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Am J Emerg Med 2002 May;20(3):151-4
Department of Emergency Medicine, Finch University/Chicago Medical School and Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60608, USA. zuni@sinai.org
Narcotic analgesia is commonly given in the emergency department. Narcotic-induced nausea and vomiting is thought to be a common occurrence, but the gender incidence and associations are not well defined. The aim of this study was to document the sex-related complication of nausea and vomiting after opiate administration for pain relief in the ED. The study hypothesis was that men and women have the same rate of narcotic-induced emesis in the ED. A prospective, convenience study of the use of narcotic analgesic on patients in an innercity Level I Trauma Center was undertaken. Information concerning the reason for narcotics, complications, number of doses, and route of administration were studied. The emergency physicians were allowed clinical judgment to treat the patients with any narcotic agent in any dose increment. The data were entered into an SPSS program (Chicago, IL). Analysis between groups (men v women) was then conducted by an independent t test. We compared the 2 groups across 6 categories: cause of injury, presenting pain scale, first drug given, first dose given, first route of drug, and requires an anti-emetic. A Bonferroni procedure was used to correct for the higher probability of significant findings when multiple tests were performed. All findings that are significant are after Bonferroni. The study was Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved. A total of 325 consenting patients were studied from October 1996 to April 1998. The patients consisted of 174 men and 151 women, with an average of 35.8 years of age. The race of the patients was 70% African American and 20% Hispanic. Of the total of 325 patients, 20.3% (74) required an anti-emetic because of nausea and/or vomiting. A significant difference occurred in causes of pain for women (t = 2.79, P <.007). The causes of pain for women were general pain, fracture, abdominal, back pain, and other as compared with men with gun shot wounds, general, fracture, low back, and flank. Women showed no significant difference with regard to presenting pain scale (t =.122, P <.903), first drug given (t = 1.643, P <.101), and first dose given (t =.708, P <.408). The majority of patients received morphine (55.4%), followed by meperidine (24.3%), and hydrocodone (13.5%). The most frequent route of administration was intravenous (IV, 45.2%), intramuscular (IM, 35.7%), with oral being the least frequent route (19.1%). There was a difference for women with first route given (t = 2.543, P <.01) and requires anti-emetic (t = 3.06, P <.002). The majority of women received IM (58.6%) versus IV (37.7%), whereas the majority of men (62.3%) received IV versus IM (41.4%). A significant number of patients became nauseated and/or vomited from Emergency Department-administered narcotics. The nausea and vomiting was associated with female sex and the cause of pain. A comparative study of other pain medications versus narcotics for incidence of induced nausea and emesis would be useful. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.)
PMID: 11992331, UI: 21987608
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Am J Emerg Med 2002 May;20(3):139-43
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. mark_hostetler@kids.wustl.edu
This article describes parenteral analgesic and sedative (PAS) use among patients treated in US emergency departments (EDs). Data representing 6 consecutive years (1992-1997) from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) were combined and analyzed. Patients were identified as having received PAS if they received fentanyl, ketamine, meperidine, methohexital, midazolam, morphine, nitrous oxide, or propofol. Patients were stratified according to age (pediatric <18 yrs), race, sex, insurance, type of hospital, urgency of visit, and ICD-9 (International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision) diagnostic codes. Logistic regression was performed to determine independent associations and calculate odds ratios (OR) for receiving analgesia or sedation. A total of 43,725 pediatric and 114,207 adult ED encounters were analyzed and represented a weighted sample of 555.3 million ED visits. For patients with orthopedic fractures, African-American children covered by Medicaid insurance were the least likely to receive PAS (OR 0.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1-0.6). These results suggest that variations may be occurring among ED patients receiving PAS. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved).
PMID: 11992329, UI: 21987606
Cephalalgia 2002 Apr;22(3):195-6
Department of Neurology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. arne.may@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
[Medline record in process]
Management of pain is difficult in many eye diseases. Particularly in patients undergoing surgical procedures, postoperative intractable pain is a major concern and severely influences the patient's comfort. We present 13 patients (eight male, five female, mean age 36 years) in whom sumatriptan, a highly selective 5-HT1B/1D agonist that is normally used as a specific anti-migraine drug, was used for the treatment of pain following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). In two patients both eyes were operated on different days, resulting in a total of 15 operated eyes. A positive clinical response was achieved in all patients. In particular, in four patients, who received a second dose prophylactically 4 h following the first dose and before the recurrence of pain, we achieved excellent efficacy and stable control of pain. Further controlled studies are needed to investigate the usefulness of 5-HT1B/1D agonists in painful eye conditions.
PMID: 12047457, UI: 22042914
Clin J Pain 2002 May-Jun;18(3):203-5
Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Acute Pain Research Unit, Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto General Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this case series was to determine if severe phantom limb pain could be reduced with oral methadone. DESIGN: Four cases of phantom limb pain refractory to multiple treatment modalities were treated with oral methadone. SETTING: Pain clinic at a major university medical center. PATIENTS: Four patients with severe, intractable phantom limb pain. INTERVENTION: Oral methadone was administered, starting with a low dose of 2 to 5 mg twice a day or three times a day and slowly titrated upward to achieve pain relief. OUTCOME MEASURES: Repeated administration of a visual analog scale for pain. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Administration of oral methadone may be of value in the treatment of phantom limb pain; controlled clinical trials would be appropriate to verify this observation.
