Pain Medicine
Effectiveness of Lateral Decubitus Position for Preventing Post-Dural Puncture Headache
23 Jul, 2017 | 23:17h | UTCSource: Hospital Medicine Virtual Journal Club (free resource to find articles of interest)
Evidence suggests lateral decubitus position is associated with reduced incidence of post-dural puncture headache.
Report: Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription Opioid Use
23 Jul, 2017 | 16:32h | UTCNews Release: National Strategy to Reduce Opioid Epidemic, an Urgent Public Health Priority, Presented in New Report (free)
Commentary: National Academies Recommend Steps to Address Opioid Crisis – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Effect of Electroacupuncture on Urinary Leakage Among Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence
22 Jul, 2017 | 14:24h | UTCEffect of Electroacupuncture on Urinary Leakage Among Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Electroacupuncture linked to improvements for stress urinary incontinence – 2 Minute Medicine (free) AND Electroacupuncture May Decrease Stress Urinary Incontinence – Medscape (free registration required) AND Mixed Results on Effectiveness of Acupuncture to Treat Stress Urinary Incontinence, Infertility – The JAMA Network (free)
Patient Outcomes in Dose Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Therapy
20 Jul, 2017 | 00:04h | UTCPatient Outcomes in Dose Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Therapy: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Tapering long-term opioid therapy may improve outcomes in chronic pain, review finds – ACP Internist (free) AND Opioid Reduction Therapy Offers Some Benefits to Patients with Chronic Pain – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND How tapering off opioids can help people with chronic pain – CNN (free)
“Opioid tapering:
– less pain: 8 of 8 studies
– Improved function: 5 of 5 studies
– Improved QOL: 3 of 3 studies” (RT @DavidJuurlink see Tweet)
Hypersensitivity to antipyretics: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management
18 Jul, 2017 | 22:41h | UTCClinical Review: Hypersensitivity to antipyretics: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management – Hong Kong Medical Journal (free)
Efficacy of Tramadol Extended-Release for Opioid Withdrawal
13 Jul, 2017 | 20:52h | UTCCommentaries: Extended-Release Tramadol May Ease Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms – Physician’s First Watch (free)
The weird power of the placebo effect, explained
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:47h | UTCThe weird power of the placebo effect, explained – VOX (free)
Related: Placebos can work even when patients know what they are – World Economic Forum (free)
Gabapentin for chronic neuropathic pain in adults
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:26h | UTCCochrane Review: Gabapentin for chronic neuropathic pain in adults – Cochrane Library (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Analgesic Effects of Gabapentin Assessed in Chronic Neuropathic Pain – MPR (free)
“Gabapentin at doses of 1800 mg to 3600 mg daily (1200 mg to 3600 mg gabapentin encarbil) can provide good levels of pain relief to some people with postherpetic neuralgia and peripheral diabetic neuropathy”.
Pain and Psychology – A Reciprocal Relationship
7 Jul, 2017 | 13:23h | UTCReview: Pain and Psychology – A Reciprocal Relationship – The Ochsner Journal (free)
Aerobic exercise training for adults with fibromyalgia
3 Jul, 2017 | 17:20h | UTCAerobic exercise training for adults with fibromyalgia – Cochrane Library (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Aerobic exercise probably improves health related quality of life, may slightly decrease pain intensity and may slightly improve physical function.
Acupuncture shown to have benefits for treatment of some chronic pain
27 Jun, 2017 | 19:11h | UTCAcupuncture shown to have benefits for treatment of some chronic pain – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care: a programme of research – Programme Grants for Applied Research (free PDF)
Acupuncture for analgesia in the emergency department
21 Jun, 2017 | 19:01h | UTCAcupuncture for analgesia in the emergency department: a multicentre, randomised, equivalence and non-inferiority trial – Medical Journal of Australia (link to abstract – Free PDF here) (RT @theMJA see Tweet)
Positive commentaries: Acupuncture Found to Be an Effective Analgesia Option in ER – PracticeUpdate (free registration required) AND Acupuncture relieves pain in emergency patients: Study – RMIT University, via ScienceDaily (free)
“Not so fast” commentaries: Acupuncture in the ER: No, study did not prove it was ‘safe and effective’ – HealthNewsReview (free)AND A skeptical look at a study of acupuncture delivered in emergency rooms, by James C Coyne (free)
Patients with opioid disorders frequently have other comorbidities
20 Jun, 2017 | 12:30h | UTCTreating patients with opioid disorders is not just about treating addiction. Here’s why – STAT News (free)
Original analysis: What data from 205 million private health insurance claims reveals about America’s opioid crisis – Amino (free)
Guidelines for the Chronic Use of Opioid Analgesics
19 Jun, 2017 | 12:50h | UTCGuidelines for the Chronic Use of Opioid Analgesics – Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) (free PDF)
Commentary: Chronic Pain Opioid Guidelines Updated for State Medical Boards – Medscape (free registration required)
Pain and Opioids in Cancer Care: Benefits, Risks, and Alternatives
16 Jun, 2017 | 01:24h | UTCPain and Opioids in Cancer Care: Benefits, Risks, and Alternatives – 2017 ASCO Educational Book (free)
Association Between Persistent Pain and Memory Decline and Dementia in a Longitudinal Cohort of Elders
14 Jun, 2017 | 00:39h | UTCAssociation Between Persistent Pain and Memory Decline and Dementia in a Longitudinal Cohort of Elders – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Persistent Pain May Increase Dementia Risk – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Cohort of community-dwelling older adults suggests there might be a link.
