Pain management
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Rainer Sabatowski qualified as anesthesiologist in 1995 and as pain specialist in 2003. He was head of a pain clinic at the University of Cologne, Germany, from 2002 to 2007. Since 2007 he has been head of the Comprehensive Pain Center at the University Hospital "Carl Gustav Carus" at the Technical University Dresden (Germany). ⋯ He has spoken at many national and international pain meetings and was scientific chair of the 8th Palliative Care Congress of the German Society of Palliative Care in Dresden in 2010. He has published over 100 papers and book chapters and is on the editorial board of several pain journals. He is also a member of the advisory board of the German IASP chapter and works in several focus groups of this pain society.
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SUMMARY Spinal cord stimulation has been in clinical use for the treatment of chronic pain for over four decades. Since the initial use by Norman Shealy, the indications for its use have increased steadily over the decades to include neuropathic pain owing to failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome and painful diabetic peripheral neuropathies. To date, the precise mechanism of action of spinal cord stimulation remains unclear, yet it is still one of the most expensive interventional treatment modalities available in pain medicine with increasing application across the world. ⋯ Systems-based process analysis is not widely utilized in pain medicine, and there is a limited body of evidence for its application. The purpose of this article is to generate interest in the discipline of process analysis in pain medicine, as it has found value in other healthcare settings and industries. We mention the applicability across countries and specialties that we hope will increase the awareness of this concept and possibly generate interest in further examination by investigators that will lead to the development of highly efficient and effective healthcare delivery processes and systems across the globe.
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SUMMARY Pain is a complex behavior process, the anatomy and physiology of which is not completely understood, and is subject to continuous exploration and research. Following on the heels of Melzack and Wall's gate control theory of pain (1965), Shealey et al., in 1967, were the first to implant stimulation electrodes over the dorsal columns in an attempt to provide relief for patients with chronic, intractable pain. ⋯ In contrast to conventional medical management, SCS offers long-lasting symptom relief, improved quality of life and functional capability, often achieving these goals at a reduced cost. This article illustrates the present status, challenges and future of SCS.
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SUMMARY ⋯ In routine Slovenian clinical practice, transdermal buprenorphine provided efficient analgesia and was well-tolerated in patients with chronic moderate-to-severe cancer pain or chronic severe noncancer pain insufficiently controlled by nonopioids and, as the study results indicate, also in chronic severe noncancer pain insufficiently controlled by weak opioids.
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SUMMARY The increase in failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) cases in the USA has been paralleled by an increase in the number of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) treatments performed. Over the last 40 years, SCS technique has improved drastically and has been shown to be efficacious in FBSS patients with radiculopathy and neuropathic pain. This article will focus on the current patient selection process of SCS in the setting of FBSS, with a review of pertinent clinical trials and current evidence-based guidelines. The current working mechanism of SCS, complications surrounding SCS and the definition of FBSS will also be briefly discussed.