: a case report and review of the literature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aparici, F.; Mas, F.; Solera, M. C.; Moro, G.

2002-01-01

We present the case of a 78-year-old woman with a spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma that presented with sudden interscapular pain accompanied by left hemiparesis and a significant improvement 15 minutes later. Initially diagnosed as angina, the persistence of pain in dorsal cervical spine suggested the need to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The images demonstrated a lesion in the epidural spinal canal at level C3-D2 that presented a heterogeneous signal intensity, with hyperintense areas in T1-weighted sequences and hypointense areas in gradient-echo sequences, with no sign of compression myelopathy. A diagnosis of epidural hematoma was established and, given the favorable clinical course, conservative treatment was indicated. The second MRI study showed the complete resorption of the epidural hematoma. (Author) 12 refs

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Nonsucrose Sweet Solutions for Pain Relief in Neonates

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Mariana Bueno

2013-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Sucrose has been demonstrated to provide analgesia for minor painful procedures in infants. However, results of trials investigating other sweet solutions for neonatal pain relief have not yet been synthesized.

Contrast Runoff Correlates with the Clinical Outcome of Cervical Epidural Neuroplasty Using a Racz Catheter.

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Han, Yun-Joung; Lee, Myoung No; Cho, Min Ji; Park, Hue Jung; Moon, Dong Eon; Kim, Young Hoon

2016-01-01

Epidural neuroplasty using a Racz catheter has a therapeutic effect. Studies have found no correlation between foraminal stenosis and the outcome of epidural neuroplasty, which is thought to depend on contrast runoff. To examine the correlation between the contrast spread pattern and pain reduction in cervical epidural neuroplasty using a Racz catheter. Retrospective study. An interventional pain-management practice in a university hospital. Fluoroscopic images were reviewed retrospectively. The spread of contrast from the neural foramen to a nerve root was called contrast runoff. If the contrast did not spread in this manner, then there was no contrast runoff. We defined successful epidural neuroplasty as a 50% or greater reduction from the pre-procedure numeric rating scale (NRS) score for total pain, and an at least 40% reduction in the neck pain and disability scale (NPDS) score. This study reviewed 169 patients. Among the patients who had a contrast runoff pattern, the epidural neuroplasty was rated as successful in 96 (74.4%), 97 (75.2%), 86 (66.7%), and 79 (61.2%) cases one, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure, respectively. When there was no contrast runoff, the epidural neuroplasty was successful in 12 (30%), 12 (30%), 10 (25%), and 10 (25%) cases at one, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure (P runoff pattern had odds ratios of 6.788, 7.073, 6.000, and 4.740 at one, 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively (P runoff pattern had a higher success rate. Contrast runoff should be observed during neuroplasty, even in the presence of foraminal stenosis. Cervical spinal pain, contrast, contrast runoff, epidural neuroplasty, percutaneous adhesiolysis, Racz catheter.

Effect of birth ball on labor pain relief: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Makvandi, Somayeh; Latifnejad Roudsari, Robab; Sadeghi, Ramin; Karimi, Leila

2015-11-01

To critically evaluate the available evidence related to the impact of using a birth ball on labor pain relief. The Cochrane library, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus were searched from their inception to January 2015 using keywords: (Birth* OR Swiss OR Swedish OR balance OR fitness OR gym* OR Pezzi OR sport* OR stability) AND (ball*) AND (labor OR labour OR Obstetric). All available randomized controlled trials involving women using a birth ball for pain relief during labor were considered. The search resulted in 341 titles and abstracts, which were narrowed down to eight potentially relevant articles. Of these, four studies met the inclusion criteria. Pain intensity on a 10 cm visual analogue scale was used as the main outcome measure. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2 was used for statistical analysis. Four RCTs involving 220 women were included in the systematic review. One study was excluded from the meta-analysis because of heterogeneous interventions and a lack of mean and standard deviation results of labor pain score. The meta-analysis showed that birth ball exercises provided statistically significant improvements to labor pain (pooled mean difference -0.921; 95% confidence interval -1.28, -0.56; P = 0.0000005; I(2)  = 33.7%). The clinical implementation of a birth ball exercise could be an effective tool for parturient women to reduce labor pain. However, rigorous RCTs are needed to evaluate the effect of the birth ball on labor pain relief. © 2015 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Radiation therapy in the management of symptomatic bone metastases: the effect of total dose and histology on pain relief and response duration

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Arcangeli, Giorgio; Giovinazzo, Giuseppe; Saracino, Biancamaria; D'Angelo, Luciano; Giannarelli, Diana; Arcangeli, Giancarlo; Micheli, Adriana

1998-01-01

Purpose: In order to better define variables and factors that may influence the pain response to radiation, and to look for a radiation regimen that can assure the highest percentage and the longest duration of pain relief, we performed a prospective, although not randomized, study on patients with bone metastases from various primary sites. Methods and Materials: From December 1988 to March 1994, 205 patients with a total of 255 solitary or multiple bone metastases from several primary tumors were treated in our radiotherapy center with palliative intent. Irradiation fields were treated with three main fractionation schedules: (1) Conventional fractionation: 40-46 Gy/20-23 fractions in 5-5.5 weeks; (2) Short course: 30-36 Gy/10-12 fractions in 2-2.3 weeks; (3) Fast course: 8-28 Gy/1-4 consecutive fractions. Pain intensity was self-assessed by patients using a visual analogic scale graduated from 0 (no pain) to 10 (the strongest pain one can experience). Analgesic requirement was assessed by using a five-point scale, scoring both analgesic strength and frequency (0 = no drug or occasional nonopioids; 1 = Nonopioids once daily; 2 = Nonopioids more than once daily; 3 = Mild opioids (oral codeine, pentazocine, etc.), once daily; 4 = Mild opioids more than once daily; 5 = Strong opioids (morphine, meperidine, etc.). Complete pain relief meant the achievement of a score ≤ 2 in the pain scale or 0 in the analgesic requirement scale. Partial pain relief indicated a score of 3 to 4 or of 1 to 2 on the former and latter scale, respectively. Results: Total pain relief (complete + partial) was observed in 195 (76%) sites, in 158 of which (62%) a complete response was obtained. Metastases from NSC lung tumors appeared to be the least responsive among all primary tumors, with 46% complete pain relief in comparison to 65% and 83% complete relief in breast (p = 0.04) and in prostate metastases (p 0.002), respectively. A significant difference in pain relief was detected among

Functional and metabolic changes in the brain in neuropathic pain syndrome against the background of chronic epidural electrostimulation of the spinal cord.

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Sufianov, A A; Shapkin, A G; Sufianova, G Z; Elishev, V G; Barashin, D A; Berdichevskii, V B; Churkin, S V

2014-08-01

Changes in functional and metabolic activities of the brain were evaluated by EEG and positron-emission/computer tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in patients with neuropathic pain syndrome previous to and 3 months after implantation of a system for chronic epidural spinal cord stimulation. In most cases, the use of a nerve stimulator was followed by alleviation of neuropathic pain and partial normalization of functional and metabolic activities of brain structures responsible for pain perception, emotiogenic, behavioral, and autonomic responses.

Evoked potentials after painful cutaneous electrical stimulation depict pain relief during a conditioned pain modulation.

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Höffken, Oliver; Özgül, Özüm S; Enax-Krumova, Elena K; Tegenthoff, Martin; Maier, Christoph

2017-08-29

Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) evaluates the pain modulating effect of a noxious conditioning stimulus (CS) on another noxious test stimulus (TS), mostly based solely on subjective pain ratings. We used painful cutaneous electrical stimulation (PCES) to induce TS in a novel CPM-model. Additionally, to evaluate a more objective parameter, we recorded the corresponding changes of cortical evoked potentials (PCES-EP). We examined the CPM-effect in 17 healthy subjects in a randomized controlled cross-over design during immersion of the non-dominant hand into 10 °C or 24 °C cold water (CS). Using three custom-built concentric surface electrodes, electrical stimuli were applied on the dominant hand, inducing pain of 40-60 on NRS 0-100 (TS). At baseline, during and after CS we assessed the electrically induced pain intensity and electrically evoked potentials recorded over the central electrode (Cz). Only in the 10 °C-condition, both pain (52.6 ± 4.4 (baseline) vs. 30.3 ± 12.5 (during CS)) and amplitudes of PCES-EP (42.1 ± 13.4 μV (baseline) vs. 28.7 ± 10.5 μV (during CS)) attenuated during CS and recovered there after (all p pain ratings during electrical stimulation and amplitudes of PCES-EP correlated significantly with each other (r = 0.5) and with CS pain intensity (r = 0.5). PCES-EPs are a quantitative measure of pain relief, as changes in the electrophysiological response are paralleled by a consistent decrease in subjective pain ratings. This novel CPM paradigm is a feasible method, which could help to evaluate the function of the endogenous pain modulation processes. German Clinical Trials Register DRKS-ID: DRKS00012779 , retrospectively registered on 24 July 2017.

Chronic spinal epidural hematoma in hemophilia A in a child

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stanley, P.; McComb, J.G.; University of Southern California, Los Angeles

1983-01-01

A case of chronic spinal epidural hematoma in a thirteen-year-old male, subsequently found to have hemophilia A is reported. Following myelography, surgery was undertaken with clotting factor replacement with relief of cord compression. The patient made an uneventful recovery. (orig.)

Sciatica caused by a dilated epidural vein: MR findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demaerel, P.; Petre, C.; Wilms, G.; Plets, C.

1999-01-01

We report the MR imaging findings in a 41-year-old woman presenting with sudden low back pain and sciatica. At surgery a dilated epidural vein was found compressing the nerve root. The MR findings may suggest the diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging of a dilated epidural vein or varix causing sciatica has not been reported until now. (orig.) (orig.)

Multiple 60-Minute Massages per Week Offer Relief for Chronic Neck Pain

Science.gov (United States)

... W X Y Z Multiple 60-Minute Massages per Week Offer Relief for Chronic Neck Pain Share: © ... funded study found that multiple 60-minute massages per week were more effective than fewer or shorter ...

