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 261,466 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Pain control for cancer patients is a significant problem in health care, and lack of expertise by clinicians in assessing and managing cancer pain is an important cause of inadequate pain management. This study was designed to use performance-based testing to evaluate the skills of resident physicians in assessing and managing the severe chronic pain of a cancer patient. Thirty-three resident physicians (PGY 1-6) were presented with the same standardized severe cancer pain patient and asked to complete a detailed pain assessment. The residents then completed questions related to management of the cancer pain patient. In the cancer pain assessment, residents did well in assessing pain onset (70%), temporal pattern of pain (64%), and pain location (73%). However, only 33% and 45% physicians adequately assessed the pain description and pain intensity, respectively, and assessment of pain-relieving factors, previous pain history, and psychosocial history was done poorly or not at all by 70%, 88%, and 94% of residents. Only 58% of the residents were judged to be competent in this clinical cancer pain assessment. In the cancer pain management section, opioid analgesic therapy was prescribed by 98% of residents, and 91% used the oral route. However, only 18% of prescriptions were for regular use and 88% of residents did not provide analgesics for breakthrough pain. A significant number of graduated physicians were judged to be not competent in the assessment and management of the severe pain of a standardized cancer patient. Opioids and NSAIDs were the analgesics of choice; however, most were prescribed on a PRN basis only. Co-analgesics were rarely prescribed. Few physicians managed persistent, severe cancer pain according to the WHO guideline of increasing the opioid dose. The lack of significant difference in scores between junior and senior residents suggest that adequate cancer pain management is not being effectively taught in postgraduate training programs.
Pain 1996 Oct
PMID:Cancer pain assessment and management by housestaff. 895 44

There are no published reports of burn pain management in the elderly population. To assess the range of requirement and use of opioids among elderly patients with burns of different age categories, a retrospective review of 89 consecutive admissions of patients over 55 years of age (January 1995 through July 1996) was conducted. Complete data were available on 44 patients with a burn mean total body surface area of 17.2%. Patient ages ranged from 55 to 92 years. Individuals were divided into three age categories: Group I (55 to 65) n = 20; Group II (66 to 75) n = 14; and Group III (76 to 92) n = 10. Use of commonly prescribed opioids for procedural pain and breakthrough pain were evaluated. We compared the opioid equivalents of medications prescribed versus the actual amount administered. Paired t tests comparing minimum amount of medication ordered with that given revealed Group I patients received significantly more procedural medication than the minimum prescribed (t = 3.88, p = 0.001), and that Group III patients were given significantly less as needed medication than the minimum prescribed (t = 2.58, p < 0.05).
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PMID:Comparison of pain control medication in three age groups of elderly patients. 940 83

Cancer pain is significantly undertreated, but the current armamentarium of opioids and other analgesics are such that no cancer patient should be in pain. The guidelines for the treatment of cancer pain suggest that a long-acting, preferably oral, opioid be administered around the clock for persistent baseline pain, along with a short-acting oral opioid for episodes of breakthrough pain. Morphine is the gold standard for ATC opioid treatment, and OTFC is emerging as a potent agent for the management of breakthrough pain. The careful assessment and management of persistent cancer pain and breakthrough pain will help realize the goal of optimal pain management for all cancer patients.
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PMID:Cancer pain management: newer perspectives on opioids and episodic pain. 946 74

Cancer pain can be effectively controlled in most patients by classical pharmacological treatment. We retrospectively studied the characteristics and factors associated with non responsive pain. Between 1989 and 1996, 1767 patients were referred to our pain center; 831 (47%) had cancer pain and from 787 evaluable cases 118 (15%) experienced non-controlled pain whereas good pain control was achieved within a few days in 669 (85%) patients. Gender, age, cancer type, metastasis, initial pain intensity, nociceptive or neuropathic components and administration of adjuvant therapies were similar in both groups. On the other hand, diffuse pain, abdominal pain, terminal care, near death and doses of strong opioids were significantly different. Factors associated with therapeutic failure were conflicts, life and complications and breakthrough pain. In the presence of refractory cancer pain the factors predictive of therapeutic failure should be identified in order to optimize individual pain treatment.
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PMID:[Factors associated with refractory cancer pain]. 954 Jan 43

