Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Apr 1995
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialBuffered lidocaine for skin infiltration prior to hemodialysis.
This study compared the effects of buffered versus unbuffered lidocaine when used as local anesthetic in preparation for cannulation of the arterial and venous sites of children requiring hemodialysis. The subjects for this study were seven children, ages 6-18 years, observed during 101 dialysis treatments. For each subject undergoing hemodialysis on a given day, one syringe containing 1% lidocaine (L) and one containing buffered lidocaine (BL) were prepared. ⋯ Speed of injection was not controlled. Comparisons of self-reported pain and behavioral observations for L versus BL revealed no significant differences for pain of infiltration or pain of cannulation. Technique variables such as the speed of injection, which tended to be very slow for these children, appear to significantly influence infiltration pain and the relative merits of buffering.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Apr 1995
Severe undertreatment of cancer pain: a 3-year survey of the German situation.
The aim of this survey was to determine the prescribing patterns of German physicians in the treatment of cancer pain. The computerized patient records of 330 practices, which treated a total number of 1,104,435 patients over a 3-year period, were analyzed. "Strong" opioids, widely accepted in the management of severe cancer pain, were prescribed to just 322 of 16,630 cancer patients (1.9%). ⋯ Germany is still a developing country in terms of pain therapy. This situation is symptomatic of many countries and reflects the continuing prejudice against opioids.