Intravenous Remifentanil versus Epidural Ropivacaine with Sufentanil for Labour Analgesia: A Retrospective Study

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhendong; Su, Jing; Liu, Zhiqiang

2014-01-01

Remifentanil with appropriate pharmacological properties seems to be an ideal alternative to epidural analgesia during labour. A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of remifentanil intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IVPCA) compared with epidural analgesia. Medical records of 370 primiparas who received remifentanil IVPCA or epidural analgesia were reviewed. Pain and sedation scores, overall satisfaction, the extent of pain control, maternal side effects and neonatal outcome as primary observational indicators were collected. There was a significant decline of pain scores in both groups. Pain reduction was greater in the epidural group throughout the whole study period (0∼180 min) (Panalgesia. And logistic regression analysis demonstrated that nausea, vomiting were associated with oxytocin usage and instrumental delivery, and dizziness was associated to the type and duration of analgesia. Neonatal outcomes such as Apgar scores and umbilical-cord blood gas analysis were within the normal range, but umbilical pH and base excess of neonatus in the remifentanil group were significantly lower. Remifentanil IVPCA provides poorer efficacy on labor analgesia than epidural analgesia, with more sedation on parturients and a trend of newborn acidosis. Despite these adverse effects, remifentanil IVPCA can still be an alternative option for labor analgesia under the condition of one-to-one bedside care, continuous monitoring, oxygen supply and preparation for neonatal resuscitation. PMID:25386749

Quadratus lumborum block for post-operative pain relief in patient with Prune belly syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Garg, Chitra; Khanna, Sangeeta; Mehta, Yatin

2017-10-01

Abdominal field blocks are commonly used as part of multimodal analgesia for post-operative pain relief in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Conventionally, transversus abdominis plane block is used, but has the disadvantage of limited spread only to T10-T12 segments, providing only partial pain relief. The new quadratus lumborum (QL) block has the advantage of providing wider sensory block from T6 to L1 and thus has an evolving role in opioid-free anaesthesia. Opioid-induced cough depression, urinary retention, and drowsiness can be problematic in patients with Prune belly syndrome, who have deficient abdominal muscles and myriad of genitourinary problems. We report a case of a young male with Prune belly syndrome, who had a pain-free post-operative period after high inguinal orchidectomy with unilateral QL block.

The stress response to surgery: release mechanisms and the modifying effect of pain relief

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kehlet, H

1989-01-01

This short review updates information on the release mechanisms of the systemic response to surgical injury and the modifying effect of pain relief. Initiation of the response is primarily due to afferent nerve impulses combined with release of humoral substances (such as prostaglandins, kinins...... in releasing the classical endocrine catabolic response, while humoral factors are important for the hyperthermic response, changes in coagulation and fibrinolysis immunofunction, and capillary permeability. The modifying effect of pain relief on the surgical stress response is dependent upon the technique...... on the stress response. In summary, pain alleviation itself may not necessarily lead to an important modification of the stress response, and a combined approach with inhibition of the neural and humoral release mechanisms is necessary for a pronounced inhibition or prevention of the response to surgical injury....

[Safety and efficacy of ketamine for pain relief].

Science.gov (United States)

Niesters, Marieke; Dahan, Albert; van Kleef, Maarten

2016-01-01

Intravenous ketamine treatment is frequently used for the management of chronic pain, especially in those patients who do not benefit from other therapies. In this commentary we discuss the efficacy of ketamine for relief of chronic pain and ketamine's safety profile. A review of the literature indicates that only a few studies show that intravenous ketamine has analgesic effects that persist beyond the infusion period, an effect that occurs in about two-thirds of patients. Ketamine has multiple safety issues, ranging from psychotomimetic and schizotypal symptoms, sympathetic stimulation, tachycardia and hypertension, and damage to the liver and the urogenital tract. Damage to the urogenital tract seems to be restricted to individuals who chronically abuse ketamine. We indicate the need for large randomized trials in which ketamine is compared with an 'active' placebo.

Delayed onset of a spinal epidural hematoma after facet joint injection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirko Velickovic

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The treatment of chronic back pain is a challenging problem. Facet joint infiltration is an established treatment for chronic low back pain caused by arthrosis of the lumbar facet joints. Due to the increasing number of patients with chronic low back pain, this therapy has become more frequent. We treated a 51-year-old male patient, who developed an epidural hematoma 2 months after infiltration therapy. Our case shows that even a delayed onset of spinal epidural hematoma is possible and should be kept in mind as a possible cause of acute myelopathy after spinal intervention.

Low cost continuous femoral nerve block for relief of acute severe cancer related pain due to pathological fracture femur

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel Cherian Koshy

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Pathological fractures in cancer patient cause severe pain that is difficult to control pharmacologically. Even with good pain relief at rest, breakthrough and incident pain can be unmanageable. Continuous regional nerve blocks have a definite role in controlling such intractable pain. We describe two such cases where severe pain was adequately relieved in the acute phase. Continuous femoral nerve block was used as an efficient, cheap and safe method of pain relief for two of our patients with pathological fracture femur. This method was proved to be quite efficient in decreasing the fracture-related pain and improving the level of well being.

Cervical spinal epidural abscess following acupuncture and wet-cupping therapy: A case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Yindan; Hong, Wenke; Chen, Huimin; Guan, Qiongfeng; Yu, Hu; Chang, Xianchao; Yu, Yaoping; Xu, Shanhu; Fan, Weinv

2016-02-01

Report of an uncommon complication of acupuncture and wet cupping. A 54-year-old man presented with neck pain and fever. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine revealed an epidural abscess at C4 to T2. The symptoms related to epidural abscess resolved partially after treatment with antibiotics. Acupuncture and wet-cupping therapy should be taken into consideration as a cause of spinal epidural abscesses in patients who present with neck pain and fever. Furthermore, acupuncture and wet-cupping practitioners should pay attention to hygienic measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison between Epidural Block vs. High Intensity Laser Therapy for Controlling Chronic Low Back Pain

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Badiozaman Radpay

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Chronic low back pain is among a wide spread musculoskeletal conditions that is related to disability with high economy cost. There are several treatment modalities for controlling chronic low back pain (CLBP, among them high intensity laser therapy (HILT and epidural blocks (EB use more commonly. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits and hazards of each of these two methods.Materials and Methods: We designed a randomized controlled double blind study during 24 months.101 patients divided in 2 groups (52 in EB and 49 in HILT group. Pain intensity was assessed by using faces pain scales (FPS and LINKERT questionaries' before procedure and during one, four, 12, and 24 weeks after beginning the procedures.Results: There were no differences between two groups in FPS lumber tenderness, straight leg rising test (SLRT, paresthesia, deep tendon reflex (DTR, and imaging changes. Motor problems seem was less in HILT group comparing EB.Conclusion: This study showed both EB and HILT approaches can control the pain intensity and motor activities in CLBP patients. Future studies will clarify the precise importance of each these methods.

The addition of tramadol as a second opioid may improve pain relief in severe osteoarthritis: a prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Lorenzo, Luigi; Foti, Calogero; Forte, Alfonso Maria; Palmieri, Enzo; Formisano, Rita; Vatakencherry, Abraham; Pappagallo, Marco

2010-01-01

Opioid combination has been shown to reduce the need for escalating doses for the treatment of cancer pain. A prospective study was planned to evaluate the addition of tramadol to a stronger opioid for the treatment of severe pain as a result of osteoarthritis, previously uncontrolled by non-opioid analgesics or weak opioids. All subjects received tramadol 200 mg and tizanidine 2 mg. At 2 weeks, tramadol was discontinued for patients still reporting poor pain relief (effectiveness ≤50%), and a stronger opioid was titrated to a morphine equivalent amount (MEA) of 40-60 mg orally. After two additional weeks, patients were then divided into two groups: the Strong Opioid Group (SO) and the Tramadol plus the Strong Opioid Group (TSO). The SO group was allowed to escalate opioid dose for lack of effectiveness; the TSO group received tramadol 150 mg daily, thereafter additional strong opioid titration was allowed. A total of 74 patients were studied: SO (n = 40) and TSOG (n = 34). All patients eventually achieved pain relief quality, with both groups reporting similar Karnofsky Performance Scale effectiveness. The SO group achieved satisfactory pain relief (>50%) at an average daily oral MEA of 120 mg. TSO subjects achieved satisfactory pain relief (>50%) at an average daily oral MEA of 95 mg. The addition of tramadol provided a synergistic effect resulting in a 30-mg decrease in necessary morphine equivalents with fewer opioid-related adverse effects. © 2010 The Authors. Pain Practice © 2010 World Institute of Pain.

The analgesic effect of diclofenac sodium administered via the epidural route in an experimental visceral pain model.

Science.gov (United States)

Kilci, O; Demir, T; Günbey, M; Kara, C; Bayazit, D; Ornek, D; Baydar, M

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the analgesic effect of diclofenac sodium injected epidurally in single or repeated doses and whether tolerance develops in long-term use. A total of 30 rats were included in the study. The rats were anesthetized using intraperitoneal ketamine hydrochloride and an epidural catheter (EC) was inserted at the level of 13th dorsal thoraco-lumbar vertebrae (T13). Eleven rats were excluded from the study. The remaining 19 rats were randomly divided into three groups; Group Control (Group C) (n = 6) received 20 μL normal saline solution (NS) via EC for 10 days; Group Single Dose (Group SD) (n = 6) received 20 μL NS for 9 days and 6 μg diclofenac via EC on 10th day; Group Ten Doses (Group TDs) (n = 7) received 6 μg diclofenac via EC in 20 μL NS for 10 days. On the 10th day, 30 min after epidural diclofenac sodium, 300 mg/kg of 3% acetic acid was injected via intraperitoneal route, and the rats were observed for 30 min and number of writhing reflex (WR) was recorded. The values of total number of Writhing Reflex (WRT) and Writhing reflex per minute(WR/min) were found to be significantly higher in Group C compared with Groups SD and TD (P = 0.009). Single and repeated doses of diclofenac sodium via epidural route have an analgesic effect in a visceral pain model in rats without developing tolerance.

