Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Comparative Study
AN APP for the Assessment of Pain Intensity: Validity Properties and Agreement of Pain Reports When Used with Young People.
Painometer is a mobile application that includes four pain intensity scales: the Numerical Rating Scale, the Faces Pain Scale-Revised, the mechanical visual analogue scale and the Colored Analogue Scale. The aim of this study was to analyze the validity and agreement of the intensity reports provided by these scales and their traditional counterparts. ⋯ Our results demonstrate that pain intensity scores reported with the scales in Painometer are valid, and concordant with their traditional counterparts.
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To investigate the incidence of spinal abscess and substance abuse in a tertiary care hospital after state legislation titled "House Bill 1" (HB1) mandated stricter regulation of prescription drugs of abuse in Kentucky in 2012. ⋯ The results of this retrospective study demonstrate an increased incidence of intraspinal abscess associated with drug abuse after passage of HB1 legislation regulating prescriptions of controlled medications in Kentucky. This increased incidence may be related to individuals relying on nonprescription drugs of abuse due to more highly regulated access to controlled prescription medications. However, additional factors unrelated to HB1 legislation must be taken into account.
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Epidural blood patches (EBP) are rarely performed at the cervical levels, primarily due to fear of neurological complications such as spinal cord compression. We reviewed the literature to provide an evidence-based review of performance of cervical EBPs, with a specific focus on indication, technique, safety, and efficacy. ⋯ Our review provides Class II level of evidence that cervical EBPs are safe and effective in reliving positional headache due to CSF leak.