Articles: analgesia.
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The oral administration of strong opioids like morphine is a very effective treatment in cancer pain. However, these analgesics are rarely prescribed for patients suffering from severe "non-malignant" pain. We examined the effects of oral opioids (morphine sulphate tablets, buprenorphine and levomethadone) given to patients with intractable rheumatic pain, which were refractory to other therapeutic measures. ⋯ No drug abuse, dependence or tolerance were observed. Strong opioids are not analgesics of first choice in patients with rheumatic disease, but an opioid medication should be considered-as well as in patients with intractable pain caused by another disease-when alternative therapeutic measures have failed. The principles of opioid medication in rheumatic pain are similar to those in patients with cancer pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of alfentanil and ketamine infusions in combination with midazolam for outpatient lithotripsy.
Sixty unpremedicated outpatients undergoing elective extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy using an unmodified Dornier HM-3 lithotriptor were randomly assigned to receive an intravenous infusion of either alfentanil or ketamine as an adjuvant to midazolam for sedation and analgesia. Although both drug regimens allowed the maximal number of shock waves and energy level, the alfentanil group had significantly better calculi fragmentation (78% vs. 50% of patients with fragments less than 2 mm). Ketamine infusion provided superior intraoperative cardiorespiratory stability; however, it was associated with more disruptive movements (22 vs. 5) and dreaming (35% vs. 5%) during the procedure (P less than 0.05). ⋯ The incidence of postoperative nausea was decreased (not significantly) in the alfentanil group (32% vs. 54%). The mean anesthesia time was similar in both groups; however, discharge times (means +/- standard deviations) were shorter in the alfentanil group (142 +/- 42 min vs. 161 +/- 31 min, P = 0.05). These data suggest that although both techniques proved effective for anesthesia in outpatients undergoing immersion lithotripsy, alfentanil is superior to ketamine as part of a sedative-analgesic technique because of the improved recovery profile and calculi fragmentation.
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The Graseby patient-controlled analgesia system was evaluated in the laboratory and in clinical use. The problems encountered with eight examples used to treat 510 patients are reported. Laboratory performance revealed the unit to be accurate at infusion volumes of 1 and 2 ml.
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New methods of postoperative pain control offer alternatives to traditional intramuscular injections of narcotic. One such method is patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), in which patients self-administer predetermined, controlled doses of intravenous narcotic "on demand." The PACU is a desirable unit in which to initiate PCA since pain is often acute in the immediate postanesthesia period. ⋯ PCA is often initiated and controlled by the anesthesia department in large institutions. However, at The Medical Center of Central Massachusetts-Memorial, the program was successfully implemented under the direction of the Nursing Department.
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One-hundred and ninety-two obese patients presented for upper abdominal surgery, of which 110 received general anesthesia with opioid analgesia and 82 patients received general anesthesia with opioid analgesia plus a single-shot intercostal nerve block of 0.5% bupivacaine in 1: 200,000 adrenaline. A significant increase in the time to first post-operative opioid dose and a significant reduction in the number of doses over the first 12 and 24 h periods were noted in the patients receiving intercostal nerve block.