Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
-
Case Reports
The Clinical Impact of a False-Positive Urine Cocaine Screening Result on a Patient's Pain Management.
The urine of a patient admitted for chest and epigastric pain tested positive for cocaine using an immunoassay-based drug screening method (positive/negative cutoff concentration 150 ng/mL). Despite the patient's denial of recent cocaine use, this positive cocaine screening result in conjunction with a remote history of drug misuse impacted the patient's recommended pain therapy. Specifically, these factors prompted the clinical team to question the appropriateness of opioids and other potentially addictive therapeutics during the treatment of cancer pain from previously undetected advanced pancreatic carcinoma. ⋯ As exemplified in this case, confirmatory drug testing should be performed on specimens with unexpected immunoassay-based drug screening results. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a false-positive urine cocaine screening result and its impact on patient management.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Exploring the Role of Tanezumab as a Novel Treatment for the Relief of Neuropathic Pain.
Evaluate efficacy and safety of tanezumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against nerve growth factor, in neuropathic pain. ⋯ Tanezumab provided effective pain reduction in DPN. In PHN, only the highest tanezumab dose reduced pain; treatment differences were not significant. No new safety concerns were observed despite preexisting neuropathy.
-
Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Pulsed Radiofrequency for Chronic Intractable Lumbosacral Radicular Pain: A Six-Month Cohort Study.
There is little evidence concerning the medical management of lumbosacral radicular pain. The prognosis for patients suffering pain for more than 3 months is poor. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) treatment of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) has been suggested as a minimally invasive treatment. We studied the effect on pain and quality of life of PRF treatment of the DRG in patients with chronic, severe lumbosacral radicular pain. ⋯ PRF treatment of the DRG may be considered for patients with chronic, severe lumbosacral radicular pain refractory to conventional medical management.
-
This review wished to determine the reported prevalence of suffering in various patient diagnostic groups and examine the evidence for the association of pain and suffering. ⋯ The above results indicate a consistent association between suffering and pain in some patient groups. Studies addressing suffering are needed in CNPM patients.