Low-level laser therapy for pain relief after episiotomy: a double-blind randomised clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Jaqueline de O; de Oliveira, Sonia M J V; da Silva, Flora M B; Nobre, Moacyr R C; Osava, Ruth H; Riesco, Maria L G

2012-12-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of a low-level laser therapy for pain relief in the perineum following episiotomy during childbirth. Laser irradiation is a painless and non-invasive therapy for perineal pain treatment and its effects have been investigated in several studies, with no clear conclusion on its effectiveness. A double-blind randomised controlled clinical trial. One hundred and fourteen women who underwent right mediolateral episiotomies during vaginal birth in an in-hospital birthing centre in São Paulo, Brazil and reported pain ≥ 3 on a numeric scale (0-10) were randomised into three groups of 38 women each: two experimental groups (treated with red and infrared laser) and a control group. The experimental groups were treated with laser applied at three points directly on the episiotomy after suturing in a single session between 6-56 hours postpartum. We used a diode laser with wavelengths of 660 nm (red laser) and 780 nm (infrared laser). The control group participants underwent all laser procedures, excluding the emission of irradiation. The participants and the pain scores evaluator were blinded to the type of intervention. The perineal pain scores were assessed at three time points: before, immediately after and 30 minutes after low-level laser therapy. The comparison of perineal pain between the three groups showed no significant differences in the three evaluations (p = 0.445), indicating that the results obtained in the groups treated with low-level laser therapy were equivalent to the control group. Low-level laser therapy did not decrease the intensity of perineal pain reported by women who underwent right mediolateral episiotomy. The effect of laser in perineal pain relief was not demonstrated in this study. The dosage may not have been sufficient to provide relief from perineal pain after episiotomy during a vaginal birth. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Optimal Dose of Epidural Dexmedetomidine Added to Ropivacaine for Epidural Labor Analgesia: A Pilot Study

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Zhang Wangping

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Dexmedetomidine combined with local anesthetics can decrease the concentration of epidural ropivacaine. However, the optimal dose of epidural dexmedetomidine combined with ropivacaine for labor analgesia is still uncertain. This study investigated the effect of adding different dose of epidural dexmedetomidine to ropivacaine during epidural labor analgesia. Methods. One hundred women were randomly assigned to one of the four groups (Groups A, B, C, and D received 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 μg/ml of dexmedetomidine plus 0.1% ropivacaine, resp.. The onset of epidural anesthesia and stages of labor were studied, and pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS. Hemodynamic parameters and fetal heart rate were monitored. Apgar scores and umbilical artery pH were recorded. The side effects, if any, were recorded also. Results. The addition of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 μg/ml of dexmedetomidine to 0.1% ropivacaine provided safe and effective analgesia, but 1 μg/ml of dexmedetomidine resulted in increasing incidence of motor block. The hemodynamic parameters were similar between groups (P>0.05. Side effects in Group D were significantly higher than those in the other three groups (P<0.05. Conclusions. When dexmedetomidine is combined with 0.1% ropivacaine, the optimal concentration of dexmedetomidine is 0.5 μg/ml for epidural labor analgesia (this trial is registered with ChiCTR-OPC-16008548.

Anaphylaxis at image-guided epidural pain block secondary to corticosteroid compound.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Moran, Deirdre E

2012-09-01

Anaphylaxis during image-guided interventional procedures is a rare but potentially fatal event. Anaphylaxis to iodinated contrast is an established and well-recognized adverse effect. However, anaphylaxis to some of the other frequently administered medications given during interventional procedures, such as corticosteroids, is not common knowledge. During caudal epidural injection, iodinated contrast is used to confirm needle placement in the epidural space at the level of the sacral hiatus. A combination of corticosteroid, local anesthetic, and saline is subsequently injected. We describe a very rare case of anaphylaxis to a component of the steroid medication instilled in the caudal epidural space.

Evaluation of the clinical efficiency of transforaminal epidural steroid injection in the treatment of sciatica

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Gündoğdu Zafer

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: Evaluation of clinical efficiancy of fluoroscopy-accompanied transforaminal epidural steroid injection in patients with symptomatic lumbar foraminal intervertebral disc herniation and foraminal stenosis. Methods: Fifty patients, who underwent fluoroscopic-guided epidural steroid injection between 19.12.2013 - 28.02.2014, were evaluated retrospectively. Pain levels of patients before the procedure, after 3 weeks and after 6 months were compared using visuel analog scale (VAS. Fifty percent or more decrease, less than 50% decrease and no change in VAS were evaluated as sufficient response, insufficient response and unresponsiveness, respectively. The patients were asked whether they would undergo this process again and “Yes”, “Maybe” and “No” answers were evaluated for patient satisfaction score. Results: In 50 patients (32 female, 18 male, average pain levels were found to be 8.4 (VAS 7-9, 4.3 (VAS 1-9 and 4.4 (VAS 0-9 before the procedure, 3 weeks after the procedure and 6 months after the procedure, respectively. While thirty-seven (74% of the patients were found to have sufficient response to treatment 3 weeks after the procedure, 10 (20% patients were found to have insufficient response. There was no response to treatment in 3 (6% patients. While thirty-five (70% of the patients were found to have sufficient response to treatment 6 months after the procedure, 10 (20% patients were found to have insufficient response. Six months after the procedure, there was no response to treatment in 5 patients (%10. Statistically significant improvement was observed when the pre and post-procedure VAS scores were compared. Forty (80% patients gave the answer “Yes” to the question whether they would undergo this procedure again. Conclusion: We found that fluoroscopic guided transforaminal epidural steroid injection is effective in pain relief in patients with lumbar foraminal intervertebral disc herniation and foraminalstenosis

Combined epidural-spinal opioid-free anaesthesia and analgesia for hysterectomy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Callesen, T; Schouenborg, Lars Øland; Nielsen, D

1999-01-01

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are major problems after gynaecological surgery. We studied 40 patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy, allocated randomly to receive opioid-free epidural-spinal anaesthesia or general anaesthesia with continuous epidural bupivacaine 15 mg h-1...... or continuous bupivacaine 10 mg h-1 with epidural morphine 0.2 mg h-1, respectively, for postoperative analgesia. Nausea, vomiting, pain and bowel function were scored on 4-point scales for 3 days. Patients undergoing general anaesthesia had significantly higher nausea and vomiting scores (P ... for hysterectomy caused less PONV, but with less effective analgesia compared with general anaesthesia with postoperative continuous epidural morphine and bupivacaine....

Epidural analgesia in early labour blocks the stress response but uterine contractions remain unchanged.

Science.gov (United States)

Scull, T J; Hemmings, G T; Carli, F; Weeks, S K; Mazza, L; Zingg, H H

1998-07-01

To determine the effect of epidural analgesia on biochemical markers of stress, plasma oxytocin concentrations and frequency of uterine contractions during the first stage of labour. Nine nulliparous women, in spontaneous labour, with a singleton fetus and cervical dilatation < or = 5 cm were enrolled. Epidural bupivacaine 0.25% (range 10-14 ml) was administered and bilateral sensory blockade to ice (T8-L4) achieved. Blood samples were collected before the epidermal block and every 10 min for one hour after the block was achieved for the measurement of plasma beta-endorphin, cortical, glucose, lactate and oxytocin concentrations. No exogenous oxytocin was given. Intensity of pain was assessed at the time of the blood sampling using a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS). The frequency of uterine contractions was recorded for 60 min before and after the epidural block. There was a decrease in plasma beta-endorphin and cortisol concentrations after epidural block (P < 0.01). There were no changes in plasma glucose and lactate concentrations. The mean VAS for pain decreased 10 min after epidural block was achieved and remained < 2 throughout the study period (P < 0.001). Mean plasma oxytocin concentrations did not change. The frequency of uterine contractions before and after the epidural block was similar. The metabolic stress response to the pain of labour was attenuated by epidural analgesia. In contrast, plasma oxytocin concentration and frequency of uterine contractions were unaffected by the attenuation of metabolic stress response.

Quadratus lumborum block for post-operative pain relief in patient with Prune belly syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chitra Garg

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abdominal field blocks are commonly used as part of multimodal analgesia for post-operative pain relief in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Conventionally, transversus abdominis plane block is used, but has the disadvantage of limited spread only to T10–T12 segments, providing only partial pain relief. The new quadratus lumborum (QL block has the advantage of providing wider sensory block from T6 to L1 and thus has an evolving role in opioid-free anaesthesia. Opioid-induced cough depression, urinary retention, and drowsiness can be problematic in patients with Prune belly syndrome, who have deficient abdominal muscles and myriad of genitourinary problems. We report a case of a young male with Prune belly syndrome, who had a pain-free post-operative period after high inguinal orchidectomy with unilateral QL block.

The roles of special proresolving mediators in pain relief.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lan-Yu; Jia, Ming-Rui; Sun, Tao

2018-02-08

The resolution of acute inflammation, once thought to be a passive process, is now recognized as an active one. The productions of endogenous special proresolving mediators (SPMs) are involved in this process. SPMs, including lipoxins, resolvins, protectins, and maresins, are endogenous lipid mediators generated from ω-6 arachidonic acid or ω-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids during the resolution phase of acute inflammation. They have potent anti-inflammatory and proresolving actions in various inflammatory disorders. Due to the potent proresolving and anti-inflammatory effects, SPMs are also used for pain relief. This review focuses on the mechanisms by which SPMs act on their respective G-protein-coupled receptors in immune cells and nerve cells to normalize pain via regulating inflammatory mediators, transient receptor potential ion channels, and central sensitization. SPMs may offer novel therapeutic approaches for preventing and treating pain conditions associated with inflammation.

A novel and effective acupuncture modality as a complementary therapy to acute pain relief in inpatients with rib fractures

OpenAIRE

Hsin-Yi Ho; Chao-Wei Chen; Ming-Chieh Li; Yu-Pao Hsu; Shih-Ching Kang; Erh-Hao Liu; Ko-Hung Lee

2014-01-01

Background: Pain control has been emphasized as a priority for both practitioners and inpatients with rib fractures, since analgesia could only offer limited relief from severe pain. A prospective and randomized controlled trial was conducted to analyze the efficacy and efficiency of acupuncture in acute pain relief for inpatients with rib fractures. Methods: A total of 58 inpatients were recruited and allocated to two groups, receiving identical doses of conventional oral analgesics as we...

Ibuprofen Versus Fennel for the Relief of Postpartum Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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Parvin Asti

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Objective: The present study aimed to compare the value of ibuprofen and fennel for postpartum painrelief in women with normal vaginal delivery.Materials and methods:In this randomized clinical trial we studied 90 women referring to obstetricsward for Normal Vaginal Delivery (NVD in Assali hospital in Khoramabad. Women were randomlyallocated to receive either oral ibuprofen or oral fennel by stratified random sampling technique. Allwomen were asked to give pain score by visual analogue scale before and at 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours aftertreatment.Results: Difference between fennel and ibuprofen groups was not significant considering severity of painbefore (P=0.22. Difference between two groups considering mean severity of pain one hour aftertreatment (P=0.57 was not significant. But comparing the mean of pain severity in two groups, showedsignificant difference after two (p<0.023, three (p<0.001 and four (p<0.001 hours after treatment.Conclusion: Ibuprofen and fennel were effective for relief of postpartum pain without any notable sideeffects, but in general ibuprofen was more effective than fennel. More studies are needed to confirm theefficacy of fennel in pain relief especially in postpartum women which must be compared to a notreatment control group.