PMID: 12048424, UI: 22042973
Clin J Pain 2002 May-Jun;18(3):196-9
Section of Anesthesiology and Clinical Physiology, Department of Oral Restitution, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine the usefulness of long-term continuous trigeminal nerve block with local anesthetics using an indwelling catheter in a patient with trigeminal neuralgia. DESIGN: The study design included pain control in a patient with trigeminal neuralgia until the time of neurosurgical operation. SETTING: The study was conducted in the Dental Hospital of Tokyo Medical and Dental University. PATIENT: The patient was a 78-year-old woman with trigeminal neuralgia in the right maxillary region. Her pain could not be controlled by carbamazepine and was unbearable. INTERVENTION: The authors estimated the patient's pain intensity, quality, and locality using a visual analog scale to determine the effectiveness of continuous nerve block. OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual analog scores were measured during treatment. The treatment term was divided into three periods according to the difference of the catheter location and injection protocol (premandibular nerve block, infuser injection, and patient-controlled analgesia [PCA] pump injection). The authors also examined the patient's general condition and blood concentration of drugs. RESULTS: The visual analog values were 44.8 +/- 3.6, 26.7 +/- 3.5, and 11.9 +/- 3.1 mm in each period, respectively. The value in the PCA pump infusion period was significantly lower than that in the other periods. No side effects of the local anesthetics were observed on the patient's systemic condition. CONCLUSIONS: The authors controlled trigeminal neuralgia pain by blocking the mandibular nerve with local anesthetics administered through an indwelling catheter. Because the continuous nerve block with local anesthetics is reversible and only mildly toxic, this method is beneficial for pain control in patients with trigeminal neuralgia scheduled to undergo microvascular decompression.
PMID: 12048422, UI: 22042971
Clin J Pain 2002 May-Jun;18(3):191-5
Department of Anesthesiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate integrative thermal perception in a patient with multiple sclerosis. DESIGN: Quantitative thermosensory testing was used to evaluate pain and other sensations produced by heat, cold, and the thermal grill pain illusion. PATIENT: The authors report on a 43-year-old patient with central pain manifest most strongly in her left arm and hand, contralateral to an upper cervical spinothalamic lesion due to multiple sclerosis. OUTCOME MEASURES AND RESULTS: Quantitative thermosensory testing showed that the patient had heat hypalgesia (no pain with stimuli of 45-50 degrees C) and cold allodynia (pain with innocuous cool temperatures, 25-10 degrees C). Whereas healthy subjects rated 20 degrees and 40 degrees C as nonpainful, but the thermal grill (intermixed 20 and 40 degrees C stimuli) as painful, the patient rated the thermal grill as less painful than 20 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of thermal grill-evoked pain is consistent with the hypothesis that in some cases of central pain the loss of the thermosensory pathway results in disruption of the normal cold inhibition of burning pain.
PMID: 12048421, UI: 22042970
Clin J Pain 2002 May-Jun;18(3):171-9
Comprehensive Pain and Headache Treatment Centers, LLC, Bridgeport, Derby, CT 06418, USA. mthimineur@aol.com
OBJECTIVE: Abnormalities of central sensory processing may play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic pain. The Chiari I malformation is a congenital hindbrain anomaly characterized by protrusion of the cerebellar tonsils into the upper cervical canal, with variable effects on the lower brain stem and cervical cord. The purpose of this study was to compare sensory function and pain among patients with chronic pain who had these disorders incidentally diagnosed, to assess the effect on pain in these patients in comparison with those without central nervous system disease. DESIGN: Retrospective study in which pain, mood, and sensory function in 32 patients with chronic pain who had mild Chiari I malformation were compared with that in 53 patients with chronic pain who had moderate to severe compression of the cervical spinal cord and 52 patients with chronic pain who had no apparent central nervous system disorder. Data had been collected previously as part of standard clinical assessments, including clinical neurological examinations, quantitative sensory testing, pain drawings, and psychometric testing with the Symptom Checklist 90. PATIENTS: All subjects were patients of a hospital-based pain management practice who had been accepted for treatment over a 5-year period. RESULTS: Both the Chiari I and cervical compression groups had long tract signs evident on clinical neurological examination. Quantitative sensory testing indicated elevations in the trigeminal territory among patients with Chiari I malformation and on the neck, hands, and feet in both the Chiari I and cervical compression groups. The extent of pain and mood disturbance was greatest in the Chiari I group and least in the group with no central nervous system disorder. Complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, and temporal mandibular joint disorder were more common among the Chiari I malformation group than among the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative sensory analysis indicates sensory dysfunction associated with Chiari I malformation and cervical cord compression. The pattern of sensory abnormality is consistent with medullary dysfunction among the patients with Chiari I malformation and cervical cord dysfunction among cord compression patients. There were differences in the types and extent of pain and the associated disorders of mood observed among the cohorts defined above. These differences may be partly due to the presence and location of central sensory dysfunction.
PMID: 12048419, UI: 22042968
Clin J Pain 2002 May-Jun;18(3):164-70
Oulu Regional Institute of Occupational Health, Oulu, Finland; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess the associations between changes in pain and grip strength and manual tests among patients with chronic tennis elbow. DESIGN: Measurements for 45 consecutive patients with unilateral tennis elbow were made before and after an exercise intervention. SETTING: The setting was a physiatric outpatient clinic. PATIENTS: The patients were 45 persons with chronic unilateral tennis elbow: 32 women and 13 men. The mean age was 44 (31-54) years; mean duration of symptoms was 35 (10-66) weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: Manual tests, pressure pain thresholds at three cubital points, a pain questionnaire, a pain drawing, and grip strength measurements were assessed. RESULTS: Grip strength became normal during the treatment. Pressure pain thresholds reached 66% of that of the healthy arm. Lowered pain thresholds and changes in pain thresholds of the lateral epicondyle were strongly associated with the findings in the manual tests. Mills test and resisted wrist extension tests were associated with perceived pain, and resisted wrist extension tests also were associated with decreased grip strength. Pain on palpation was associated with lowered pain thresholds at the lateral epicondylus and with perceived pain under physical load. After the treatment, for 13 patients all 4 manual tests were still positive; for 17 patients, 3 were still positive; and for 5 patients, all were negative. Positive clinical tests were associated with lowered pain thresholds, decreased grip strength, and high perceived pain scores. CONCLUSIONS: Pain thresholds at the lateral epicondyles are strongly associated with pain on palpation and with a positive Mills test. Resisted wrist extension test results reflect decreased grip strength. Impaired function of the hand is associated with the number of positive clinical tests. Pain threshold evaluation is a simple, easy, inexpensive method that provides useful additional quantitative data on pain and disability among patients with chronic tennis elbow.
