Articles: analgesics.
-
Cancer-related pain can be well controlled in most patients. With prolonged survival and cure now possible with many tumors, pain management becomes a compelling issue for the quality of the patient's remaining life. In advanced stages of disease, analgesia is an imperative for both the patient and family; it provides the patient the opportunity for a dignified and comfortable death and lifts from the family the added burden of anger and despair that is so often associated with uncontrolled pain in a loved one. Astute assessment, a systematic approach to pharmacologic treatment, and ongoing monitoring of therapy are the fundamental elements of successful management of pain in most patients.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Gastric fluid volume, pH, and emptying in elective inpatients. Influences of narcotic-atropine premedication, oral fluid, and ranitidine.
One hundred and twenty healthy, elective surgical inpatients were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Between two and three hours before the scheduled time of surgery all patients ingested a marker dye, phenol red, 50 mg in 10 ml water, with placebo tablet alone (Groups 1 and 2), placebo tablet with 150 ml oral fluid (Group 3), or oral ranitidine 150 mg with oral fluid 150 ml (Group 4). Patients in Group 1 received oral diazepam or no premedication, while those in Groups 2, 3, and 4 received IM narcotic and atropine one hour preoperatively. ⋯ Mean pH values were Group 1: 2.99; Group 2: 3.03; Group 3: 3.44; Group 4: 5.28. The amount of phenol red in the samples indicated at least 90 per cent gastric emptying had occurred in 90 per cent of patients. We conclude that, in healthy patients, 150 ml oral fluid is almost completely emptied from the stomach within two hours of ingestion, even when followed one hour later by narcotic-atropine premedication.