Articles: acute-pain.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
What do plasma beta-endorphin levels reveal about endogenous opioid analgesic function?
Plasma levels of beta-endorphin (BE), an endogenous opioid analgesic, are often reported as they relate to acute and chronic pain outcomes. However, little is known about what resting plasma BE levels might reveal about functioning of the endogenous opioid antinociceptive system. This study directly examined associations between resting plasma BE and subsequent endogenous opioid analgesic responses to acute pain in 39 healthy controls and 37 individuals with chronic low back pain (LBP). ⋯ For the ISC task, these links were significantly more prominent in LBP participants (BE × Participant Type Interactions, p's < 0.05). Results suggest that elevated resting plasma BE may be a potential biomarker for reduced endogenous opioid analgesic capacity, particularly among individuals with chronic pain. Potential clinical implications are discussed.
-
Tapentadol (Palexia - Grünenthal) is a recently introduced strong analgesic with µ-agonistic opioid and additional noradrenaline reuptake inhibition properties. The summary of product characteristics (SPC) states that it is indicated for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain in adults, which can be adequately managed only with opioid analgesics.1 Here we review the place of tapentadol in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe acute pain.
-
Pediatric emergency care · Feb 2012
Case ReportsUltrasound-guided femoral nerve block for pain control in an infant with a femur fracture due to nonaccidental trauma.
A 3-month-old infant girl was transferred to our emergency department (ED) with a subtrochanteric femoral neck fracture due to nonaccidental trauma. She received multiple doses of parenteral analgesics both before arrival and in our ED. ⋯ The patient required only a single dose of parenteral narcotics during the ensuing 18 hours. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block used in the ED for pain control in a pediatric patient.
-
A short cut review was carried out to establish whether pregabalin can reduce acute herpetic pain and reduce post herpetic neuralgia. 48 papers were found using the reported searches, of which one presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of this best paper are tabulated. ⋯ Moreover, it does not decrease the incidence of post herpetic neuralgia. More research is needed on this topic to clarify this issue [corrected].
-
Experimental neurology · Feb 2012
Comparative StudyIB4-saporin attenuates acute and eliminates chronic muscle pain in the rat.
The function of populations of nociceptors in muscle pain syndromes remain poorly understood. We compared the contribution of two major classes, isolectin B4-positive (IB4(+)) and IB4-negative (IB4(-)) nociceptors, in acute and chronic inflammatory and ergonomic muscle pain. Baseline mechanical nociceptive threshold was assessed in the gastrocnemius muscle of rats treated with IB4-saporin, which selectively destroys IB4(+) nociceptors. ⋯ And, IB4-saporin treatment completely prevented prolongation of PGE(2)-induced mechanical hyperalgesia. Thus, IB4(+) and IB4(-) neurons contribute to acute muscle hyperalgesia induced by diverse insults. However, only IB4+ nociceptors participate in the long term consequence of acute hyperalgesia.