Journal of pain research
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2019
ReviewSafety And Efficacy Of The Unique Opioid Buprenorphine For The Treatment Of Chronic Pain.
Chronic pain is associated with decreased quality of life and is one of the most common reasons adults seek medical care, making treatment imperative for many aspects of patient well-being. Chronic pain management typically involves the use of Schedule II full μ-opioid receptor agonists for pain relief; however, the increasing prevalence of opioid addiction is a national crisis that is impacting public health and social and economic welfare. Buprenorphine is a Schedule III partial μ-opioid receptor agonist that is an equally effective but potentially safer treatment option for chronic pain than full μ-opioid receptor agonists. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the clinical efficacy and safety of the transdermal and buccal formulations of buprenorphine, which are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for chronic pain, compared with that of extended-release full μ-opioid receptor agonists. ⋯ Comparison of current clinical data along with results of responder and safety analyses support the use of buprenorphine over full μ-opioid receptor agonists for effective preferential treatment of chronic pain; however, head-to-head clinical studies are warranted.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2019
ReviewPharmacological rationale for tapentadol therapy: a review of new evidence.
Chronic pain could be considered as a neurological disorder. Therefore, appropriate selection of the therapy, which should consider the pathophysiological mechanisms of pain, can result in a successful analgesic outcome. Tapentadol is an analgesic drug which acts both as a μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist and as a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (NRI), thereby generating a synergistic action in terms of analgesic efficacy, but not for the burden of adverse effects. ⋯ This molecule holds the potential to address at least some of the current limitations of analgesic therapy due to its unique mechanism of action and has shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of chronic pain of cancer and noncancer etiologies including nociceptive, neuropathic and mixed pain. In particular, the MOR component of tapentadol activity predominantly allows for analgesia in nociceptive pain; on the other hand, the NRI component contributes, now in a predominant manner, for analgesic efficacy in cases of neuropathic pain states. This paper will discuss recent pieces of evidence on the pathophysiology of pain, the background on tapentadol and then present some new studies on how the unique mechanism of action of tapentadol provides a key role in its analgesic efficacy in a number of pain states and with a favorable safety profile.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2019
Combined ultrasound-guided Pecs II block and general anesthesia are effective for reducing pain from modified radical mastectomy.
Purpose: Combined regional and general anesthesia are often used for the management of breast cancer surgery. Thoracic spinal block, thoracic epidural block, thoracic paravertebral block, and multiple intercostal nerve blocks are the regional anesthesia techniques which have been used in breast surgery, but some anesthesiologists are not comfortable because of the complication and side effects. In 2012, Blanco et al introduced pectoralis nerve (Pecs) II block or modified Pecs block as a novel approach to breast surgery. ⋯ There are no complications following Pecs block in both groups, including pneumothorax, vascular puncture, and hematoma. Conclusion: Combined ultrasound-guided Pecs II block and general anesthesia are effective in reducing pain both intra- and postoperatively in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy. Ultrasound-guided Pecs II block is a relatively safe peripheral nerve block.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2019
Ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block for analgesia after thoracic surgery.
Patients who undergo surgical procedures that impair the integrity of the chest wall frequently experience extremely severe postoperative pain. Opiates and weaker analgesics, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), are not sufficiently effective in achieving control of severe pain and might cause respiratory and gastrointestinal complications. In the past decade, there has been an increased interest in the use of regional nerve blocks for post-thoracoscopy and post-thoracotomy analgesia. ⋯ The results of the present study suggest that SAP block is an effective adjuvant treatment option for post-thoracic surgery analgesia. Compared to the current methods used for post-thoracic surgery pain relief, SAP block has some significant merits, particularly its ease of use and its low potential for side effects.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2019
A clinical trial comparing ultrasound-guided ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve block to transversus abdominis plane block for analgesia following open inguinal hernia repair.
To compare the efficacy of ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric (IINB) nerve block to transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in controlling incisional pain after open inguinal hernia repair. ⋯ This study demonstrated that compared to TAP block, local blockade of ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves provides better pain control after open repair of inguinal hernia when both blocks were administered under US guidance. Greater satisfaction scores also reflected superior analgesia in patients receiving IINB.