Postgraduate medicine
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Postgraduate medicine · Jul 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialClinical outcomes during opioid titration following initiation with or conversion to Remoxy®, an extended-release formulation of oxycodone.
Intra- and interpatient variability in opioid response usually necessitates opioid therapy titration to optimally balance analgesia and side effects, whether initiating therapy or converting from another opioid. Remoxy® (King Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bristol, TN, which was acquired by Pfizer Inc in March 2011) is an extended-release formulation of oxycodone designed to maintain its rate-controlling mechanism following physical and chemical manipulation. A recent phase 3 trial, which required dose titration following initiation or conversion to Remoxy, demonstrated the long-term safety and efficacy of Remoxy in relieving moderate to severe chronic pain. ⋯ Of opioid-naïve patients, 300 (76%) reached a stable dose of Remoxy (mean, 2.2 titration steps), 253 (84%) of whom successfully initiated on Remoxy. Pain intensity decreased from baseline to study completion by approximately 35% for both opioid-experienced and opioid-naïve patients and adverse events were similar to those typically reported for opioids, with a higher incidence rate reported during titration (pre-stable dose period). These data provide important clinical information when initiating opioid-naïve patients on or converting opioid-experienced patients to Remoxy.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2011
ReviewManaging your patient with gout: a review of treatment options.
Gout is an inflammatory arthritis that typically presents as acute onset, recurrent, monoarticular pain. In most patients, management of pain, risk assessment for future flares, and disability is not optimal and diagnostic and management approaches are applied inconsistently. Obtaining an accurate patient history, including comorbidities, concomitant medications, and familial history, is important for optimal results. ⋯ Therapeutic options appropriate for treating the acute flare include colchicine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and corticosteroids. After flare remission, prophylaxis with a flare prevention medication, such as colchicine, should be administered followed by initiation of urate-lowering therapy with allopurinol or febuxostat. Patient education, especially counseling on risk factors and contributors to hyperuricemia and gout, can improve the likelihood of successful therapy for this often suboptimally managed disease.
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Use of opioids in the treatment of both acute and chronic pain has increased significantly in the past 2 decades. Recent literature suggests that chronic opioid use is related to sleep-related breathing disorders, particularly central sleep apnea of both the periodic and nonperiodic breathing pattern. The clinical significance, pathogenesis, and treatment options of these sleep-related breathing disorders are not well understood. This article summarizes the current literature on the effects of both acute and chronic opioid use on sleep, sleep-disordered breathing, and the current evidence on various treatment options for breathing disorders related to chronic opioid use.
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Postgraduate medicine · Mar 2011
ReviewPain management in primary care: strategies to mitigate opioid misuse, abuse, and diversion.
Pain is among the most common reasons patients seek medical attention, and the care of patients with pain is a significant problem in the United States. Acute pain (mild-to-moderate intensity) represents one of the most frequent complaints encountered by primary care physicians (PCPs) and accounts for nearly half of patient visits. However, the overall quality of pain management remains unacceptable for millions of US patients with acute or chronic pain, and underrecognition and undertreatment of pain are of particular concern in primary care. ⋯ Safe and effective pain management requires clinical skill and knowledge of the principles of opioid treatment as well as the effective assessment of risks associated with opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion. Easily implementable patient selection and screening, with selective use of safeguards, can mitigate potential risks of opioids in the busy primary practice setting. Primary care physicians can become advocates for proper pain management and ensure that all patients with pain are treated appropriately.
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Postgraduate medicine · Mar 2011
ReviewRecent developments in the management of patients at risk for sudden cardiac death.
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to ventricular tachyarrhythmias is an important cause of mortality in the United States, 4% of which occurs in patients with structurally normal hearts. At least some arrhythmias are caused by ≥ 1 mutation in 1 of the genes that control electrical conduction through the heart by altering calcium homeostasis or depolarization or repolarization gradients in the ventricle. Although SCD may be the first presentation, patients may often present with symptoms of palpitations or hemodynamic compromise, such as dizziness, seizure, or syncope, particularly following exertion. ⋯ Quinidine and isoproterenol can be useful in treating Brugada syndrome. Left cervicothoracic stellectomy may occasionally be used in the treatment of long QT syndrome. As the genetic basis of these diseases becomes known, genetic testing is forming an increasingly important part of diagnosis, and gene-specific therapy is an area under investigation.