Tensile strength decreases and perfusion pressure of 3-holed polyamide epidural catheters increases in long-term epidural infusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Pascal; Meyer, Urs; Schüpfer, Guido; Rukwied, Roman; Konrad, Christoph; Gerber, Helmut

2011-01-01

Epidural analgesia is an established method for pain management. The failure rate is 8% to 12% due to technical difficulties (catheter dislocation and/or disconnection; partial or total catheter occlusion) and management. The mechanical properties of the catheters, like tensile strength and flow rate, may also be affected by the analgesic solution and/or the tissue environment. We investigated the tensile strength and perfusion pressure of new (n=20), perioperatively (n=30), and postoperatively (n=73) used epidural catheters (20-gauge, polyamide, closed tip, 3 side holes; Perifix [B. Braun]). To prevent dislocation, epidural catheters were taped (n=5) or fixed by suture (n=68) to the skin. After removal, mechanical properties were assessed by a tensile-testing machine (INSTRON 4500), and perfusion pressure was measured at flow rates of 10, 20, and 40 mL/h. All catheters demonstrated a 2-step force transmission. Initially, a minimal increase of length could be observed at 15 N followed by an elongation of several cm at additional forces (7 N). Breakage occurred in the control group at 23.5±1.5 N compared with 22.4±1.6 N in perioperative and 22.4±1.7 N in postoperative catheters (Ptensile strength, whereas perfusion pressure at clinically used flow rates (10 mL/h) increased significantly from 19±1.3 to 44±72 mm Hg during long-term (≥7 days) epidural analgesia (Ptensile strength or perfusion pressure. Epidural catheter use significantly increases the perfusion pressure and decreases the tensile strength. Copyright © 2011 by American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

Hypnosis and Local Anesthesia for Dental Pain Relief-Alternative or Adjunct Therapy?-A Randomized, Clinical-Experimental Crossover Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Thomas Gerhard; Wolf, Dominik; Callaway, Angelika; Below, Dagna; d'Hoedt, Bernd; Willershausen, Brita; Daubländer, Monika

2016-01-01

This prospective randomized clinical crossover trial was designed to compare hypnosis and local anesthesia for experimental dental pain relief. Pain thresholds of the dental pulp were determined. A targeted standardized pain stimulus was applied and rated on the Visual Analogue Scale (0-10). The pain threshold was lower under hypnosis (58.3 ± 17.3, p local anesthesia. The pain stimulus was scored higher under hypnosis (3.9 ± 3.8) than with local anesthesia (0.0, p Local anesthesia was superior to hypnosis and is a safe and effective method for pain relief in dentistry. Hypnosis seems to produce similar effects observed under sedation. It can be used in addition to local anesthesia and in individual cases as an alternative for pain control in dentistry.

Predictors of pain relief following spinal cord stimulation in chronic back and leg pain and failed back surgery syndrome: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Rod S; Desai, Mehul J; Rigoard, Philippe; Taylor, Rebecca J

2014-07-01

We sought to assess the extent to which pain relief in chronic back and leg pain (CBLP) following spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is influenced by patient-related factors, including pain location, and technology factors. A number of electronic databases were searched with citation searching of included papers and recent systematic reviews. All study designs were included. The primary outcome was pain relief following SCS, we also sought pain score (pre- and post-SCS). Multiple predictive factors were examined: location of pain, history of back surgery, initial level of pain, litigation/worker's compensation, age, gender, duration of pain, duration of follow-up, publication year, continent of data collection, study design, quality score, method of SCS lead implant, and type of SCS lead. Between-study association in predictive factors and pain relief were assessed by meta-regression. Seventy-four studies (N = 3,025 patients with CBLP) met the inclusion criteria; 63 reported data to allow inclusion in a quantitative analysis. Evidence of substantial statistical heterogeneity (P regression analysis showed no predictive patient or technology factors. SCS was effective in reducing pain irrespective of the location of CBLP. This review supports SCS as an effective pain relieving treatment for CBLP with predominant leg pain with or without a prior history of back surgery. Randomized controlled trials need to confirm the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of SCS in the CLBP population with predominant low back pain. © 2013 The Authors Pain Practice Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of World Institute of Pain.

Pain Relief in Nonhuman Primate Models of Arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Vierboom, Michel P M; Breedveld, Elia; Keehnen, Merei; Klomp, Rianne; Bakker, Jaco

2017-01-01

Animal models of rheumatoid arthritis are important in the elucidation of etiopathogenic mechanisms of the disease and for the development of promising new therapies. Species specificity of new biological compounds and their mode of action preclude safety and efficacy testing in rodent models of disease. Nonhuman primates (NHP) can fill this niche and provide the only relevant model. Over the last two decades models of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) were developed in the rhesus monkey and the common marmoset. However, NHP are higher-order animals and complex sentient beings. So especially in models where pain is an intricate part of the disease, analgesia needs to be addressed because of ethical considerations. In our model, a morphine-based pain relief was used that does not interfere with the normal development of disease allowing us to evaluate important mechanistic aspects of the arthritis.

A Comparison of the Efficacy and Tolerability of the Treatments for Sciatica: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jian-Rong; Jin, Xiao-Ju; Shen, Hua-Chun; Wang, Huan; Zhou, Xun; Liu, Xiao-Qian; Zhu, Na-Na

2017-12-01

There remains a lack of a systematic summary of the efficacy and safety of various medicines for sciatica, and discrepancies among these exist. The aim of this study is to comprehensively assess the efficacy of and tolerance to several medical options for the treatment of sciatica. We performed a network meta-analysis and illustrated the results by the mean difference or odds ratio. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was used for indicating the preferable treatments. All data analyses and graphs were achieved via R 3.3.2 and Stata 13.0. The subcutaneous anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF-α) was superior to the epidural steroid + anesthetic in reducing lumbar pain in both acute + chronic sciatica patients and acute sciatica patients. The epidural steroid demonstrated a better ability regarding the Oswestry disability score (ODI) compared to the subcutaneous anti-TNF-α. In addition, for total pain relief, the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs was inferior to the epidural steroid + anesthetic. The epidural anesthetic and epidural steroid + anesthetic both demonstrated superiority over the epidural steroid and intramuscular steroid. The intravenous anti-TNF-α ranked first in leg pain relief, while the subcutaneous anti-TNF-α ranked first in lumbar pain relief, and the epidural steroid ranked first in the ODI on the basis of SUCRA. In addition, their safety outcome (withdrawal) rankings were all medium to high. Intravenous and subcutaneous anti-TNF-α were identified as the optimal treatments for both acute + chronic sciatica patients and acute sciatica patients. In addition, the epidural steroid was also recommended as a good intervention due to its superiority in reducing ODI.

Effect of Epidural Block under General Anesthesia on Pulse Transit Time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Byeong Cheol; Kim, Seong Min; Jung, Dong Keun; Kim, Gi Ryon; Lee, He Jeong; Jeon, Gye Rock

2005-01-01

Epidural block under general anesthesia has been widely used to control postoperative pain. In this anesthetic state many hemodynamic parameters are changed. Moreover pulse transit time is influenced by this memodynamic change. PPT change in the finger and the toe due to relaxation of arterial wall muscle after general anesthesia and epidural block under general anesthesia. This study, in the both general anesthesia and epidural block under general anesthesia, ΔPTT of the toe and of the finger are measured. In addition, ΔPTT(toe-finger) of the epidural block under general anesthesia and of the general anesthesia were compared

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation once a week induces sustainable long-term relief of central poststroke pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Masahito; Fujimaki, Takamitsu; Mihara, Ban; Ohira, Takayuki

2015-06-01

Central poststroke pain is a serious problem for some patients after stroke. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been reported to relieve poststroke pain but its efficacy is still controversial. We tested the possibility that rTMS, when applied once a week, would induce sustainable relief of poststroke pain. Eighteen patients with central poststroke pain were included in this study. rTMS (10 trains of 10-sec 5 Hz-rTMS) was delivered over the primary motor cortex on the affected side. The rTMS session was repeated once a week for 12 weeks, and for six patients the intervention was continued for one year. The degree of the pain was assessed before each weekly rTMS session to evaluate sustainable effects. The effects of the rTMS reached a plateau at the eighth week. At the 12th week, the rTMS was effective in 61.1% of the patients; 5 of the 18 patients showed more than 70% reduction based on a visual analog scale, 6 patients showed 40-69% reduction, and 7 remained at a pain reduction level of less than 40%. When patients were divided into two groups with or without severe dysesthesia, it was found that eight patients with severe dysesthesia showed less pain relief than those without. In the six patients who continued rTMS for one year, the pain relief effects also were sustained. Although this was an open-label study without a control group, our findings suggest that rTMS of the primary motor cortex, when maintained once a week, could help to relieve poststroke pain. © 2015 International Neuromodulation Society.

Sciatica caused by a dilated epidural vein: MR findings

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Demaerel, P.; Petre, C.; Wilms, G. [Dept. of Radiology, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium); Plets, C. [Dept. of Neurosurgery, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium)

1999-02-01

We report the MR imaging findings in a 41-year-old woman presenting with sudden low back pain and sciatica. At surgery a dilated epidural vein was found compressing the nerve root. The MR findings may suggest the diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging of a dilated epidural vein or varix causing sciatica has not been reported until now. (orig.) (orig.) With 1 fig., 4 refs.

[High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for tumor pain relief in inoperable pancreatic cancer : Evaluation with the pain sensation scale (SES)].

