Articles: pain-management.
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Coronary artery disease · Oct 1994
Safety aspects of spinal cord stimulation in severe angina pectoris.
Spinal cord stimulation has been used over the past decade for the treatment of patients suffering from intractable angina pectoris, despite having received optimal medical therapy, and who are unsuitable for further surgical intervention. The clinical results are promising and several studies have shown that the antianginal effect of the treatment is associated with a reduction in myocardial ischemia. It has been suggested, however, that spinal cord stimulation may only attenuate the transmission of pain from the heart, without influencing myocardial ischemia. This is a major safety concern when applying this treatment strategy. ⋯ The results of this study do not indicate any unfavourable effects of spinal cord stimulation in severe angina pectoris in terms of an increase in the frequency or severity of myocardial ischemia during treatment with spinal cord stimulation.
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The placebo induces a significant analgesia on average in 35% patients with some variations according to the studied pathology and the modalities of the therapy. This placebo effect is especially influenced by the expectations and beliefs of the patient, the doctor, the environment and the quality of the doctor-patient relationship. As with a real psychogenic analgesia, this effect could partly result in a release of endogenous opioid substances. By a good relationship with his patient and a treatment corresponding to his expectations and his beliefs, the doctor induces a powerful placebo effect which increases the specific effects of his analgesic treatment.
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The article describes the interdisciplinary treatment of chronic pain at the Center of Pain Studies (CPS). The CPS is an intergral part of the Rehabilitation Institute in Chicago. An essential part of the program is a 1-day outpatient evaluation in which members of all disciplines take part. ⋯ General aims of the treatment are to return to productive life, improve emplopyability, increase activity level, improve mobility, apply pain management techniques, and improve coping. The program is monitored by an evaluation/follow-up system. Success criteria of the 6-month follow-up for the years 1987-91, such as less daily downtime in 58-78% of the patients, more time out on weekends in 40-68%, return to work in 50-67% and reduced depression in 37-70%, give an impression of the effectiveness of the pain management program.
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Journal of anesthesia · Sep 1994
Assessment of postoperative pain: Contributing factors to the differences between patients and doctors.
This study was undertaken to compare the assessment of pain intensity by 50 patients and by their doctors according to a visual analog scale 5 h and 20 h after major abdominal surgery, and to examine the relationships between the differences in rating of patients and doctors and the factors inherent in the patients which include preoperative expectation of pain, level of anxiety, and the surgical history of the patient. The ratings given by the patients were significantly higher than those given by the doctors at both time periods. ⋯ The results of analysis using Hayashi's quantification theory Type II indicated a moderate association between the rating difference and the patient's age, surgical history, preoperative state of anxiety, and expectation of pain. It is concluded that postoperative pain management, whether in clinical practice or in research, necessitates more consideration of the several above-mentioned individual factors and a preoperative interview in which the patient's level of anxiety and the amount of information the patient has concerning the surgery and post-operative pain is clearly assessed.