PMID: 12048418, UI: 22042967
Clin J Pain 2002 May-Jun;18(3):154-63
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Department of Psychiatry.
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate, in two community samples of people with spinal cord injuries, the frequency of use of different pain treatments and the perceived helpfulness of these treatments. DESIGN AND SETTING: A postal survey was conducted in the community. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were 471 persons aged 18 years or older who had spinal cord injuries and pain. There were 2 separate samples (n = 308 and n = 163). OUTCOME MEASURES: The pain treatments used, the helpfulness of these treatments, and the Chronic Pain Grade questionnaire answers were assessed. RESULTS: Respondents reported multiple pain treatments (range of 0-14 and median of 4 in sample 1; range of 0-16 and median of 4 in sample 2). The most commonly reported treatments were oral medications and physical therapy. Medication types most commonly reported were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, and opioids. The treatments rated as most helpful were opioid medications, physical therapy, and diazepam therapy, and those rated as least helpful were spinal cord stimulation, counseling or psychotherapy, administration of acetaminophen, and administration of amitriptyline. Alternative treatments reported as most helpful were massage therapy and use of marijuana. Acupuncture was tried by many but was rated as only moderately helpful. CONCLUSIONS: This survey of two large samples of community-dwelling individuals with spinal cord injury-related chronic pain indicates that multiple pain treatments are tried but only a few are rated as more than somewhat helpful. Furthermore, the treatments that are most commonly reported are not always those that are rated as most helpful. The findings point to a number of potentially fruitful directions for future research.
PMID: 12048417, UI: 22042966
Clin J Pain 2002 May-Jun;18(3):149-53
Observatory on Unconventional Medicine, Anesthesiological Unit of the Department of Pharmacology and Anesthesiology, University of Padova, and Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca e l'Aggiornamento Scientifico, Padova, Italy.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the therapeutic effect of the superficial and in-depth insertion of acupuncture needles in the treatment of patients with chronic lumbar myofascial pain. DESIGN: A prospective randomized double-blind study of superficial and deep acupuncture was conducted. SETTING: The study was conducted in the Pain Service Unit of the University of Padova. PATIENTS: The study comprised 42 patients with lumbar myofascial pain who were divided into two equal groups (A and B). INTERVENTION: In group A, the needle was introduced in the skin at a depth of 2 mm, whereas in group B the needle was placed deeply into muscular tissue. The treatment was planned for a cycle of eight sessions. OUTCOME MEASURES: The intensity of pain was evaluated with the McGill Pain Questionnaire before and after treatment and at the 3-month follow-up examination. RESULTS: Although at the end of the treatment there was no evidence of significant statistical differences between the two different groups, pain reduction was greater in the group treated with deep acupuncture. A statistical difference existed between the two groups at the 3-month follow up, with a better result in the deeply stimulated group. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical results show that deep stimulation has a better analgesic effect when compared with superficial stimulation.
PMID: 12048416, UI: 22042965
Clin J Pain 2002 May-Jun;18(3):139-43
Eugene McDermott Center for Pain Management, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate whether the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) is effective for predicting response to interdisciplinary treatment in a heterogeneous group of patients with chronic pain. Changes in patients' profiles to a predominantly adaptive coping status after treatment also were assessed. DESIGN: A prospective study was conducted of patients with an array of pain conditions. A standard evaluation battery, including measures of self-reported pain and disability, psychosocial functioning, helpfulness of the program, and medication use, was used for all patients before and after treatment. The MPI status of patients was evaluated and differential response to treatment was assessed. METHODS: Sixty-five consecutive patients with chronic pain were evaluated before and immediately after participation in an interdisciplinary pain treatment program. This heterogeneous pain-condition cohort was also differentiated on the basis of the MPI to evaluate potential differential response to treatment. RESULTS: Results revealed significant improvement among these patients with chronic pain when a comprehensive interdisciplinary pain-management program was administered. This improvement was seen across the variety of outcomes evaluated, including narcotic medication use. Most important, the MPI subgroup classification did not significantly predict the degree of positive treatment outcome; all subgroups improved. CONCLUSIONS: Although there were major differences in psychosocial functioning before treatment, the MPI was not found to significantly predict response to interdisciplinary treatment in a heterogeneous group of patients with chronic pain. Thus, a comprehensive interdisciplinary treatment program may achieve its full effectiveness across a wide array of pain/disability-related outcome variables, regardless of initial MPI profile categorization.
PMID: 12048414, UI: 22042963
Eur J Pharmacol 2002 May 17;443(1-3):71-7
EMI INSERM/UdA 9904, Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Medicale, Faculte de Medecine, BP 38, 63001 Cedex 1, Clermont-Ferrand, France. abdelkrim.alloui@u-clermontl.fr
Experiments were performed in carrageenin-treated rats to study, the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of paracetamol intravenously (i.v.) or intrathecally (i.t.) injected on rats submitted to a mechanical noxious stimulus. The influence of intrathecal tropisetron, a 5 hydroxytryptamine(3) (5-HT(3)) receptor antagonist, on the antinociceptive effects of paracetamol, was also studied. Paracetamol induced a significant antinociceptive effect after (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg) i.v. and (50, 100 and 200 microg/rat) i.t. injection, but no change occurred on edema volume. The effect of paracetamol was totally inhibited by tropisetron (10 microg/rat, i.t.). The foregoing results demonstrate that, in conditions of inflammatory pain, paracetamol exerts a central antinociceptive effect involving spinal 5-HT(3) receptors, without inducing any anti-inflammatory action. These data, give further arguments to consider paracetamol as a central analgesic drug which must be distinguished from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which justifies the usual combination of paracetamol in post-operative pain.
