Pain physician
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A growing body of research has demonstrated that impaired central pain modulation or central sensitization (CS) is a crucial mechanism for the development of persistent pain in chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) and fibromyalgia (FM) patients. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence for cognitive dysfunctions among these patients. In addition, chronic WAD and FM patients often report problems with health-related quality of life (QoL). Yet, there is limited research concerning the interrelations between cognitive performance, indices of CS, and health-related QoL in these patients. ⋯ Chronic pain, fibromyalgia, whiplash, central sensitization, conditioned pain modulation, temporal summation, cognition, quality of life.
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Myofascial pain (MP) is a common disorder that can involve any skeletal muscle in the human body. There are no published reports of the referred pain patterns of the third and fourth dorsal interosseous muscles. ⋯ Referred pain patterns of the third and fourth interosseous muscles resemble the pain experienced in C7 or C8 radiculopathies or the ulnar neuropathy. Thus, identification of the third and fourth interosseous muscle trigger point should be considered when patients experience pain on the ulnar aspect of the hand and wrist.
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Many drugs can cause neuromuscular blockade. Clindamycin-related neuromuscular blockade is commonly reported, but fatal clindamycin-induced neuromuscular blockade is rarely reported. We describe a 47-year-old woman who initially presented with endometrial carcinoma. ⋯ She became unconscious near the end of the infusion, then, despite resuscitation attempts, she died. Clindamycin appeared to have triggered delayed respiratory depression during PCA. A combination of clindamycin and fentanyl led to her respiratory depression in the fatal case.
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Pain following thoracotomy is of moderate to severe nature. Management of thoracotomy pain is a challenging task. Post thoracotomy pain has acute effects in the post operative period by affecting respiratory mechanics, which increases the morbidity. ⋯ The patient had significant pain relief following a single bolus of the drug. The infusion was started thereafter, which provided excellent analgesia and facilitated an uneventful recovery. Here, we describe the successful management of thoracotomy pain using the serratus anterior plane block.
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Although pharmacological therapy is the primary treatment modality for trigeminal neuralgia associated pain, ineffective analgesia and dose limiting side effects often prompt patients to seek alternative pharmacological solutions such as interventional nerve blockade. Blockade of the Gasserian ganglion or its branches is an effective analgesic procedure for trigeminal neuralgia, traditionally performed using fluoroscopy or CT imaging. Ultrasonography allows point of care and real time visualization of needle placement within the surrounding anatomical structures. ⋯ The decision was made that the patient was a suitable candidate for pulsed radiofrequency application in the pterygopalatine fossa. We successfully used an alternative approach through the pterygopalatine fossa to treat trigeminal neuralgia using ultrasound guidance in an office setting. Our case demonstrates the utility of ultrasound-guidance pulsed radiofrequency treatment in the pterygopalatine fossa as a potential alternative to other percutaneous techniques for patients with medical refractory trigeminal neuralgia.