A two-step strategy to managing chronic pain in US military veterans was associated with improved function and decreased pain severity, yielding a 30% improvement in pain-related disability, a new study shos. Step 1 included 12 weeks of analgesic treatment and optimization according to an algorithm, coupled with pain self-management strategies. Step 2 comprised 12 weeks […]
Read MoreAn Observational Study Using Propensity Score Matching Published in BMC Anesthesiol. 2014;14(101) Authors: James W Ibinson et al Background Rigid video laryngoscopes are popular alternatives to direct laryngoscopy for intubation, but further large scale prospective studies comparing these devices to direct laryngoscopy in routine anesthesiology practice are needed. We hypothesized that the first pass success rate with […]
Read MorePublished in Clin Ther. 2015 April 1; 37(4) 784-92 Authors: Poelaert J et al PURPOSE: Laxative-refractory opioid-induced constipation (OIC) is defined as OIC despite using 2 laxatives with a different mechanism of action (based on the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System level 4 term [contact laxatives, osmotically acting laxatives, softeners/emollients, enemas, and others]). OIC has […]
Read MoreThis is for our pain doctors. Abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs) of opioid analgesics can have the intended purpose of curtailing abuse, but their effectiveness has “clear limits,” a new study confirms. Theodore J. Cicero, PhD, and Matthew S. Ellis, MPE, from Washington University, in St. Louis, Missouri, found that introduction of ADF oxycodone (OxyContin, Purdue Pharma […]
Read MoreThe United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a nationwide alert to warn the public—and law enforcement in particular—about the dangers of fentanyl and its analogues/compounds. The DEA reported that heroin abuse and fentanyl-related seizures is on the rise. Fentanyl submissions increased from 942 to 3,344 between 2013 and 2014, according to data from the […]
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