Science.gov (United States)

Marinova, M; Strunk, H M; Rauch, M; Henseler, J; Clarens, T; Brüx, L; Dolscheid-Pommerich, R; Conrad, R; Cuhls, H; Radbruch, L; Schild, H H; Mücke, M

2017-02-01

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in combination with palliative standard therapy is an innovative and effective treatment option for pain reduction in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer. Evaluation of the effects of additive ultrasound (US)-guided HIFU treatment in inoperable pancreatic cancer on the sensory and affective pain perception using validated questionnaries. In this study 20 patients with locally advanced inoperable pancreatic cancer and tumor-related pain were treated by US-guided HIFU (6 stage III, 12 stage IV according to UICC and 2 with local recurrence after surgery). Ablation was performed using the JC HIFU system (HAIFU, Chongqing, China) with an ultrasonic device for real-time imaging. Clinical assessment included evaluation of pain severity using validated questionnaires with particular attention to the pain sensation scale (SES) with its affective and sensory component and the numeric rating scale (NRS). The average pain reduction after HIFU was 2.87 points on the NRS scale and 57.3 % compared to the mean baseline score (n = 15, 75 %) in 19 of 20 treated patients. Four patients did not report pain relief, however, the previous opioid medication could be stopped (n = 2) or the analgesic dosage could be reduced (n = 2). No pain reduction was achieved in one patient. Furthermore, after HIFU emotional as well as sensory pain aspects were significantly reduced (before vs. 1 week after HIFU, p pain scales). US-guided HIFU can be used for effective and early pain relief and reduction of emotional and sensory pain sensation in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Update on best available options in obstetrics anaesthesia: perinatal outcomes, side effects and maternal satisfaction. Fifteen years systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gizzo, Salvatore; Noventa, Marco; Fagherazzi, Simone; Lamparelli, Laura; Ancona, Emanuele; Di Gangi, Stefania; Saccardi, Carlo; D'Antona, Donato; Nardelli, Giovanni Battista

2014-07-01

In modern obstetrics, different pharmacological and non-pharmacological options allow to obtain pain relief during labour, one of the most important goals in women satisfaction about medical care. The aim of this review is to compare all the analgesia administration schemes in terms of effectiveness in pain relief, length of labour, mode of delivery, side effects and neonatal outcomes. A systematic literature search was conducted in electronic databases in the interval time between January 1999 and March 2013. Key search terms included: “labour analgesia”, “epidural anaesthesia during labour” (excluding anaesthesia for Caesarean section), “epidural analgesia and labour outcome” and “intra-thecal analgesia”. 10,331 patients were analysed: 5,578 patients underwent Epidural-Analgesia, 259 patients spinal analgesia, 2,724 combined spinal epidural analgesia, 322 continuous epidural infusion (CEI), 168 intermittent epidural bolus, 684 patient-controlled infusion epidural analgesia and 152 intra-venous patient-controlled epidural analgesia. We also considered 341 women who underwent patient-controlled infusion epidural analgesia in association with CEI and 103 patients who underwent patient-controlled infusion epidural analgesia in association with automatic mandatory bolus. No significant differences occurred among all the available administration schemes of neuraxial analgesia. In absence of obstetrical contraindication, neuraxial analgesia has to be considered as the gold standard in obtaining maternal pain relief during labour. The options available in the administration of analgesia should be known and evaluated together by both gynaecologists and anaesthesiologists to choose the best personalized scheme and obtain the best women satisfaction. Since it is difficult to identify comparable circumstances during labour, it is complicate to standardize drugs schemes and their combinations.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty in vertebral metastases from breast cancer: interest in terms of pain relief and quality of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Barragán-Campos, Héctor Manuel; Le Faou, Anne-Laurence; Rose, Michèle; Livartowski, Alain; Doz, Marianne; Astagneau, Pascal; Cormier, Evelyne; Chiras, Jacques

2014-10-31

Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) is a therapeutic option in patients with vertebral metastases (VM). However its efficacy in pain relief, improvement in quality of life and safety in patients with VM from breast cancer has not been reported. We present a longitudinal retrospective study of 31 consecutively treated female patients with VM from breast cancer where 88 vertebrae were treated in 44 sessions of PV, in which osteolytic, osteoblastic and mixed lesions were recorded. The visual analogue pain scale (VAS) was used to evaluate pain pre-PV, at one, three, six and 12 months post-PV. The Eastern Cooperative Group (ECOG) performance status scale was used at the same time intervals to measure quality of life: 90.3% pain relief was identified with a VAS reduction from 5.7 ± 2.0 pre-PV to 2.9 ± 2.2 post-PV at one-month follow-up (ppain relief, and improvement of quality of life in patients with diverse types of VM from breast cancer.

Efficacy of transverse tripolar stimulation for relief of chronic low back pain: results of a single center.

Science.gov (United States)

Slavin, K V; Burchiel, K J; Anderson, V C; Cooke, B

1999-01-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the transverse tripolar spinal cord stimulation system (TTS) in providing relief of low back pain in patients with chronic non-malignant pain. Transverse tripolar electrodes were implanted in the lower thoracic region (T(8-9) to T(12)-L(1)) in 10 patients with chronic neuropathic pain, all of whom reported a significant component of low back pain in combination with unilateral or bilateral leg pain. One patient reported inadequate pain relief during the trial and was not implanted with a permanent generator. A visual analogue scale of low back pain showed a nonsignificant decrease from 64 +/- 19 to 47 +/- 30 (p = 0.25; paired t test) after 1 month of stimulation. Similarly, functional disability evaluated using Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire was not improved (p = 0. 46; paired t test). We conclude that chronic low back pain is not particularly responsive to the transverse stimulation provided by the TTS system. Copyright 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel

A Case of Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Hematoma Mimicking Stroke

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Emine Rabia Koç

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is an uncommon cause of acute non-traumatic myelopathy and may present with various clinical phenotypes. Focal neurological symptoms can result in overlooking this differential diagnosis in patients presenting with neurological deficits and assuming the diagnosis of a stroke. Therefore, a thorough documentation of patient history is of great importance, since this can reveal symptoms suggestive of a different etiology. Here, we present a case of an 80-year-old female who was admitted with a hemiparesis without cortical or cranial neurological abnormalities. She mentioned of preceding shoulder and neck pain. Diagnosis of epidural hematoma was made by cervical magnetic resonance imaging. Symptoms resolved partially after surgical intervention. Our case illustrates the variation in the clinical presentation of spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma which can be misdiagnosed as stroke. Therefore, in patients with preceding neck, shoulder or interscapular pain and focal neurological deficits, this diagnosis should be included in the differential, particularly when cortical and cranial signs are lacking

A new analgesic method, two-minute sciatic nerve press, for immediate pain relief: a randomized trial

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Zhang Fenglin

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Current analgesics have drawbacks such as delays in acquisition, lag-times for effect, and side effects. We recently presented a preliminary report of a new analgesic method involving a two-minute sciatic nerve press, which resulted in immediate short-term relief of pain associated with dental and renal diseases. The present study investigated whether this technique was effective for pain associated with other disease types, and whether the relief was effective for up to one hour. Methods This randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial was conducted in four hospitals in Anhui Province, China. Patients with pain were sequentially recruited by participating physicians during clinic visits, and 135 patients aged 15 – 80 years were enrolled. Dental disease patients included those with acute pulpitis and periapical abscesses. Renal disease patients included those with kidney infections and/or stones. Tumor patients included those with nose, breast, stomach and liver cancers, while Emergency Room patients had various pathologies. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a "sciatic nerve press" in which pressure was applied simultaneously to the sciatic nerves at the back of both thighs, or a "placebo press" in which pressure was applied to a parallel region on the front of the thighs. Each fist applied a pressure of 11 – 20 kg for 2 minutes. Patients rated their level of pain before and after the procedure. Results The "sciatic nerve press" produced immediate relief of pain in all patient groups. Emergency patients reported a 43.5% reduction in pain (p th minutes, and the relief decreased 47% by the 60th minutes. Conclusion Two minutes of pressure on both sciatic nerves produced immediate significant short-term conduction analgesia. This technique is a convenient, safe and powerful method for the short-term treatment of clinical pain associated with a diverse range of pathologies. Trial registration Current

Examining the side effects of sucrose for pain relief in preterm infants: a case-control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.B.M. Linhares

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Sucrose solution is recommended as relevant pain relief management in neonates during acute painful procedures; however, only a few studies have analyzed the potentially adverse effects of sucrose administration to preterm neonates. The goal of this study was to examine the potential side effects of sucrose for pain relief in preterm infants, assessing feeding and weight gain during hospitalization and their feeding patterns postdischarge. The study sample consisted of 43 preterm neonates divided into two groups: a sucrose group (SG, n=18 and a control group (CG, n=25 in which no sucrose was administered. The SG received 0.5 mL/kg 25% oral sucrose for 2 min prior to all acute painful procedures during three consecutive days. A prospective review of medical charts was performed for all samples. The study was done prior to implementation of the institutional sucrose guidelines as a routine service, and followed all ethical requirements. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in terms of weight gain, length of stay with orogastric tubes, and parenteral feeding. Postdischarge, infant nutritional intake included feeding human milk to 67% of the SG and 74% of the CG. There were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding human milk feeding patterns postdischarge. Neonate feeding patterns and weight gain were unaffected following the short-term use of sucrose for pain relief.

[Epidural pharmacotherapy in the treatment of the pain syndrome in osteochondrosis complicated by intervertebral discs protrusion of lumbar part of the vertebral column].

Science.gov (United States)

Khizhniak, M V; Priĭmak, E V

2013-03-01

Experience of application of intralaminar epidural pharmacotherapy for the treatment of the pain syndrome in the patients, suffering osteochondrosis of lumbar portion of vertebral column, complicated by intervertebral discs protrusion, was summarized. The method introduction permits to escape the operative intervention performance for complicated osteochondrosis.

Acute presentation of solitary spinal epidural cavernous angioma in a child

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalatbari, M.R.; Moharamzad, Y.; Hamidi, M.