PMID: 12044794, UI: 22040208
Geriatrics 2002 May;57(5):36-41; quiz 42
Department of Anesthesiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Effective management of chronic pain in older persons is attainable, although unnecessarily elusive. A host of factors can impede assessment and drug management, including impaired cognitive function, multiple potential causes of pain, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics unique to the geriatric population, and clinician anxiety regarding analgesic addiction. In the geriatric population, some of the most prevalent chronic pain management cases involve osteoarthritis, low back pain, and neuropathy. Effective pain management is achieved with analgesics (acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), opioids, non-opioid agents (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants) and invasive techniques (corticosteroid epidural injections/nerve blocks).
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PMID: 12040592, UI: 22036917
Pain 2002 Jun;97(3):275-81
Department of Palliative Medicine, Beatson Oncology Centre, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland G11 6NT, UK.
We report the first double blind randomised controlled trial of regular opioids and an infusion of low dose (0.6 mg/kg) intravenous ketamine compared with opioids and placebo in patients with allodynia, hyperalgesia and hyperpathia secondary to critical limb ischaemia. Thirty-five patients completed the study, 18 received regular opioids plus ketamine, while 17 received regular opioids plus placebo. Using the Brief Pain Inventory, the % pain relief that the patients in the ketamine group attributed to their medication improved significantly from 50% immediately pre-infusion to 65% 24 h post-infusion and 69% 5 days post infusion. Over the same period, the pain relief achieved by the placebo group rose from 58% pre-infusion to 56% 24 h post infusion and then 50% relief 5 days later. This was statistically significant (P<0.05) using both the t-test and the Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. The ketamine group also showed a statistically significant difference 24 h post infusion of the effect of pain on their general activity (P=0.03) and on their enjoyment of life (P=0.004). This study shows that combining a single infusion of low dose ketamine with regular opioid analgesia can result in a significant improvement in pain relief for this patient group.
PMID: 12044624, UI: 22041109
Pain 2002 Jun;97(3):267-73
Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison 53706-1102, USA. smithl@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu
We examined whether continual constant-rate infusion of lidocaine would provide analgesia during the initial post-injury phase in the chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and ligated groups and infused with saline or lidocaine (0.15, 0.33, 0.67, and 1.3mg/kg/h) via subcutaneously implanted Alzet((R)) osmotic minipumps. Thermal withdrawal latencies were obtained prior (Day 0) and 3 days after loose sciatic ligation and pump implantation surgery. Ligated animals receiving lidocaine at 0.67 or 1.3mg/kg/h exhibited no change in withdrawal latency on Day 3 after surgery, indicating that lidocaine at these doses prevented the development of thermal hyperalgesia as a sign of neuropathic pain. In contrast, ligated animals treated with saline or lidocaine at 0.15 or 0.33mg/kg/h exhibited hyperalgesia on Day 3 after surgery, indicating that these lower doses of lidocaine failed to provide analgesia. Control animals treated with saline or any of the lidocaine doses exhibited no change in withdrawal latencies between Day 0 and Day 3. In a separate group of ligated animals, lidocaine infusion (0.67mg/kg/h) that was started 24h after sciatic ligation surgery reversed the already present thermal hyperalgesia. Average plasma lidocaine concentrations were 0.11, 0.36, and 0.45microg/ml for animals receiving 0.33, 0.67 and 1.3mg/kg/h of lidocaine, respectively. These results suggest that continual systemic infusion of lidocaine prevents or reverses the development of neuropathic pain following chronic constriction injury. These results add to the increasing body of evidence supporting the therapeutic value of preemptive and post-operative lidocaine administration for the relief of neuropathic pain.
PMID: 12044623, UI: 22041108
Pain 2002 Jun;97(3):235-46
Department of Physiology McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1Y6.
Clinical evidence suggests that cutaneous and visceral pain differ in sensory, affective, and motivational realms, yet there has been little comparative characterization of these types of pain. This study uses psychophysical measures to compare directly visceral and cutaneous pain and sensitivity. Healthy subjects (10 males, seven females, age 19-29) evaluated perceptions evoked by balloon distention of the distal esophagus and contact heat on the upper chest. Subjects gave continuous ratings of pain intensity using an on-line visual analog scale (VAS), reported maximum pain intensity and unpleasantness on printed VASs, chose phrases from the McGill Pain Questionnaire and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and drew the area of perceived sensation. For esophageal distention, the threshold for pain intensity was higher than that observed for unpleasantness, whereas for contact heat, pain and unpleasantness thresholds did not differ for either phasic (10s) or tonic (36s) stimulus application. The relative unpleasantness, calculated as the difference between the unpleasantness and the intensity ratings, was higher during esophageal distention than during either phasic or tonic cutaneous heat; this difference in relative unpleasantness was seen at all intensities of esophageal stimulation. Subjects chose significantly more affective words and reported more anxiety during visceral pain than during phasic cutaneous heat pain. A similar tendency was observed when visceral pain was compared to tonic cutaneous heat pain. Subjects also chose a wider range of words to describe visceral than cutaneous pain. On-line VAS ratings revealed greater pain sensation after stimulus termination during visceral than during phasic cutaneous pain; likewise, a similar tendency was observed between visceral and tonic cutaneous pain. Finally, visceral pain led to a more spatially diffuse sensation and was referred to the entire chest and sometimes to the back. Our results show that visceral pain is more unpleasant, diffuse, and variable than cutaneous pain of similar intensity, independent of the duration of the presented stimuli. The data suggest the likelihood of both similarities and differences in the neural substrates underlying visceral and cutaneous pain.
