Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2000
Clinical TrialThe course of symptom frequency and intensity in advanced cancer patients followed at home.
Four hundred consecutive patients who were referred to a home palliative care program were prospectively surveyed to estimate the prevalence and severity of common symptoms according to the changes in the performance status. Patients were admitted for the presence of different symptoms and psychosocial support. Common symptoms included in a standard form were rated for severity (absent 0, mild 1, moderate 2, severe 3) for each visit. ⋯ Other symptoms, such as dyspnea, drowsiness, weakness, and confusion tended to further increase and to have a peak at the lowest levels of K. Dysphagia and constipation progressively increased in frequency and intensity, but decreased at the end. These findings clarify the actual frequency and intensity of symptoms in a non-selected home care population with advanced cancer.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2000
Review GuidelineClinical guidelines for intraspinal infusion: report of an expert panel. PolyAnalgesic Consensus Conference 2000.
Consensus guidelines developed by an expert panel are helpful to clinicians when there is variation in practice and lack of a firm evidence base for an intervention, such as intraspinal therapy for pain. An internet-based survey of practitioners revealed remarkable variation in practice patterns surrounding intraspinal therapy. ⋯ The panel proposed a scheme for the selection of drugs and doses for intraspinal therapy, and suggested guidelines for administration that would increase the likelihood of a successful outcome. These expert panel guidelines were designed to provide an initial structure for clinical decision making that is based on the best available evidence and the perspectives of experienced clinicians.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2000
ReviewFuture directions in the management of pain by intraspinal drug delivery.
Management of pain by intraspinal delivery of drugs enables physicians to target specific sites of action. While this novel approach is gaining increasing use, well-designed studies are needed. ⋯ Research must also address issues of formulation, chemical stability/compatibility, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology during clinical development and drug approval. Finally, more basic studies and early phase trials of other potential agents for intrathecal pain management (e.g., gabapentin) are needed.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2000
ReviewEvidence-based review of the literature on intrathecal delivery of pain medication.
Evidence-based medicine depends on the existence of controlled clinical trials that establish the safety and efficacy of specific therapeutic techniques. Many interventions in clinical practice have achieved widespread acceptance despite little evidence to support them in the scientific literature; the critical appraisal of these interventions based on accumulating experience is a goal of medicine. ⋯ The exhaustive review included 5 different groups of compounds, with morphine and bupivacaine yielding the most citations in the literature. The need for additional large published controlled studies was highlighted by this review, especially for promising agents that have been shown to be safe and efficacious in recent clinical studies.