Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Although both gabapentin and pregabalin are first-line drugs for neuropathic pain including postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), no report has directly compared the magnitude of pain relief and the incidence of side effects of both drugs. By substituting gabapentin with pregabalin in postherpetic neuralgia therapy, we can compare the two drugs. ⋯ It was suggested that the analgesic action of pregabalin in PHN was six times that of gabapentin in terms of effectiveness in dosage conversion. Regarding the side effects, although the incidence of the peripheral edema was higher with pregabalin compared with gabapentin, this finding is not conclusive because the present study was conducted in a small number of subjects. Although pain reduction can be expected to increase with pregabalin dosage, it is necessary to increase the dosage gradually and carefully because of exacerbation of side effects.
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Case Reports
Brachial plexus entrapment of interscalene nerve catheter after uncomplicated ultrasound-guided placement.
We report on the case of an entrapped interscalene nerve catheter in a 46-year-old male undergoing left shoulder arthroscopic lysis of adhesions for a frozen shoulder. The catheter was placed under ultrasound guidance without any apparent complications. ⋯ Upon attempted catheter removal, the patient experienced severe pain and paresthesias. Fluoroscopy revealed possible brachial plexus involvement, and surgery was performed to extract the catheter, which had become hooked and entrapped around the C5 nerve root and sheath.
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Case Reports
Rectus sheath catheters for continuous analgesia after laparotomy--without postoperative opioid use.
Opioid and epidural analgesia have been the mainstay for postoperative pain control following laparotomies, yet have many potential side effects, risks, and limitations. This case report offers an alternative to opioid as well as epidural analgesia, which may be beneficial in some patients. ⋯ This report may be the first description of a successful multimodal postoperative analgesic regimen including continuous bilateral rectus sheath blocks without inpatient postoperative opioid use or epidural analgesia following a midline laparotomy.
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Historical Article
The business of pain medicine: the present mirrors antiquity.
The practice of pain medicine is often considered a fledgling field, as are the economic, business, and related ethical issues associated with providing these services. This article first traces the history of pain care and its relationships to industry and business, as well as the impact of government regulations over the ages. The authors challenge the view that the commonly discussed health care issues facing pain medicine are new by tracing the business and regulatory-related antecedents of pain care practice from the first through 21st century. ⋯ These arguments are reflected against the pain medicine Ethics Charters of the American Academy of Pain Medicine throughout the document. Finally, we outline the challenges for the present and future. With an understanding of these eight historical events as a backdrop, we may be at an opportune time to better address these issues in a manner that could provide the most effective pain care in our society.
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The study aims to highlight the potentially serious consequences of inadvertent soft-tissue injection of intrathecal drugs such as clonidine, during refills of implanted drug delivery devices, and to suggest strategies to reduce this complication. ⋯ Inadvertent soft-tissue injection is possibly an underappreciated and underreported complication of intrathecal analgesia via an implanted drug delivery device. Under some circumstances, large doses of other intrathecal drugs such as bupivacaine, opioids, ziconotide, and baclofen may also be delivered by inadvertent soft-tissue injection with potentially life-threatening consequences. We recommend that practitioners, institutions, and professional bodies who manage patients with intrathecal analgesia via intrathecal drug delivery devices highlight and audit this complication and develop systems to manage it.