PMID: 12044620, UI: 22041105
Pain 2002 Jun;97(3):223-33
Department of Pain Treatment, BG Klinik Bergmannsheil, Ruhr University, Burkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, D-44798 Bochum, Germany. christoph.maier@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Efficacy, long-term effectiveness and safety of opioids in chronic non-tumor associated pain syndromes (NTAS) are still under debate. The study (MONTAS) was performed by physicians and psychologists as a multicenter prospective, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial, followed by an open long-term study. Patients were enrolled only when pain relief from specific defined pretreatment was insufficient. Patients were randomly assigned to group I receiving sustained-release morphine (doses: 20mg/d titrated appropriately to a maximum of 180mg/d) in the first week, placebo in the second week or group II receiving study medication in reverse order. The primary endpoint was defined as: (i) adequate pain relief (pain intensity of less than 50% of pretreatment intensity or less than 5 on a 11 point Numerical Rating Scale) and (ii) pain rated as tolerable and (iii) adverse effects rated as tolerable. Full responders (all criteria fulfilled under morphine) and partial responders (less pain relief, but tolerable side effects) were offered continuation of treatment with oral morphine in an open long-term study (LAMONTAS), to be published later. Forty-nine patients of 997 patients screened fulfilled the inclusion criteria for MONTAS and were enrolled. Mean pain intensity in all patients was reduced by morphine from 7.8 to 5.2 (NNT: 2.2); in 17 (35.4%) responders from 7.4 to 2.9, in 17 (35.4%) partial responders from 7.8 to 5.6 and in 14 (29.2%) non-responders from 8.2 to 7.7. Pain reduction correlated with improvement of physical function. Pain disability, depression score, mood and exercise endurance improved, particularly in responders. Gastrointestinal complaints increased, central nervous system-related complaints were reduced. Efficacy and safety of morphine in NTAS were demonstrated in this randomized-controlled trial. Pretreatment failure was the indication for trying morphine treatment; predictive factors for responsiveness could not be identified.
PMID: 12044619, UI: 22041104
Pain 2002 Jun;97(3):213-21
Psychology Department, The University of Alabama, Box 870348, Tuscaloosa 35487-0348, USA.
Memory is a key cognitive variable in pain management. This study examined the effect of headaches on participants' encoding of words (attention) and later memory for words. The dependent measures were response time during encoding and recognition memory; headache pain was the independent measure. Eighty participants were randomized to one of four groups: two groups had the same condition (headache pain or no headache pain) for both the encoding and memory tasks and two groups had mixed conditions (i.e. pain during encoding/no pain during recognition; no pain during encoding/pain during recognition). Participants with pain during encoding judged words significantly slower (177.53ms) than participants without pain during encoding. Participants with pain during the memory task recognized significantly fewer words (5.4%) than participants without pain during the memory task, regardless of pain condition during encoding. Results from this and other pain and memory studies conducted in this laboratory suggest that pain, as it adversely affects memory, may operate at a threshold level rather than on a dose-response continuum.
PMID: 12044618, UI: 22041103
Pain 2002 Jun;97(3):203-12
Department of Oral Diagnosis, The Hebrew University, Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, P.O. Box 12272, Jerusalem, Israel. benoliel@cc.huji.ac.il
The aim of the present study was to test the behavioural effect of infraorbital (IO) chronic constriction injury (CCI) on the development of neuropathic pain in the rat hindpaw following sciatic nerve CCI performed 7 days later. Control groups consisted of rats that underwent sham infraorbital surgery followed by sciatic CCI at identical time points. Sensory testing of the rat's face and hindpaw was performed at baseline and at 4, 11, 14, 17 and 21 days postoperative (dpo) relative to the IOCCI, at which time all rats were euthanized. To test for strain differences the experiment was performed on Sprague-Dawley, Sabra and Lewis rats. In Lewis rats the trigeminal nerve injury significantly accelerated the development of hindpaw mechanoallodynia (11th, 14th and 17th dpo, unpaired t-test, P<0.05) and mechanohyperalgesia (14th and 17th dpo, unpaired t-test, P<0.05), following a second sciatic nerve CCI relative to the control group. This effect was not observed in Sprague-Dawley or Sabra rats.
PMID: 12044617, UI: 22041102
Pain 2002 Jun;97(3):195-201
Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London, New Cross, UK. e.keogh@gold.ac.uk
Research consistently indicates that gender differences exist in pain perception, with females typically reporting more negative responses to pain than males. It also seems as if males and females use and benefit from different coping strategies when under stress; females seem to prefer emotion-focused coping, whereas males prefer sensory-focused coping. Unfortunately, experimental research that examines such differences in the context of pain has not yet been adequately investigated. The aim of the current study was, therefore, to determine whether gender differences would be found in the effect that sensory-focused and emotion-focused coping instructions have on cold pressor pain experiences. Participants consisted of 24 male and 26 female healthy adults, all of whom reported no current pain. A consistent pattern of effects was found, over both behavioural and self-report measures of pain. Compared to females, males exhibited less negative pain responses when focusing on the sensory component of pain (i.e. increased threshold, tolerance and lower sensory pain). Furthermore, compared to sensory focusing, emotional focusing was found to increase the affective pain experience of females. Together these results confirm that important differences exist between men and women in the effects pain coping instructions have on the experience of pain. The implications of such findings for research and practice are discussed.
