Cancer
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Clinical Trial
A safe and effective method for converting cancer patients from intravenous to transdermal fentanyl.
Therapeutic fentanyl blood levels are reached approximately 12-16 hours after the initial application of transdermal fentanyl patches. For this reason, fentanyl patches should not be used to treat acute exacerbations of cancer pain. Acute cancer-related pain can be treated with fentanyl administered by continuous intravenous infusion (CII) in combination with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Patients then can be switched from intravenous (IV) to transdermal fentanyl once stable pain relief has been achieved. The objective of the current case series was to evaluate and describe the safety and effectiveness of a method for converting hospitalized patients with cancer-related pain from IV to transdermal fentanyl. ⋯ The results of the current study demonstrate that the conversion from IV to transdermal fentanyl can be accomplished safely and effectively using a 1:1 (IV:transdermal) conversion ratio and a two-step taper of the CII over 12 hours.