Articles: analgesia.
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To describe a rare adverse outcome resulting from lumbar epidural steroid injections for the treatment of chronic lower back pain. ⋯ A through pre-procedure assessment with attention to the neurologic examination and signs/symptoms of infection is essential.
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Pain is highly prevalent in individuals with HIV disease, yet is often overlooked as a symptom requiring clinical intervention. We evaluated the adequacy of analgesic management for pain and identified predictors of pain undertreatment in a sample of 366 ambulatory AIDS patients using a prospective cross-sectional survey design. Two hundred and twenty-six of the 366 ambulatory AIDS patients surveyed reported "persistent or frequent" pain over the 2 week period prior to the survey. ⋯ Women, less educated patients, and patients who reported injection drug use as their HIV transmission risk factor were most likely to have received inadequate analgesic therapy. These results demonstrate the alarming degree of undertreatment of pain in ambulatory patients with AIDS, and indicates the need to improve the management of AIDS-related pain in this underserved population. Future research should elucidate the factors that impede adequate pain management in order to overcome obstacles to adequate treatment.
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Spinal cord stimulator insertion can sometimes be impossible to achieve because of pain during attempted electrode advancement. Heavy sedation and general anaesthesia are contraindicated and epidural analgesia would appear to be a logical, but overlooked solution. A case is described where dilute lignocaine abolished prohibitive pain but left the appreciation of stimulation paraesthesias unaffected. The advantages of such an approach are discussed.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA multidimensional comparison of morphine and hydromorphone patient-controlled analgesia.
Although patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps have been in use for more than a decade, the optimal PCA analgesic has yet to be identified. Many drugs are used; however, morphine remains the "gold standard" of opioid analgesics worldwide. The present study evaluated morphine and hydromorphone (Dilaudid) PCA with respect to analgesic efficacy, side effects, mood, and cognitive function. ⋯ A similar incidence of side effects and dose medication can be anticipated with morphine and hydromorphone. When considering cognitive effects, morphine had less adverse consequences, while hydromorphone appeared to result in improved mood. We conclude that hydromorphone may provide a suitable alternative to morphine.