2013-01-01

Solitary spinal epidural cavernous angiomas are rare lesions, especially in paediatric age group. They are infrequently considered in the differential diagnosis of spinal epidural masses in children. We report a case of solitary epidural cavernous angioma of the thoracic spine in a child presenting with acute onset of back pain and myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic spine demonstrated a posterior epidural mass at T6-T8 levels with compression of the spinal cord. Using microsurgical technique and bipolar coagulation, total excision of the lesion was achieved. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cavernous angioma. At the five-year follow-up, there was no recurrence of the tumour. (author)

Superior Hypogastric Nerve Block to Reduce Pain After Uterine Artery Embolization: Advanced Technique and Comparison to Epidural Anesthesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binkert, Christoph A.; Hirzel, Florian C.; Gutzeit, Andreas; Zollikofer, Christoph L.; Hess, Thomas

2015-01-01

PurposeTo evaluate a modified superior hypogastric nerve block (SHNB) to reduce pain after uterine artery embolization (UAE) compared to epidural anesthesia.Materials and methodsIn this retrospective study, the amount of opiate drugs needed after UAE was compared between SHNB and epidural anesthesia. Eighty one consecutive women (mean age: 43.67 years) were in the SHNB group and 27 consecutive women (mean age: 43.48 years) treated earlier at the same institution in the epidural anesthesia group. UAE was performed from a unilateral femoral artery approach using a 4F catheter. 500–700 or 700–900 μm trisacryl gelatine microspheres were used as embolic agents. The SHNB was performed by advancing a 21G from the abdominal wall below the umbilicus to the anterior portion of the 5th vertebral body. For optimal guidance a cranio-caudal tilt of 5°–15° was used. On a lateral view the correct contrast distribution in front of the vertebral body is confirmed. Then 20 ml local anesthesia (ropivacain 0.75 %) is injected. In case of an asymmetric right–left distribution the needle was repositioned.ResultsAll SHNB were successful without severe complications. The mean time for the SHNB was 4 min 38 s (2 min 38 s–9 min 27 s). The needle was repositioned in average 0.87 times. The opiate dose for the SHNB group was 19.33 ± 22.17 mg which was significantly lower. The average time to receive an opiate drug after SHNB was 4 h 41 min.ConclusionThe SHNB is a safe and minimally time-consuming way to reduce pain after UAE especially within the first 4 h

Superior Hypogastric Nerve Block to Reduce Pain After Uterine Artery Embolization: Advanced Technique and Comparison to Epidural Anesthesia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Binkert, Christoph A., E-mail: christoph.binkert@ksw.ch [Kantonsspital Winterthur, Institute of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (Switzerland); Hirzel, Florian C. [Kantonsspital Winterthur, Department of Gynecology (Switzerland); Gutzeit, Andreas; Zollikofer, Christoph L. [Kantonsspital Winterthur, Institute of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (Switzerland); Hess, Thomas [Kantonsspital Winterthur, Department of Gynecology (Switzerland)

2015-10-15

PurposeTo evaluate a modified superior hypogastric nerve block (SHNB) to reduce pain after uterine artery embolization (UAE) compared to epidural anesthesia.Materials and methodsIn this retrospective study, the amount of opiate drugs needed after UAE was compared between SHNB and epidural anesthesia. Eighty one consecutive women (mean age: 43.67 years) were in the SHNB group and 27 consecutive women (mean age: 43.48 years) treated earlier at the same institution in the epidural anesthesia group. UAE was performed from a unilateral femoral artery approach using a 4F catheter. 500–700 or 700–900 μm trisacryl gelatine microspheres were used as embolic agents. The SHNB was performed by advancing a 21G from the abdominal wall below the umbilicus to the anterior portion of the 5th vertebral body. For optimal guidance a cranio-caudal tilt of 5°–15° was used. On a lateral view the correct contrast distribution in front of the vertebral body is confirmed. Then 20 ml local anesthesia (ropivacain 0.75 %) is injected. In case of an asymmetric right–left distribution the needle was repositioned.ResultsAll SHNB were successful without severe complications. The mean time for the SHNB was 4 min 38 s (2 min 38 s–9 min 27 s). The needle was repositioned in average 0.87 times. The opiate dose for the SHNB group was 19.33 ± 22.17 mg which was significantly lower. The average time to receive an opiate drug after SHNB was 4 h 41 min.ConclusionThe SHNB is a safe and minimally time-consuming way to reduce pain after UAE especially within the first 4 h.

Comparison of extended-release epidural morphine with femoral nerve block to patient-controlled epidural analgesia for postoperative pain control of total knee arthroplasty: a case-controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugar, Scott L; Hutson, Larry R; Shannon, Patrick; Thomas, Leslie C; Nossaman, Bobby D

2011-01-01

Because newer anticoagulation strategies for total knee replacement present potentially increased risk of neuraxial analgesia, there is movement away from using patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) for pain control. This concern opens the door for other regional modalities in postoperative analgesia, including the use of extended-release epidural morphine (EREM) combined with a femoral nerve block (FNB). This study was a prospective observational chart review with the use of recent historical controls in patients undergoing unilateral total knee replacement. Outcomes of interest were 0-, 24-, and 48-hour postoperative pain scores using the visual analog scale (VAS); incidence of side effects; and time spent in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Postoperative pain scores at 24 and 48 hours in the EREM and FNB group (n  =  14; 2.6 ± 0.6 and 5.0 ± 0.9, respectively) were comparable to the PCEA group (n  =  14; 3.8 ± 0.6 and 4.2 ± 0.9). The PACU time was shorter in the EREM and FNB group (2.4 ± 0.3 hours) compared with PCEA (3.6 ± 0.3 hours, P  =  .02). No statistically significant difference was found in the incidence of side effects between the 2 groups. The VAS scores at 24 and 48 hours indicate that EREM and FNB provide comparable analgesia to PCEA. The trend toward shorter PACU times represents an opportunity for cost-identification analysis. The study data are limited by their observational nature and the small number of patients involved; nevertheless, this study demonstrates a therapeutic equivalence to PCEA that may be more cost effective.

Spine epidural and sacroiliac joints injections – when and how to perform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D’Orazio, Federico; Gregori, Lorenzo Maria; Gallucci, Massimo

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Image guided interventions focused to administer drugs inside the epidural space are effective in reducing the perceived spinal pain, but their efficacy seems to be limited in time. • To treat spinal pain with image guided interventions is safe and repeatable. • Sacroiliac dysfunction is a common cause of sciatica-like pain which can be treated with CT-guided interventions (both steroids and pulsed RF denervation). - Abstract: Objectives: To review the state-of-the-art of image – guided techniques used to treat painful syndromes of the lower back, their indications, how they should be performed, their related risks and the expected results. Methods: We describe the actual standards about image-guided infiltrative therapies both on spine and on sacroiliac joints. Results: Both spinal epidural and sacroiliac injections appear useful in a large percentage of treated patients to get control of the perceived pain. Performing these therapies under CT or fluoroscopic guidance is the best and safest way to obtain satisfactory results because it is possible to target the use of drugs directly to the involved painful structures. Conclusions: Image-guided injections of the epidural space and of the sacroiliac joints are effective techniques for the treatment of pain; their effectiveness is sometimes not lasting for long periods of time but considering the low associated risk when performed by trained personnel, they can be easily repeated

Spine epidural and sacroiliac joints injections – when and how to perform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D’Orazio, Federico, E-mail: federico.dorazio@gmail.com; Gregori, Lorenzo Maria, E-mail: lollog@hotmail.it; Gallucci, Massimo, E-mail: massimo.gallucci@cc.univaq.it

2015-05-15

Highlights: • Image guided interventions focused to administer drugs inside the epidural space are effective in reducing the perceived spinal pain, but their efficacy seems to be limited in time. • To treat spinal pain with image guided interventions is safe and repeatable. • Sacroiliac dysfunction is a common cause of sciatica-like pain which can be treated with CT-guided interventions (both steroids and pulsed RF denervation). - Abstract: Objectives: To review the state-of-the-art of image – guided techniques used to treat painful syndromes of the lower back, their indications, how they should be performed, their related risks and the expected results. Methods: We describe the actual standards about image-guided infiltrative therapies both on spine and on sacroiliac joints. Results: Both spinal epidural and sacroiliac injections appear useful in a large percentage of treated patients to get control of the perceived pain. Performing these therapies under CT or fluoroscopic guidance is the best and safest way to obtain satisfactory results because it is possible to target the use of drugs directly to the involved painful structures. Conclusions: Image-guided injections of the epidural space and of the sacroiliac joints are effective techniques for the treatment of pain; their effectiveness is sometimes not lasting for long periods of time but considering the low associated risk when performed by trained personnel, they can be easily repeated.

Pain relief for women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia undergoing colposcopy treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Gajjar, Ketan; Martin-Hirsch, Pierre P L; Bryant, Andrew; Owens, Gemma L

2016-07-18

Pre-cancerous lesions of cervix (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)) are usually treated with excisional or ablative procedures. In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) cervical screening guidelines suggest that over 80% of treatments should be performed in an outpatient setting (colposcopy clinics). Furthermore, these guidelines suggest that analgesia should always be given prior to laser or excisional treatments. Currently various pain relief strategies are employed that may reduce pain during these procedures. To assess whether the administration of pain relief (analgesia) reduces pain during colposcopy treatment and in the postoperative period. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2016, Issue 2), MEDLINE (1950 to March week 3, 2016) and Embase (1980 to week 12, 2016) for studies of any design relating to analgesia for colposcopic management. We also searched registers of clinical trials, abstracts of scientific meetings, reference lists of included studies and contacted experts in the field. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared all types of pain relief before, during or after outpatient treatment to the cervix, in women with CIN undergoing loop excision, laser ablation, laser excision or cryosurgery in an outpatient colposcopy clinic setting. We independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We entered data into Review Manager 5 and double checked it for accuracy. Where possible, we expressed results as mean pain score and standard error of the mean with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and synthesised data in a meta-analysis. We included 19 RCTs (1720 women) of varying methodological quality in the review. These trials compared a variety of interventions aimed at reducing pain in women who underwent treatment for CIN, including cervical injection with lignocaine alone, lignocaine with adrenaline, buffered lignocaine with adrenaline, prilocaine with felypressin, oral

Long-term pain relief with optimized medical treatment including antioxidants and step-up interventional therapy in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shalimar; Midha, Shallu; Hasan, Ajmal; Dhingra, Rajan; Garg, Pramod Kumar

2017-01-01

Abdominal pain is difficult to treat in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). Medical therapy including antioxidants has been shown to relieve pain of CP in the short-term. Our aim was to study the long-term results of optimized medical and interventional therapy for pain relief in patients with CP with a step-up approach. All consecutive patients with CP were included prospectively in the study. They were treated medically with a well-balanced diet, pancreatic enzymes, and antioxidants (9000 IU beta-carotene, 0.54 g vitamin C, 270 IU vitamin E, 600 µg organic selenium, and 2 g methionine). Endoscopic therapy and/or surgery were offered if medical therapy failed. Pain relief was the primary outcome measure. A total of 313 patients (mean age 26.16 ± 12.17; 244 males) with CP were included; 288 (92%) patients had abdominal pain. The etiology of CP was idiopathic in 224 (71.6%) and alcohol in 82 (26.2%). At 1-year follow-up, significant pain relief was achieved in 84.7% of patients: 52.1% with medical therapy, 16.7% with endoscopic therapy, 7.6% with surgery, and 8.3% spontaneously. The mean pain score decreased from 6.36 ± 1.92 to 1.62 ± 2.10 (P pain free at those follow-up periods. Significant pain relief is achieved in the majority of patients with optimized medical and interventional treatment. © 2016 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Oral glucose for pain relief during examination for retinopathy of prematurity: a masked randomized clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Marlene Coelho da; Eckert, Gabriela Unchalo; Fortes, Barbara Gastal Borges; Fortes Filho, João Borges; Silveira, Rita C; Procianoy, Renato S

2013-01-01

Ophthalmologic examination for retinopathy of prematurity is a painful procedure. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions have been proposed to reduce pain during eye examinations. This study aims to evaluate the analgesic effect of 25% glucose using a validated pain scale during the first eye examination for retinopathy of prematurity in preterm infants with birth weight relief.

