Articles: pain.
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Comparative Study
Will heroin eventually see the light of day for treating chronic pain?
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A simple method for achieving satisfactory regional anaesthesia for a wide range of hand surgery is presented. It entails separate attention to the two aims of regional anaesthesia, namely analgesia of the tourniquet and of the operative site. ⋯ The advantages of this method are its safety and simplicity even for the relatively untrained surgeon. It also obviates the need for brachial plexus blocks, intravenous regional or general anaesthesia with all their drawbacks.
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The expression of cold pressor pain was measured by recording simultaneously verbal magnitude estimates, heart rates, and facial displays of 16 recently hospitalized depressed patients, and 16 nondepressed adults. Independence of the two groups for the depression factor was verified using the Hamilton Scale for Depression and the 100-mm line self-rating scale. ⋯ Reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. Nondepressed subjects, although clearly able to verbalize intensity of pain, were much less reactive to the pain along all dimensions.
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The present status of intrathecal neurolysis with phenol, alcohol, chlorocresol and saline in the management of chronic pain has been discussed and the results of treatment reviewed. The particular use of these techniques in the therapy of pain due to malignant conditions has been stressed.
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Good correlation has been shown between pain scores derived from 4 different rating scales. The correlation was maintained when presentation of the scales was separated by a series of questions and by physical examination. There is good evidence that the 4 scales are measuring the same underlying pain variable as they calibrate well. There is also evidence that an 11-point (0-10) numerical rating scale performs better than both a 4-point simple descriptive scale or a continuous (visual analogue) scale.