PMID: 12044616, UI: 22041101
Pain 2002 Jun;97(3):189-94
Nociception Research Group, Tiefenaustrasse 110/211, CH-3004 Berne, Switzerland. o.wildersmith@anes.azn.nl
Increased or decreased gain in central nervous system processing after surgery, i.e. neuroplasticity, may play an important role in postoperative pain. Identification of patient subgroups particularly vulnerable to either type of post-surgical neuroplasticity is thus of interest. Preoperative pain has also been suggested to increase vulnerability to post-surgical chronic pain complications due to central facilitation. To study if back pain preoperatively is associated with differences in central sensory processing, we measured transcutaneous electric sensation, pain detection and pain tolerance thresholds at the upper arm, lower back and lower leg in 52 consecutive patients scheduled for back surgery in a blinded, prospective fashion. Patients with no pain had significantly lower pain thresholds than patients with pain in the leg, and significantly higher pain thresholds than those with pain in the back. These results suggest that preoperative pain can induce diverse central neuroplastic changes, i.e. inhibition and facilitation, and that the nature of this neuroplasticity depends on the nature of the pain involved. The presence of facilitation may be the basis of the increased vulnerability described in some studies of patients with significant preoperative pain, whereas the implications of reduced pain sensitivity are less clear. The demonstration of neuroplasticity and its diversity are, however, likely to be of significant clinical relevance.
PMID: 12044615, UI: 22041100
Pain 2002 Jun;97(3):183-7
Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, MGH Pain Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. jmao@partners.org
PMID: 12044614, UI: 22041099
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Pediatrics 2002 Jun;109(6):1144-52
Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. gaughan@sdac.harvard.edu
OBJECTIVES: As the life expectancy of children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) increases, quality-of-life outcomes are of increasing concern. The prevalence of pain in adults with AIDS ranges from 40% to 60%, depending on stage of illness. There is limited research concerning pain in HIV-infected children and youth. DESIGN: The General Health Assessment for Children was administered to caregivers of HIV-infected children and youth enrolled in the Pediatric Late Outcomes Study (PACTG 219), a prospective cohort study. Pain is assessed over the previous month with 7 questions. For the purpose of this analysis, we defined pain as the presence of pain of at least moderate intensity. Participants were observed from January 1, 1996, to December 31, 1999. RESULTS: A total of 985 HIV-positive participants had a baseline pain evaluation in 1995. The prevalence of pain remained relatively constant during each year of observation, averaging 20%. Lower CD4+ T-lymphocyte percentage, female gender, and an HIV/AIDS-related diagnosis were highly associated with an increased risk of reported pain. Pain was also independently associated with increased risk of death. After adjusting for CD4 percentage, use of combination therapy including protease inhibitors, comorbid diagnoses, and other sociodemographic characteristics, individuals reporting pain were over 5 times more likely to die than those not reporting pain (hazard ratio = 5.07; 95% confidence interval = 3.23-7.95). CONCLUSIONS: Pain is a frequently encountered symptom in children and youth with HIV disease and is also associated with increased mortality. These findings emphasize the importance of pain management in this population.
PMID: 12042556, UI: 22038487
Pediatrics 2002 Jun;109(6):1093-9
Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology, Children's Hospital, San Diego, California, USA. leichenfield@ucsd.edu
OBJECTIVE: A double-randomized, blinded crossover trial was performed to assess the efficacy of ELA-Max (4% liposomal lidocaine) as compared with eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) for pain relief during pediatric venipuncture procedures. Safety was assessed by evaluation for topical or systemic effects and measurement of serum lidocaine concentrations. METHODS: A total of 120 children who were scheduled for repeat venipuncture for non-study-related reasons at 2 sites participated in the study. Patients were doubly randomized to treatment regimen (study medication application time of either 30 or 60 minutes) and to the order of application of the topical anesthetics for each venipuncture. The primary outcome measures were the child's rating of pain immediately after the venipuncture procedures using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) tool and the parent's and blinded research observer's Observed Behavioral Distress scores. RESULTS: Both ELA-Max and EMLA seemed to alleviate venipuncture pain. There was no clinically or statistically significant difference in the patient VAS scores within the 30-minute or 60-minute treatment groups, and there was no clinical or statistical difference in VAS scores between the 30-minute ELA-Max treatment without occlusion and the 60-minute EMLA treatment with occlusion. There were no clinically or statistically significant differences between treatment with ELA-Max and EMLA in parental or blinded researcher Observed Behavioral Distress scores, the most frequent response at any observation time being "no distress." CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that a 30-minute application of ELA-Max without occlusion is as safe and as effective for ameliorating pain associated with venipuncture as a 60-minute application of the prescription product EMLA requiring occlusion.
PMID: 12042548, UI: 22038479
Spine 2002 Jun 1;27(11):1238-44
School of Physiotherapy, Curtin University of Technology, Shenton Park, Western Australia. P.OSullivan@curtin.edu.au
STUDY DESIGN: A normative, single-group study was conducted. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a difference in electromyographic activation of specific lumbopelvic muscles with the adoption of common postures in a pain-free population. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Clinical observations indicate that adopting passive postures such as sway standing and slump sitting can exacerbate pain in individuals with low back pain. These individuals often present with poor activation of the lumbopelvic stabilizing musculature. At this writing, little empirical evidence exists to document that function of the trunk and lumbopelvic musculature are related to the adoption of standardized standing and sitting postures. METHODS: This study included 20 healthy adults, with equal representation of the genders. Surface electromyography was used to measure activity in the superficial lumbar multifidus, internal oblique, rectus abdominis, external oblique, and thoracic erector spinae muscles for four standardized standing and sitting postures. RESULTS: The internal oblique, superficial lumbar multifidus, and thoracic erector spinae muscles showed a significant decrease in activity during sway standing (P = 0.027, P = 0.002, and P = 0.003, respectively) and slump sitting (P = 0.007, P = 0.012, and P = 0.003, respectively), as compared with erect postures. Rectus abdominis activity increased significantly in sway standing, as compared with erect standing (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that the lumbopelvic stabilizing musculature is active in maintaining optimally aligned, erect postures, and that these muscles are less active during the adoption of passive postures. The results of this study lend credence to the practice of postural retraining when facilitation of the lumbopelvic stabilizing musculature is indicated in the management of specific spinal pain conditions.
