Articles: outcome.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2000
Patient-controlled epidural analgesia or continuous infusion: advantages and disadvantages of different modes of delivering epidural analgesia for labour.
Patient-controlled epidural analgesia, intermittent top-up and continuous infusion are equally effective in providing epidural pain relief during labour. Patient-controlled epidural analgesia is associated with a significant reduction in hourly dose requirements when compared with continuous infusion, and by transferring the responsibility for epidural top-up, it offers the parturient the psychological benefit of being in control. ⋯ However, the safety of the method needs to be documented more extensively, and the advantage of a reduction in hourly dose requirements needs to be visualized in terms of an improvement in labour or neonatal outcome. Moreover, the optimal dose, drug combination and settings still remain to be determined.
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We sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a shorter N -acetylcysteine (NAC) regimen in the treatment of acute acetaminophen overdose. ⋯ This observational study suggests that a shorter course of oral NAC therapy in patients who do not show evidence of hepatotoxicity within 36 hours of an acute acetaminophen overdose is safe and effective. [Woo OF, Mueller PD, Olson KR, Anderson IB, Kim SY. Shorter duration of oral N -acetylcysteine therapy for acute acetami-nophen overdose. Ann Emerg Med . April 2000;35:363-368.].
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Objective. This one-year pilot outcome study was designed to investigate prospectively a series of patients with chronic discogenic back pain who underwent intradiscal electrothermal annuloplasty (IDET). Patients with chronic discogenic low back pain usually respond poorly to conservative medical care. ⋯ There were no significant complications. Conclusions. One-year pilot study outcome results suggest that IDET may be an effective, minimally invasive treatment for chronic discogenic low back pain.
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To examine, evaluate, and summarize the techniques used to assess pain in all the Original Research articles published in the Journal of Athletic Training from 1992 through 1998. A second objective was to determine whether any of the Original Research investigations that did not assess pain were on topics that included a pain component. A third purpose was to make recommendations for assessing pain in a clinical athletic training setting. ⋯ Pain is a construct of interest to those conducting athletic training research. Pain measures were included in approximately 1 of every 8 Original Research articles published in the Journal of Athletic Training. However, investigators have too frequently measured pain in a limited fashion, often focusing only on pain intensity. Measuring other components of pain could provide additional opportunities for learning more about the relationships between pain and athletic training procedures. We recommend that athletic trainers involved in research, as well as those engaged in clinical practice, consider systematically employing valid, multidimensional measures of pain to better understand the relationships between pain and athletic training outcomes.
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Intravenous (IV) opioid titration is an accepted method of relieving acute renal colic. Studies have shown that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are also effective in this setting. Our objective was to compare single-dose ketorolac and titrated meperidine, both administered intravenously, with respect to speed and degree of analgesia, adverse effects and functional status. Our primary hypothesis was that these agents provide equivalent analgesia within 60 minutes. Our secondary hypotheses were that ketorolac-treated patients would experience fewer adverse effects and would be better able to resume usual activity. ⋯ In the doses studied, single-dose IV ketorolac is as effective as titrated IV meperidine for the relief of acute renal colic and causes less functional impairment.