Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Comparative Study
The impact of sexual or physical abuse history on pain-related outcomes among blacks and whites with chronic pain: gender influence.
Physical and sexual abuses commonly co-occur with chronic pain. We hypothesized that: 1) abuse history questions would form distinct factors that relate differently to pain perceptions and pain outcomes; 2) abuse history consequences on physical and mental health differ by gender; and 3) different abuse types and age of occurrence (childhood vs adolescent/adulthood) predict different negative outcomes. ⋯ Our study confirms physical and mental health, and pain-related outcomes are affected by abuse history for men and women. These results support screening all patients for abuse to improve the survivor's overall health and well-being.
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We evaluated whether outpatient intravenous ketamine infusions were satisfactory for pain relief in patients suffering from various chronic intractable pain syndromes. ⋯ We conclude that in patients with severe refractory pain of multiple etiologies, subanesthetic ketamine infusions may improve VAS scores. In half of our patients, relief lasted for up to 3 weeks with minimal side effects.
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The objective of this study was to delineate the relationship between noncancer pain and cognitive impairment with social vulnerability. ⋯ Pain and cognitive impairment are independently associated with social vulnerability. Improvements in pain management might mitigate social vulnerability in a growing number of older adults with either or both conditions.
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Case Reports
Sternal kyphoplasty for metastatic lung cancer: image-guided palliative care, utilizing fluoroscopy and sonography.
Skeletal metastases can cause severe pain and functional impairment, secondary to direct invasion or osteolysis. Direct palliation of these metastases can reduce the burden of pain. Surgical excision or radiotherapy has been used to target these tumors. ⋯ Ultrasound imaging was used with fluoroscopy. Reproducibility, by other providers, is imperative with any emerging technique; this will facilitate wider patient access and device innovation. Hopefully, future multicenter trials will validate the efficacy and safety of this technique.
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Clinical Trial
The effect of deep and slow breathing on pain perception, autonomic activity, and mood processing--an experimental study.
Deep and slow breathing (DSB) techniques, as a component of various relaxation techniques, have been reported as complementary approaches in the treatment of chronic pain syndromes, but the relevance of relaxation for alleviating pain during a breathing intervention was not evaluated so far. ⋯ Our results suggest that the way of breathing decisively influences autonomic and pain processing, thereby identifying DSB in concert with relaxation as the essential feature in the modulation of sympathetic arousal and pain perception.