The opioid crisis changed how doctors think about pain
8 Jun, 2017 | 15:56h | UTCThe opioid crisis changed how doctors think about pain – VOX (free)
“One of the expectations our patients have is that pain can be completely eliminated. We as a medical community are coming to an understanding that this is not realistic.” (RT @KariTikkinen and @voxdotcom and see Tweet)
Reengineering the analgesic ladder for critically ill patients
6 Jun, 2017 | 14:56h | UTCReengineering the analgesic ladder for critically ill patients – PulmCrit (free)
Cancer Pain – Updated PDQ Cancer Information Summary
29 May, 2017 | 15:17h | UTCCancer Pain – Updated PDQ Cancer Information Summary, National Cancer Institute (US) (free)
Lack of Evidence for Benefit From Long-term Use of Opioid Analgesics for Patients With Neuropathy
24 May, 2017 | 14:35h | UTCEditorial: Lack of Evidence for Benefit From Long-term Use of Opioid Analgesics for Patients With Neuropathy (free)
Commentaries: Long-Term Opioid Treatment Seems Only to Add Complications to Polyneuropathy – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Long-Term Opioids May Not Help in Polyneuropathy – MedPage Today (free registration required)
“Patients had worse functional outcomes than controls; some became dependent” (from MedPage Today)
Guideline for opioid therapy and chronic noncancer pain
10 May, 2017 | 18:26h | UTCGuideline for opioid therapy and chronic noncancer pain – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free) (RT @IrfanDhalla and @jendlake see Tweet)
Mortality risk during and after opioid substitution treatment
28 Apr, 2017 | 16:36h | UTCEditorial: Opioid substitution treatment is linked to reduced risk of death in opioid use disorder – The BMJ (free)
Commentary: Opioid Substitution Therapy Associated with Reduced Mortality – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Opioid substitution treatment seems to be associated with decreased mortality.
Advil, Motrin and other NSAIDs painkillers should be prescription only, Danish study says
28 Apr, 2017 | 16:37h | UTCAdvil, Motrin and other NSAIDs painkillers should be prescription only, Danish study says – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (free) (RT @medpagetodaysee Tweet)
Original article: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is associated with increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide case–time–control study – European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy (free)
See more commentaries on this study in our March 17 issue, see #5.
After Knee or Hip Replacement, No Place Like Home
27 Apr, 2017 | 16:28h | UTCAfter Knee or Hip Replacement, No Place Like Home – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
See also: Time to Rethink Inpatient Rehab After Knee Replacement? – The Rheumatologist (free)
Original article abstract ($ for full-text): Effect of Inpatient Rehabilitation vs a Monitored Home-Based Program on Mobility in Patients With Total Knee Arthroplasty: The HIHO Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (free)
The NYT commentary talks about the futility of some interventions currently used to postpone surgery and about the benefits of outpatient rehabilitation.
New warnings about the use of codeine and tramadol
24 Apr, 2017 | 15:32h | UTCFDA Safety Alert: Codeine and Tramadol Medicines: Drug Safety Communication – Restricting Use in Children, Recommending Against Use in Breastfeeding Women (free)
FDA Statement: New warnings about the use of codeine and tramadol in children & nursing mothers (free)
Commentaries on the statement: FDA: Codeine Now Contraindicated for Pain and Cough in Kids – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Codeine cough syrup should not be given to kids, FDA warns – STAT News (free)
These drugs should not be used at all for children younger than 12 years, and their use should also be limited in some older children.