[CSE vs. augmented epidural anesthesia for cesarean section. Spinal and epidural anesthesia with bupivacaine 0.5% "isobar" require augmentation].

Science.gov (United States)

Halter, F; Niesel, H C; Gladrow, W; Kaiser, H

1998-09-01

Incomplete anaesthesia is a major clinical problem both in single spinal and in single epidural anaesthesia. The clinical efficacy of epidural anaesthesia with augmentation (aEA) and combined epidural and spinal anesthesia (CSE) for cesarean section was investigated in a prospective randomized study on 45 patients. Anaesthesia extending up to Th5 was aimed for. Depending on the patient's height, epidural anaesthesia was administered with a dose of 18-22 ml 0.5% bupivacaine and spinal anaesthesia with a dose of 11-15 mg 0.5% bupivacaine. Augmentation was carried out in all cases in epidural anaesthesia, initially with 7.5 ml 1% Lidocaine with epinephrine 1:400,000, raised by 1.5 ml per missing segment. The epidural reinjection in CSE was carried out as necessary with 9.5-15 ml 1% lidocaine with epinephrine, depending on the height and difference from the segment Th5. The extension of anaesthesia achieved in epidural anaesthesia after an initial dose of 101.8 mg bupivacaine and augmenting dose of 99 mg lidocaine reached the segment Th5. The primary spinal anaesthesia dose up to 15 mg corresponding to height led to a segmental extension to a maximum of Th3 under CSE. Augmentation was necessary in 13 patients; in 5 cases because of inadequate extent of anaesthesia and 8 cases because of pain resulting from premature reversion. The augmenting dose required was 13.9 ml. Readiness for operation was attained after 19.8 min (aEA) and after 10.5 min (CSE). No patient required analgesics before delivery. The additional analgesic requirement during operation was 63.6% (aEA) and 39.1% (CSE). Taking into account pain in the area of surgery, the requirement of analgesics was 50% (aEA) vs. 17.4% (CSE). Antiemetics were required in 18.2 (aEA) and in 65.2% (CSE). The systolic blood pressure fell by 17.7% (aEA) and in 30.3% (CSE). The minimum systolic pressure was observed after 13.4 min in aEA, and after 9.5 min in CSE. The APGAR score and the umbilical pH did not show any

Epidural morphine and detomidine decreases postoperative hindlimb lameness in horses after bilateral stifle arthroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodrich, Laurie R; Nixon, Alan J; Fubini, Susan L; Ducharme, Norm G; Fortier, Lisa A; Warnick, Lorin D; Ludders, John W

2002-01-01

To determine whether preoperative epidural administration of morphine and detomidine would decrease postoperative lameness after bilateral stifle arthroscopy in horses. Prospective clinical controlled study. Eight adult horses that had bilateral arthroscopic procedures, including drilling of cartilage and subchondral bone within the femoropatellar joints. Horses were randomly separated into 2 groups. Preoperatively, 4 horses were administered a combination of epidural morphine (0.2 mg/kg) and detomidine (30 microg/kg), and 4 horses were administered an equivalent volume of epidural saline (0.9% NaCl) solution. Postoperative pain was assessed using 6 video recordings made at hourly intervals of each horse at a walk. Assessments began 1 hour after recovery from anesthesia. The recordings were scrambled out of sequence and evaluated by 3 observers, unaware of treatment groups, who scored lameness from 0 to 4. Lameness scores of the 2 groups of horses were compared using a Wilcoxon's rank sum test. Heart and respiratory rates were also measured at each hourly interval and compared between groups using a repeated-measures ANOVA; statistical significance was set at P detomidine significantly decreased lameness and heart rates after bilateral stifle arthroscopy. The greatest decrease was detected at hours 1 and 2 after recovery from anesthesia. We conclude that horses undergoing a painful arthroscopic procedure of the stifle joint benefit from the administration of preoperative epidural morphine and detomidine. Preoperative epidural administration of detomidine and morphine may be useful in decreasing postoperative pain after stifle arthroscopy as well as pain associated with other painful disorders involving the stifle joint, such as septic arthritis and trauma. Copyright 2002 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons

Convalescence and hospital stay after colonic surgery with balanced analgesia, early oral feeding, and enforced mobilisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møiniche, S; Bülow, Steffen; Hesselfeldt, Peter

1995-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the combined effects of pain relief by continuous epidural analgesia, early oral feeding and enforced mobilisation on convalescence and hospital stay after colonic resection. DESIGN: Uncontrolled pilot investigation. SETTING: University hospital, Denmark. SUBJECTS: 17...... unselected patients (median age 69 years) undergoing colonic resection. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received combined epidural and general anaesthesia during operations and after operation were given continuous epidural bupivacaine 0.25%, 4 ml hour and morphine 0.2 mg hour, for 96 hours and oral paracetamol 4 g...... weight loss. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a combined approach of optimal pain relief with balanced analgesia, enforced early mobilisation, and oral feeding, may reduce the length of convalescence and hospital stay after colonic operations....

Improvement in Pain After Lumbar Spine Surgery: The Role of Preoperative Expectations of Pain Relief.

Science.gov (United States)

Mancuso, Carol A; Reid, M C; Duculan, Roland; Girardi, Federico P

2017-02-01

Improvement in pain is a major expectation of patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. Among 422 patients, the goal of this prospective study was to measure 2-year postoperative pain and to determine whether this outcome varied according to patient and clinical characteristics, including amount of pain relief expected preoperatively. Before surgery patients completed valid questionnaires that addressed clinical characteristics and expectations for pain improvement. Two years after surgery patients reported how much pain improvement they actually received. The mean age was 56 years old and 55% were men. Two years after surgery 11% of patients reported no improvement in pain, 28% reported a little to moderate improvement, 44% reported a lot of improvement, and 17% reported complete improvement. In multivariable analysis, patients reported less pain improvement if, before surgery, they expected greater pain improvement (odds ratio [OR] 1.4), had a positive screen for depression (OR 1.7), were having revision surgery (OR 1.6), had surgery at L4 or L5 (OR 2.5), had a degenerative diagnosis (OR 1.6), and if, after surgery, they had another surgery (OR 2.8) and greater back (OR 1.3) and leg (OR 1.1) pain (all variables P≤0.05). Pain is not uncommon after lumbar surgery and is associated with a network of clinical, surgical, and psychological variables. This study provides evidence that patients' expectations about pain are an independent variable in this network. Because expectations are potentially modifiable this study supports addressing pain-related expectations with patients before surgery through discussions with surgeons and through formal preoperative patient education.

How first time mothers experience the use of epidural analgesia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Ingrid

2010-01-01

How first time mothers experience the use of epidural analgesia during birth Ingrid Jepsen, Midwife, SD, MPH, Kurt Dauer Keller cand.psych, PhD Contact email irj@ucn.dk Aim: to investigate the experiences of epidural analgesia as to the choice of epidurals, the changes in pain, the period from...... and two months later. The midwives were interviewed two hours after the birth. Method of analysis: The “Idealtype-” method, the “importance-” method and the “process-” method described by Bo Eneroth. Results: Two ideal-types were discovered: the worried and the unworried mother. Important and common...

Indomethacin and ethamsylate alone and in combination for the relief of post episiotomy pain.

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Harrison, R F; Devitt, M

1992-08-01

In a bid to minimise dosage and possible side-effects when relieving post episiotomy pain, the NSAID Indomethacin was studied in combination with a systemic haemostat Ethamsylate which has been shown to selectively inhibit some prostaglandins. Comparative groups also took Indomethacin alone and placebo in a double blind non-crossover comparison. Efficacy was judged in terms of side-effects and assessments of pain intensity, pain relief and global assessment of pain. There was some evidence of a beneficial interaction between Indomethacin and Ethamsylate when adjustments were made for the patient's age and initial pain score. Side-effects were most common in the combination therapy group.

The effect of addition of dexamethasone to levobupivacaine in parturients receiving combined spinal-epidural for analgesia for vaginal delivery

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Amr Samir Wahdan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Aims: Regional analgesia is commonly used for the relief of labour pain, Prolongation of analgesia can be achieved by adjuvant medications. The aim of this randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of intrathecal levobupivacaine with dexamethasone for labour analgesia. Methods: A total of 80 females were included in this study, all were primigravidas undergoing vaginal delivery with cervical dilatation ≥4 cm and 50% or more effacement. Forty females were included randomly in either Group L (received intrathecal levobupivacaine 0.25% in 2 mL or Group LD (received intrathecal levobupivacaine 0.25% combined with dexamethasone 4 mg in 2 mL. The primary outcome was the duration of spinal analgesia. Secondary outcomes included the total dose of epidural local anaesthetic given, time to delivery, neonatal outcome and adverse effects. Results: The duration of spinal analgesia was significantly longer in the LD group compared with L group (80.5 ± 12.4 min vs. 57.1 ± 11.5 min, respectively; P< 0.001. In Group LD compared with Group L, time from spinal analgesia to delivery was significantly lower (317.4 ± 98.9 min vs. 372.4 ± 118.8 min, respectively; P = 0.027, and total epidural levobupivacaine consumption was significantly lower (102.4 ± 34.8 mg vs. 120.1 ± 41.9 mg, respectively; P = 0.027. The two groups were comparable with respect to characteristics of sensory and motor block, haemodynamic parameters, pain scores, neonatal outcome and frequency of adverse effects. Conclusion: Intrathecal dexamethasone plus levobupivacaine prolongs the duration of spinal analgesia during combined spinal-epidural CSE for labour analgesia.

Comparison of the effects of continuous intrapleural vs epidural administration of 0.5% bupivacaine on pain, metabolic response and pulmonary function following cholecystectomy

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Scott, N B; Mogensen, T; Bigler, D

1989-01-01

Twenty patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy were prospectively randomised to receive either intrapleural (bolus 20 ml followed by 10 ml/h) or thoracic epidural (bolus 9 ml followed by 5 ml/h) bupivacaine 0.5% for 8 h postoperatively to assess the effect of these two techniques on pain...

(153)Sm-EDTMP for pain relief of bone metastases from prostate and breast cancer and other malignancies.

