Journal of opioid management
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Slow release (SR) opioids around the clock are the mainstay for moderate to strong cancer pain. This recommendation is not scientifically based. Therefore, a phase 1 pilot study of rapid acting nasal fentanyl (NF) taken on demand as the only opioid for cancer pain to explore feasibility and safety aspects was launched. ⋯ This explorative study suggests that it is reasonable that the concept of treating pain in patients with cancer using NF on demand can undergo controlled clinical studies.
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Review
Treatment of opioid-related central sleep apnea with positive airway pressure: a systematic review.
To systematically review the various modalities of positive airway pressure (PAP) in the treatment of opioid-related central sleep apnea (CSA). ⋯ The available evidence on the efficacy of PAP in opioid-related CSA is inconclusive. With the increasing use of opioids, further studies are needed to assess optimal PAP therapy and predictors of success in this group of patients.
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A Smartphone app could be useful in aiding patients in self-monitoring and self-managing their chronic pain-related symptoms. The purpose of this study was to systematically review English-language pain-related Smartphone apps available for download in the United States. ⋯ Overall, most of the pain-related apps included within our review not only lacked evidence of HCP input regarding development but also contained few evidence-based pain management features.
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The identification of patients at risk for developing severe postoperative pain and/or opioid-related side effects is difficult due to a lack of sensitive indicators. The patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) ratio of demands to deliveries is a potential tool for early identification of patients who experience severe postoperative pain. The authors hypothesized that the PCA ratio is able to predict morphine requirement in the first 24 hours after scoliosis surgery. ⋯ The authors have demonstrated that a PCA ratio of demands/deliveries ≥1.5 is predictive of increased opioid requirements and is associated with greater pain scores in the initial 24 hours after surgery, an increased incidence of opioid-related side effects, and duration of hospital stay.
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Opioid titration is the first challenging stage for rapid control of moderate/severe cancer pain. Evidence shows that sustained-release formulations may be used for opioid titration. We set a pilot assessment of the efficacy and tolerability of our in-house protocol (continuous and on demand opioids [CoDem]) of the association of sustained-release oxycodone and immediate-release morphine as rescue dose for opioid titration/rotation in opioid-naïve (NAOP, n = 13), tolerant to weak (WOP, n = 20), or strong opioids (STOP, n = 44) in-patients with moderate/severe cancer pain. ⋯ The CoDem protocol was shown to be effective and reasonably tolerated for titration for moderate/severe cancer pain relief in both opioid-naïve or opioid-tolerant cancer in-patients. This pilot assessment warrants prospective and comparative studies with larger samples for more generalized results.