The safety of epidural infusion for postoperative analgesia in pediatric spine surgery continues to be established. A continuous epidural infusion of morphine sulfate and bupivacaine was used for postoperative analgesia in 12 pediatric patients undergoing spinal surgery. The epidural was placed intraoperatively by the operating surgeon, while continuous infusion was managed postoperatively by a pediatric anesthesiology pain service team. In addition to the continuous infusion, 2 of the 12 also were provided on-demand patient-controlled boluses via epidural catheter for breakthrough pain. Patients experienced analgesia as documented by a comprehensive pain scale form. No catheters failed, while side effects were minimal and easily managed. These results provide confirmation of the safety and efficacy of continuous epidural infusion for postoperative analgesia following pediatric spine surgery and evidence that patient-controlled epidural analgesia is an option.
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PMID:Postoperative epidural analgesia for pediatric spine surgery. 960 93

A transdermal fentanyl patch for the treatment of chronic cancer-related pain is available in four dosages (25, 50, 75, and 100 microg/hr). Fentanyl is released from a 72-hour reservoir by diffusion through a controlled-release membrane to the skin, through which it is absorbed into the microcirculation. The pharmacokinetics of fentanyl differ markedly as a function of the route of administration. Unlike intravenous administration, in which peak plasma levels occur within minutes and the plasma elimination half-life is 2 to 3 hours, after initial transdermal fentanyl patch application, peak levels occur within 14 hours and the elimination half-life exceeds 24 hours. When compared with oral morphine at doses effecting the same degree of pain relief, fewer gastrointestinal disturbances (nausea, vomiting, and constipation) and better alertness and sleep quality have been reported in two studies. The transdermal fentanyl patch is as effective as oral opioids in relieving cancer-related pain, with a safety and side effect profile equal to or better than that of oral opioids. The convenient, once-every-72 hours dosing regimen is easily adjusted to the individual's need for around-the-clock pain control, and provides stable and predictable therapeutic drug plasma concentrations. Patient acceptability is high and the cost is lower than other methods required to deliver parenteral opioids. The recent development of an oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate delivery system for the treatment of breakthrough pain will further expand the use of transdermal fentanyl patches for the treatment of chronic pain.
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PMID:Factors influencing quality of life in cancer patients: the role of transdermal fentanyl in the management of pain. 967 31

"Breakthrough pain" is a common clinical term that has not been conclusively defined or described. Breakthrough pain is a transitory flare of pain experienced when baseline pain has been reduced to a mild or moderate level. Breakthrough pain may be characterized by its relationship to a fixed around-the-clock (ATC) opioid dose, rapid onset and short duration, precipitating events, predictability, pathophysiology (with nociceptive pain being most easily controlled), and etiology. The only prospective study of breakthrough pain conducted to date found a 63% prevalence of breakthrough pain in cancer patients referred to a pain service. Although prevalence figures from other studies vary widely, partly due to the populations chosen, all of the studies verify that breakthrough pain is a serious problem in cancer patients. In fact, several studies have listed incident pain, a subset of breakthrough pain, as a predictor of poor response to analgesic therapy. Breakthrough pain is currently managed with oral or parenteral breakthrough pain medications given in addition to the ATC analgesic regimen. The ATC dosage may also be increased until limited by side effects. Newer agents with a more rapid onset of analgesia and shorter duration of effect may help in the management of breakthrough pain.
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PMID:Breakthrough pain in cancer patients: characteristics, prevalence, and treatment. 968 77