PMID: 12045525, UI: 22041334
Spine 2002 Jun 1;27(11):1223-31
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sahlgren University Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden. ollehagg@hotmail.com
STUDY DESIGN: A group of surgical candidates with chronic low back pain was compared with a random sample of the general population. OBJECTIVES: To compare the sociodemographic, physical, and psychological characteristics of patients enrolled in a randomized trial of fusion surgery for chronic low back pain with those of an age- and gender-matched general population, and to assess whether the results of the current study can be generalized to other groups of subjects with chronic low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The patients with low back pain in industry, primary care, and rehabilitation clinics are well described, with evidence of increased psychological distress, social disturbance, and occupational dissatisfaction. The characteristics of surgical candidates with chronic low back pain are less well described and not compared with the general population. METHODS: Social, occupational, psychological, and physical data from self-administered questionnaires completed by 294 consecutive surgical candidates with chronic low back pain were compared with the same data from 278 subjects in an age- and gender-matched random sample of the Swedish general population. Data were analyzed with the general population sample divided in two subgroups: subjects with and those without back pain. RESULTS: The surgical candidates with chronic low back pain differed significantly from the control subjects free of back pain by demonstrating more smoking, general morbidity, and depressive symptoms as well as heavier occupation and self-assessed workload. However, they did not differ from the control subjects with back pain in these respects. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, physical disability was the only variable that independently discriminated between all three groups. The groups did not differ in terms of depressive symptoms. Differences were more obvious between the two general population groups than between the two groups with back pain. The rate of major depression was lower (9%) among the surgical candidates than in other reported groups with chronic low back pain. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical candidates in the current study resembled the average Swedish citizen with back pain. Although selected for treatment because of symptom severity, they did not otherwise differ substantially from the general population with back pain. On the contrary they unexpectedly were affected only a little by depressive symptoms, distinguishing them from patients with chronic low back pain in pain clinics and rehabilitation centers. Therefore, the results of the this outcome study are not generally applicable to every patient with chronic low back pain.
PMID: 12045521, UI: 22041330
Spine 2002 Jun 1;27(11):1213-22
Department of Orthopedics, Sahlgren University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. ollehagg@hotmail.com
STUDY DESIGN: A comparative evaluation of outcome instruments and global assessment was performed. OBJECTIVE: To test patient global assessment as a substitute for the use of more comprehensive outcome instruments in treatment trials of chronic low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Treatment outcome can be measured with pain scales and functional instruments. In the absence of a gold standard, the patient him- or herself is the basic reference for outcome, for which the instruments give a more or less exact measurement. Global assessment, which is a retrospective recording, may overestimate improvement as a result of recall or motivational bias. METHODS: In this study, 294 patients treated for chronic low back pain were evaluated with a visual analog scale for back pain, the Oswestry Disability Index, the Million Score and general function score for disease-specific disability, and the Zung Depression Scale for depressive symptoms. The correlation between the pretreatment and posttreatment scores for the outcome instruments (Delta scores) and the global assessment scores was calculated; effect sizes were compared; sensitivity and specificity with receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were estimated; and associations of global assessment with pretreatment and posttreatment scores were determined. RESULTS: All the Delta scores showed significant correlations with patient global assessment and with each other. The effect size of global assessment tended to be greater than that of the outcome instruments. The specificity and sensitivity of the disability instruments and pain scale were approximately 75%, whereas they were lower for depression. The associations between global assessment and outcome instrument scores did not produce evidence that global assessment was biased. CONCLUSION: Patient global assessment is a valid and responsive descriptor of overall effect in randomized controlled trials of treatment for chronic low back pain.
PMID: 12045520, UI: 22041329
Spine 2002 Jun 1;27(11):1149-59
Departamento Cientifico, Fundacion Kovacs, Unidad de Investigacion, Gerencia de Atencion Primaria, INSALUD Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. kovacs@kovacs.org
STUDY DESIGN: A cluster randomized, controlled trial was performed. OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of adding patients' referral to neuroreflexotherapy intervention to the usual management of subacute and chronic low back pain in routine general practice. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Neuroreflexotherapy consists of the temporary implantation of epidermal devices in trigger points in the back and referred tender points in the ear. The efficacy of this procedure for treating subacute and chronic low back pain has been demonstrated in previous randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials. METHODS: Twenty-one primary care physicians working in seven primary care centers of the Spanish National Health Service in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 11) or the control group (n = 10). The physicians recruited patients who had low back pain that had lasted for 14 or more days despite drug treatment and who did not meet criteria for surgery. The 45 patients recruited by physicians from the control group were treated according to the standard protocol, whereas the 59 patients recruited by physicians from the intervention group were, in addition, referred to neuroreflexotherapy intervention. The analysis of variables was performed taking into account that physicians, not patients, were randomly assigned. RESULTS: Patients underwent clinical evaluations at baseline and 15, 60, and 365 days later. At baseline, median intensity of pain was higher in patients undergoing neuroreflexotherapy than in control patients (visual analogue scale, 6.07; range, 4.67-8.80 vs. 5.15, range 4.11-8.00) and median duration of pain was also higher (48.1, range 28.4-211.1 vs. 17.5, range 15.0-91.5 days). At the last follow-up visit, patients treated with neuroreflexotherapy showed greater improvement than did control patients in low back pain (visual analogue scale, 5.5; range, 3.7-8.8 vs. 1.9; range, -1.2-3.0; P < 0.001); referred pain (visual analogue scale, 3.6; range, 2.7-7.3 vs. 0.6; range, -1.5-2.0; P = 0.001); and disability (Roland-Morris scale, 8.7; range, 2.0-13.3 vs. 2.0; range, -1.5-6.7; P = 0.007). Moreover, neuroreflexotherapy intervention was associated with a significantly (P < 0.035) lower number of consultations to private or public specialists, fewer indications of radiographs by primary care physicians, lower cost of drug treatment, and less duration of sick leave throughout the follow-up period. There were also differences in favor of neuroreflexotherapy intervention in the cost-effectiveness ratio for pain, disability, and quality of life that persisted in the most optimistic, the most conservative, and the average (break-even case) assumptions. CONCLUSIONS: Referral to neuroreflexotherapy intervention improves the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the management of nonspecific low back pain.
