Author: Dr Clemens

Uncategorized Published - 10 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Randomized controlled trial of gabapentin as an adjunct to perioperative analgesia in total hip arthroplasty patients

Authors: Paul JE et al Published in Can J Anaesth 2015 May;62(5):476-84. PURPOSE: Gabapentin was investigated as a single-dose adjunct to morphine for postoperative pain management. The primary objective was to determine if gabapentin given preoperatively and for two days postoperatively as part of multimodal analgesia would decrease postoperative morphine consumption in patients undergoing primary total hip […]

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Uncategorized Published - 10 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Comparison of preoperative oral acetazolamide and intraperitoneal normal saline irrigation for reduction of postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Authors: Bala I et al Published in J Laparoenndosc Adv Surg Tech A  2015 Apr;25(4):285-90 PURPOSE: Visceral and shoulder tip pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy is mainly due to carbon dioxide (CO2) insufflation. Various methods have been adopted to eliminate residual CO2. We compared the postoperative analgesic efficacy of intraperitoneal normal saline (30 mL/kg) irrigation with preoperative oral acetazolamide […]

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Uncategorized Published - 10 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Greater occipital nerve blockade for the treatment of chronic migraine: a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study

Authors: Inan LE et al Acta Neuror Scand 2015 Mar 13. doi: 10.1111/ane.12393 OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the efficacy of greater occipital nerve (GON) blockade at chronic migraine (CM) treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with CM were randomly divided into two groups of 42. GON blockade was administered four times (once per week) with saline […]

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Uncategorized Published - 10 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Novel Spinal Cord Stimulation System Significantly Reduces Lower Back Pain, Leg Pain

A new spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system using 32-contacts and allowing for independently controlled current delivery shows efficacy in significantly reducing low back or leg pain, researchers said here at the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). The multiple independent control (MICC) system (Precision Spectra SCS System) was designed to […]

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Uncategorized Published - 10 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
A Confounding Coincidence: Epidural Anesthesia and Paraplegia Due to Intramedullary Tuberculoma in a Patient who Underwent Cholecystectomy

Authors: Changyi Wu et al Published in BMC Anesthesiol. 2014;14(100) Background Paraplegia associated with epidural anesthesia or caused by intramedullary spinal tuberculoma is rare but catastrophic. We present a case of paraplegia following epidural anesthesia in a patient with an undiagnosed intramedullary spinal tuberculoma. Case presentation A 42-year-old man developed paraplegia after an open cholecystectomy under epidural anesthesia. […]

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Uncategorized Published - 9 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Stepped-Care Approach to Chronic Pain Improves Function

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 […]

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Uncategorized Published - 9 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
GlideScope Use Improves Intubation Success Rates

An 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 […]

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Uncategorized Published - 9 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Treatment with prolonged-release oxycodone/naloxone improves pain relief and opioid-induced constipation compared with prolonged-release oxycodone in patients with chronic severe pain and laxative-refractory constipation

Published 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 […]

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Uncategorized Published - 9 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Abuse-Deterrent OxyContin Won’t Solve US Opioid Epidemic

This 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 […]

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Uncategorized Published - 9 June, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
DEA Issues Warning on Dangers of Fentanyl

The 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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