Fentanyl has been incorporated into a transdermal therapeutic system (TTS) containing a rate-limiting membrane that provides constant release of the opioid. TTS fentanyl provides continuous opioid delivery for up to 72 hr without the need for special equipment. After Institutional Review Board approval, 53 patients with cancer pain requiring 45 mg or more of oral morphine daily were admitted into an open-label, prospective, multicenter evaluation of TTS fentanyl for the relief of pain. After a 1-week stabilization on oral morphine, patients were transferred from morphine to an appropriate dose of TTS-fentanyl (25, 50, 75, or 100 micrograms/hr) administered as a transdermal patch every 3 days. TTS fentanyl was titrated to pain relief, and patients were followed up for as long as 3 months. Pain relief and the side effects of the medications were assessed daily. Twenty-six men and 27 women with a mean (+/- SD) age of 61 (+/- 12) years entered the study; 23 patients completed the full 84-day study. The mean duration of TTS fentanyl use was 58 +/- 32 days. The mean (+/- SEM) daily morphine dose during the last 2 days of stabilization was 189 (+/- 20) mg, and the mean initial fentanyl patch dose was 58 (+/- 6) micrograms/hr. The mean daily morphine dose taken "as needed" for breakthrough pain at study completion was 35 mg. The mean final fentanyl dosage at study completion was 169 (+/- 29) micrograms/hr. Pain relief was rated as good or excellent by 82% of patients during the treatment period. When asked to compare pain relief during the first month of TTS-fentanyl use to that provided by their last analgesic before study entry, 63% preferred TTS fentanyl. Side effects considered related to the fentanyl patch were nausea (13%), vomiting (8%), skin rash (8%), and drowsiness (4%). Thirty percent of patients reported adverse experiences related to the fentanyl patch, and 17% had to be discontinued from the study. We conclude that TTS fentanyl administered every 3 days for the treatment of cancer pain is effective, safe, and well tolerated by most patients.
J Pain Symptom Manage 1998 Aug
PMID:A clinical evaluation of transdermal therapeutic system fentanyl for the treatment of cancer pain. 973 1

This study sought to characterize the nature of breakthrough pain experienced by 22 hospice patients and to assess the perceptions of their respective caregivers. Questionnaires were administered by trained hospice nurses to determine key elements of episodic pains in this home-based terminally ill population. Eighty-six percent of the patients surveyed experienced breakthrough pain, with an average of 2.9 episodes per 24-hr period and a mean pain intensity of 7 on a ten-point scale, compared with average baseline pain scores of 3.6 (daytime) and 2.6 (nighttime). Breakthrough pain episodes lasted 52 min on average, with a range of 1-240 min. The range of time to relief of breakthrough pains was 5-60 min, with a mean of 30 min. Caregivers' perceptions of the pain intensities, duration, amount of relief, and time to relief were much more likely to be inaccurate, and were usually underestimates. This study suggests that breakthrough pain is common in the hospice setting and that there is poor concordance between patients' self-reports and their caregivers' perceptions of these pains. It is concluded that the pharmacodynamics of currently available oral analgesics are not well-suited for breakthrough pain and that better communication between patients and caregivers may lead to more optimal pain management.
J Pain Symptom Manage 1998 Sep
PMID:Characterization of breakthrough pain by hospice patients and their caregivers. 976 20

Current guidelines on the treatment of moderate to severe cancer pain recommend the use of scheduled doses of opioids for persistent pain combined with "as needed" doses of similar agents for breakthrough pain. Oral drugs given on an "as needed" basis can be problematic for patients with difficulty in swallowing or for those who suffer from nausea and vomiting. Further, breakthrough pain can become excruciating in a relatively short time, a drawback for analgesics that require gastrointestinal (GI) absorption before pain relief can begin. Hence, there is considerable interest in the development of novel drug administration routes to provide rapid relief of breakthrough pain, particularly through a route that bypasses the GI system. Sublingually administered morphine has sometimes been used in the treatment of breakthrough pain because some believe it provides effective analgesia via an appropriate alternate route. Available pharmacological data, however, do not consistently support the rapid absorption of morphine through the sublingual mucosa, and clinical data concerning the efficacy of sublingual morphine for the treatment of cancer pain are limited, not well-controlled, and inconclusive. While there seems to be a need for provision of rapid, effective analgesia to cancer patients by an alternative route, sublingual morphine may not satisfy this requirement. Newer formulations of analgesics should be tested in the treatment of breakthrough pain due to cancer.
J Pain Symptom Manage 1998 Sep
PMID:Sublingual morphine: efficacy reviewed. 976 21


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