PMID: 12045510, UI: 22041319
Spine 2002 Jun 1;27(11):1142-8
Research Division; and Professional Affairs, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, Southern California University of Health Sciences, Whittier, California, USA. jhsieh@ix.netcom.com
STUDY DESIGN: A randomized, assessor-blinded clinical trial was conducted. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relative effectiveness of three manual treatments and back school for patients with subacute low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Literature comparing the relative effectiveness of specific therapies for low back pain is limited. METHODS: Among the 5925 inquiries, 206 patients met the specific admission criteria, and 200 patients randomly received one of four treatments for 3 weeks: back school, joint manipulation, myofascial therapy, and combined joint manipulation and myofascial therapy. These patients received assessments at baseline, after 3 weeks of therapy, and 6 months after the completion of therapy. The primary outcomes were evaluated using visual analog pain scales and Roland-Morris activity scales. RESULTS: All four groups showed significant improvement in pain and activity scores after 3 weeks of care, but did not show further significant improvement at the 6-month follow-up assessment. No statistically significant between-group differences were found either at the 3-week or 6-month reassessments. CONCLUSIONS: For subacute low back pain, combined joint manipulation and myofascial therapy was as effective as joint manipulation or myofascial therapy alone. Additionally, back school was as effective as three manual treatments.
PMID: 12045509, UI: 22041318
Spine 2002 Jun 1;27(11):1131-41
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Falun Hospital, Falun, Sweden. pfritzell@hotmail.com
STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter randomized study with a 2-year follow-up period and an independent observer was conducted. OBJECTIVE: To compare three commonly used surgical techniques to achieve lumbar fusion primarily in terms of their ability to reduce pain and decrease disability in patients with severe chronic low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Lumbar fusion can be used to reduce pain and decrease disability in patients with chronic low back pain, and different surgical techniques are available. The reported results after fusion surgery vary considerably, but most studies are retrospective and/or performed on heterogeneous patient groups. Spine surgeons commonly use the techniques presented in this report. However, in the absence of randomized trials it is difficult to know whether any one of them is better than the others for these patients. METHODS: From 1992 through 1998, 294 patients referred to 19 spinal centers were blindly randomized into four treatment groups: three surgical groups (n = 222) and one nonsurgical group (n = 72). The sociodemographic and clinical characteristics did not differ among the groups. Eligibility included patients 25 to 65 years of age with therapy-resistant chronic low back pain that had persisted for at least 2 years and radiologic evidence of disc degeneration (spondylosis) at L4-L5, L5-S1, or both. Only patients randomized to one of three surgical groups were analyzed in the current study: Group 1 (posterolateral fusion; n = 73), Group 2 (posterolateral fusion combined with variable screw placement, an internal fixation device; n = 74), and Group 3 (posterolateral fusion combined with variable screw placement and interbody fusion; n = 75). The "circumferential fusion" in Group 3 was performed either as an anterior lumbar interbody fusion (n = 56) or as a biomechanically similar posterior lumbar interbody fusion (n = 19). The groups were composed of 51%, 58%, and 40% men respectively, and the respective mean ages were 44, 43, and 42 years. The patients had experienced low back pain for at least 2 years (mean, approximately 8 years). They had been on sick leave for approximately 3 years. Pain was measured by a visual analog scale, and disability was assessed by the Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire, the Million Visual Analogue Score, and the General Function Score. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Zung Depression Scale. The global overall rating of the result was assessed by the patient and an independent observer after 2 years. Hospitalization data including operation time, blood loss, blood transfusion, and days of hospitalization in connection with surgery were reported, along with complications and the fusion rate. Records from the Swedish Social Insurance Board providing information on sick leave and economic compensation for Swedish residents were used to evaluate the patients' work status. RESULTS: An independent observer examined 201 (91%) of 222 patients after 2 years, after 18 "group changers" and 3 dropouts had been excluded from the analyses. All surgical techniques were found to reduce pain and decrease disability substantially, but no significant differences were found among the groups. In all three groups, the patients rated the overall outcome similarly, as did the independent observer. The more demanding techniques in Groups 2 and 3 consumed significantly more resources in terms of operation time, blood transfusions, and days in hospital after surgery. The early complication rate was 6% in Group 1, 16% in Group 2, and 31% in Group 3. The fusion rate, as evaluated by plain radiograph, was 72% in Group 1, 87% in Group 2, and 91% in Group 3. CONCLUSIONS: All the fusion techniques used in the study could reduce pain and improve function in this selected group of patients with severe chronic low back pain. There was no obvious disadvantage in using the least demanding surgical technique of posterolateral fusion without internal fixation.
PMID: 12045508, UI: 22041317
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