Articles: pain-management.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Comparative effectiveness of different stimulation modes in relieving pain. Part II. A double-blind controlled long-term clinical trial.
Part I of our earlier pilot study demonstrated that patients preferred modulated stimulation forms - frequency modulation and burst - rather than conventional continuous mode. To assess whether long-term therapeutic effects validate the immediate test results, this trial was performed in 14 patients with 21 pain conditions. Considering the results of the pilot study, the test stimulator was modified and 4 different forms of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation were randomly delivered to each patient who was blind to the modes of stimulation for 20 min. ⋯ The stimulation modes employed were: (1) conventional continuous stimulation (continuous pulses with a constant frequency of 70 Hz), (2) burst stimulation (80 msec long trains of pulses, each train consisting of 8 pulses, with an internal frequency of 90 Hz repeated 1.3 times a second), (3) high-rate frequency modulation, HRFM (continuous pulses changed from 90 Hz to 55 Hz over 90 msec, 1.3 times a second), (4) low-rate frequency modulation, LRFM (continuous pulses changed from 60 Hz to 20 Hz over 90 msec, 1.3 times a second). After the test treatment of 4 sessions in the clinic, depending on the pain scores and duration of pain relief recorded, the most effective stimulation mode was determined for each patient and a portable stimulator preset appropriately for that mode was given to be used at home, under our supervision, for 3 months. Fourteen pain conditions out of 21 (66%) responded well to the therapy; the majority preferred was the HRFM and burst-type stimulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim · Nov 1991
[Hemodynamic repercussion of epidural bupivacaine in thoracic injuries].
Systemic and pulmonary hemodynamic effects of 8 to 10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine containing 1:200,000 adrenaline administered at the midthoracic level were prospectively assessed in 20 patients (aged 45 +/- 16 years) with thoracic trauma presenting 6 +/- 2 rib fractures and pulmonary contusion of different extent and radiologic density. The study was carried out at comparable evolving times, 24 h after trauma, during the second or third day of treatment, and when the hemodynamic stability of the patient was achieved. ⋯ The results indicate that administration of moderate doses of epidural bupivacaine at the middle thoracic level in patients with normovolemic thoracic traumatism were not followed by alterations in the hemodynamic function except for a slight decrease in systemic arterial and pulmonary pressure. The mean arterial pressure decreased by 8% (p less than 0.05), the cardiac index showed a 4% reduction (p = 0.05), and the mean pulmonary pressure experienced a 14% decrease (p less than 0.05).
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In the therapy of chronic disease and functional disorders, art therapy is considered to be of increasing importance. The idea behind this type of therapy is that the stimulation of creative activities promotes the healing process and rehabilitation. Music therapy in particular has a long tradition in the treatment of pain and health disorders. ⋯ The conceptual framework of art therapy offers various explanations for the integration of these forms of therapy in complementary, supportive pain management programs: (1) enhancing the activity level and creative capacity as a healing source; (2) stimulation of positive emotional experience; (3) experiencing social communication and interaction; (4) facilitating projective coping; (5) stimulation of imaginative experience and awareness; (6) promotion of suggestive elements. Anecdotical experience indicates that there could be a broad field for the use of art therapy in pain management programs. The need to validate this form of therapeutic approach by appropriate methodological studies and well-documentated single case series is emphasized.
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A 74-year-old woman with peripheral vascular disease suffered from rest pain in the right big toe and intermittent claudication. Because of concomitant venous congestion, a chemical lumbar sympathectomy was considered to carry an increased risk of leg edema. A continuous lumbar sympathetic block with local anesthetic abolished the pain in the toe without side effects. After this reversible block, a chemical lumbar sympathectomy was performed producing pain relief for 4 weeks when the patient was last seen.