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Correa-González, Luis; Arteaga de Murphy, Consuelo; Pichardo-Romero, Pablo; Pedraza-López, Martha; Moreno-García, Claudia; Correa-Hernández, Luis

2014-05-01

Approximately 85% of patients with cancer suffer severe metastatic bone pain for which radionuclide therapy has been employed for pain palliation. We undertook this study to evaluate the pain relief effect of (153)Sm-EDTMP in Mexican patients with severe and painful bone metastases from mainly prostate, breast, and renal cancer and other malignancies. Patients (277) with intense sustained pain caused by bone metastases were referred to the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Oncology Hospital of the Mexican Social Security Institute. The patients had to have acceptable physical conditions, a previous positive (99m)Tc-MDP scan and blood values within normal range. (153)Sm-EDTMP was prepared at the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) and 37 MBq/kg of body weight was injected intravenously. Pain palliation was evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a verbal rating scale (VRS) before treatment and 3 and 12 weeks after treatment was started. The age interval of the patients was 24-92 years with a mean age of 64 ± 12 years. Mean values for hemoglobin, leukocyte and platelet counts did not statistically differ at zero time, 3 and 12 weeks after treatment. Pain intensity and relief assessment were statistically different: 9.1 ± 0.61 units initially; 4.2 ± 1.3 units 3 weeks later (54%) and after 12 weeks the pain diminished to 2.4 ± 1.4 units (74%) in the pain relief score scales. (153)Sm-EDTMP was readily available, safe and well tolerated. We conclude that (153)Sm-EDTMP was an adequate palliative agent and was the best option for our Mexican patients to relieve their severe metastatic bone pain. Copyright © 2014 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiotherapy for vertebral metastases. Analysis of symptoms and clinical effects by MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiyama, Akira

1994-01-01

Fifty patients with 63 symptomatic vertebral metastasis (18 sites: pain only, 28 sites: radiculopathy with pain, 17 sites: myelopathy) were treated by radiotherapy. Primary lesions were located in the lung (9 cases), breast (9), colorectal area (9), prostate (7) and so on. We correlated the radiologic findings, symptoms and clinical effects with metastatic features which were classified into 4 types by MR imaging: non-deformity, expanding, vertebral collapse, and destructive mass. Each type of metastasis was accompanied with or without epidural tumor. Osteolytic metastases were apt to create features of deformity (expanding type: 18 vertebrae, vertebral collapse type: 17, destructive mass type: 9). The features of osteoblastic metastases were no deformity (18 vertebrae) and expanding type (2). The symptom of pain only occurred most frequently in the lumbosacral spine. The vertebral body deformity of symptomatic sites was relatively slight (non-deformity type: 6 sites, expanding type: 6, vertebral collapse type: 6), and epidural tumors were seen at only 2 sites. The effect of radiotherapy was excellent (complete pain relief: 64.7%, partial pain relief: 29.4%). Radiculopathy occurred most frequently in the lumber spine. Vertebral body deformity was noted in most symptomatic sites (expanding type: 9 sites, vertebral collapse type: 10, destructive mass type: 2). Complete relief was obtained in 6 sites (22.2%), partial relief in 18 (63.0%). Myelopathy occurred most often in the thoracic spine, followed by the lumbar spine. The vertebral body deformity was severe (expanding: 3 cases, vertebral collapse type: 3, destructive mass type: 6). Epidural tumors were also present in all but one case. Six of 13 patients treated with radiation alone improved. These 6 patients had non-deformity or expanding types with epidural tumor. No improvement was seen in the vertebral collapse type with epidural tumor or destructive mass type. (author)

Ultrasound versus fluoroscopy-guided caudal epidural steroid injection for the treatment of chronic low back pain with radiculopathy: A randomised, controlled clinical trial

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Arindam Kumar Hazra

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Aims: Caudal epidural steroid administration is an effective treatment for chronic low back pain (LBP. Fluoroscopy guidance is the gold standard for pain procedures. Ultrasound guidance is recently being used in pain clinic procedures. We compared the fluoroscopy guidance and ultrasound guidance for caudal epidural steroid injection with respect to the time needed for correct placement of the needle and clinical effectiveness in patients with chronic LBP. Methods: Fifty patients with chronic LBP with radiculopathy, not responding to conventional medical management, were randomly allocated to receive injection depot methyl prednisolone (40 mg through caudal route either using ultrasound guidance (Group U, n = 25 or fluoroscopy guidance (Group F, n = 25. Pre-procedural visual analogue scale (VAS score and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI were noted. During the procedure, the time needed for correct placement of needle was observed. Adverse events, if any, were also noted. All patients were followed up for next 2 months to evaluate Visual Analogue Scale (VAS score and ODI at the 2nd week and again at the end of 1st and 2nd month. Results: The needle-placement time was less using ultrasound guidance as compared to fluoroscopy guidance (119 ± 7.66 vs. 222.28 ± 29.65 s, respectively,P< 0.001. Significant reduction in VAS score and ODI (clinical improvement was noted in the follow-up time points and comparable between the groups at all time points. Conclusion: Ultrasound guidance can be a safe alternative tool for achieving faster needle placement in caudal epidural space. Clinical effectiveness (reduction of VAS and ODI scores remains comparable between both the techniques.

Electric Stimulation for Pain Relief in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

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Salazar, Ana Paula de Silva; Stein, Cinara; Marchese, Ritchele Redivo; Plentz, Rodrigo Della Mea; Pagnussat, Aline De Souza

2017-02-01

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome whose primary symptoms include chronic widespread muscle pain and fatigue. The treatment of patients with FM aims to provide symptomatic relief and improvement in physical capacities to perform daily tasks and quality of life. Invasive or non-invasive electric stimulation (ES) is used for pain relief in patients with FM. This systematic review aimed to assess the effects of treatment with ES, combined or not combined with other types of therapy, for pain relief in patients with FM. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Electronic search was conducted on databases (from the inception to April 2016): MEDLINE (accessed by PubMed), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane CENTRAL), and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of studies based on the inclusion criteria: randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effects of ES combined or not with other types of treatment for pain relief in patients with FM (according to the American College of Rheumatology), regardless of the ES dosages. The primary outcome was pain, assessed by the visual analogue scale (VAS). The secondary outcomes extracted were quality of life, assessed by short form-36 health survey (SF- 36), and fatigue, assessed by VAS. Nine studies were included, with 301 patients. The meta-analysis for pain showed positive effect of ES treatment versus control [-1.24 (95% CI: -2.39 to -0.08; I²: 87%, P = 0.04) n = 8 RCTs]. The sensitivity analysis for pain showed significant results for invasive ES, combined or not with other types of therapy [-0.94 (95% CI, -1.50 to -0.38; I² 0%, P = 0.001) n = 3 RCTs]. No significant improvement was found regarding quality of life [-3.48 (95% CI: -12.58 to 5.62; I²: 0%, P = 0.45), n = 2 RCTs] or fatigue [-0.57 (95% CI, -1.25 to 0.11; I² 34%, P = 0.100; n = 4 RCTs]. This systematic review included a small number of studies and reduced number of participants in

A comparative study of low concentration of levobupivacaine versus ropivacaine with fentanyl for patient-controlled epidural labour analgesia

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Priyanka Chuttani

2018-01-01

Full Text Available >Background and Aims: Lumbar epidural analgesia is considered the modality of choice for labour analgesia. Despite its super analgesia and improved safety profile, it has been associated with maternal adverse effects like higher incidence of instrumental assisted vaginal delivery (AVD and motor block leading to decreased ambulation. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of low concentrations of local anaesthetics (0.1% ropivacaine and 0.1% levobupivacaine with 2 μg/ml fentanyl as a patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA technique on the incidence of instrumental AVD along with evaluation of obstetric, maternal, and foetal outcomes.Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, 60 labouring parturients were randomly allocated into two equal groups to receive either 0.1% ropivacaine with 2 μg/ml fentanyl or 0.1% levobupivacaine with 2 μg/ml fentanyl as epidural solutions via PCEA pump infusions (4 ml/h after 15 ml loading dose of the respective solutions. The incidence of instrumental AVD was noted as the primary outcome along with demographic data, maternal and foetal vital parameters, maternal VAS scores, degree of motor blockade and total epidural drug consumption.Results: The incidence of instrumental AVD was found to be 43.3% in the levobupivacaine group and 30% in the ropivacaine group. This difference was not statistically significant. Both the groups were comparable in terms of demographic data, maternal VAS scores, total epidural drug consumption and foetal APGAR scores.Conclusion: The use of newer local anaesthetics (levobupivacaine and ropivacaine in low concentrations with opioids (fentanyl as a PCEA technique may offer high maternal satisfaction in terms of quality of pain relief with fewer adverse events like instrumental AVD and adverse foetal outcomes.

Pain Relief in Depressive Disorders: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Antidepressants.

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Gebhardt, Stefan; Heinzel-Gutenbrunner, Monika; König, Udo

2016-12-01

Pain is a common symptom in patients with depressive disorders, which, if present, worsens the prognosis. However, there is little empirical knowledge of the therapeutic effects of antidepressants on painful physical symptoms of patients with depressive disorders. Furthermore, tricyclic/tetracyclic antidepressants (TCAs) have not yet been included in existing meta-analyses. A broad, systematic search of PubMed literature on antidepressant drug treatment of patients with depressive disorders with comorbid pain symptoms was carried out. A random-effects meta-analysis has been performed among 3 different groups of drugs for the 2 end points: pain and depression. Fourteen placebo-controlled studies with selective serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs) could be included, with 3 of them also investigating selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Three further placebo-controlled SSRI studies were identified, but only 2 placebo-controlled TCA studies.Both SSNRIs and SSRIs, but not TCAs, were significantly superior to placebo as regards their analgesic effects. However, all effects were small. For SSNRIs, there was a strong positive correlation between their effectiveness for pain relief and their positive effect on the mood of the patients. The analgesic effects of SSNRIs and SSRIs in patients with primary depressive disorders can be interpreted as largely equivalent. Because of a lack of placebo-controlled TCA studies, the results for TCAs would be comparable only to those of SSRIs and SSNRIs, if non-placebo-controlled TCA studies were included. The positive correlation found indicates a close relationship of pain relief and antidepressant treatment effects. These results refer merely to patients with primary depressive disorders, not to patients with primary pain disorders. Further studies comparing the effects of different types of antidepressant drugs on pain in depressive patients are warranted.

Rapidly Progressive Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Abscess