While many patients who are critically ill may have altered levels of consciousness or be mechanically ventilated, they can still perceive pain. The Behavior Pain Assessment Tool (BPAT) is a brief, reliable, and valid tool for assessing pain in critically ill adults and in patients who cannot self-report pain, according to a study published in Pain.1 […]
Read MoreResearchers conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the effect of pharmacologic treatments of diabetic peripheral neuropathy on pain and quality of life. Several classes of drugs reduce neuropathy-related pain better than placebo, according to a review recently published in Neurology.1 Julie M. Waldfogel, PharmD, from the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a […]
Read MoreUpper gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures may be commonplace, but they have surprisingly high complication and mortality rates. The advent of a modified laryngeal mask that can simultaneously protect the airway and facilitate the passage of an endoscope may reduce some of these adverse events. Preliminary results from an Australian study found that the mask facilitated endoscopic […]
Read MoreJAMA · April 11, 2017 Question: Is the use of spinal manipulative therapy in the management of acute (≤6 weeks) low back pain associated with improvements in pain or function? Findings: In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 26 randomized clinical trials, spinal manipulative therapy was associated with statistically significant benefits in both pain and function, of […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Stedman, Jennifer L. MD et al Anesthesia & Analgesia: May 2017 – Volume 124 – Issue 5 – p 1564–1568 BACKGROUND: As the number of operative cases increases, there is a greater emphasis on reducing inefficiency while maintaining patient safety. Recently, the issue of prespiking intravenous (IV) bags was raised. No study has assessed whether […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: McIsaac, Daniel I. MD, MPH, FRCPC et al Anesthesia & Analgesia: May 2017 – Volume 124 – Issue 5 – p 1653–1661 BACKGROUND: Older patients undergoing emergency general surgery (EGS) experience high rates of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Studies focused primarily on elective surgery indicate that frailty is an important predictor of adverse outcomes in […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Gabel, Eilon MD et al Anesthesia & Analgesia: May 2017 – Volume 124 – Issue 5 – p 1423–1430 BACKGROUND: In medical practice today, clinical data registries have become a powerful tool for measuring and driving quality improvement, especially among multicenter projects. Registries face the known problem of trying to create dependable and clear metrics […]
Read MoreThe use of PNS in 2 subjects with chronic LBP is described. HealthDay News — A novel method of short-term percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is useful for producing pain relief and reducing medication use among patients with chronic low back pain (LBP), according to a case report published in Pain Practice.1 Leonardo Kapural, MD, PhD, […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Tangen, Kevin M. BS et al Anesthesia & Analgesia: May 2017 – Volume 124 – Issue 5 – p 1686–1696 BACKGROUND: Intrathecal drug delivery is an attractive option to circumvent the blood-brain barrier for pain management through its increased efficacy of pain relief, reduction in adverse side effects, and cost-effectiveness. Unfortunately, there are limited guidelines […]
Read MoreAuthors: Ronaldo Rodrigo MD, PhD et al Anesthesia & Analgesia: May 2017 – Volume 124 – Issue 5 – p 1674–1677 Intrathecal local anesthetic maldistribution is a well-known cause of spinal anesthesia failure (SAF). This could potentially result in sensory blockade restricted to the sacral dermatomes. We sought to determine the overall incidence of SAF and […]
Read More