Clinical Journal of Pain最新文献

Objectives: After cesarean, optimal analgesia is important for early mobilization, mitigating thromboembolic risks, and mother-infant communication. Our study aims to compare the postoperative analgesic effects of intrathecal morphine (ITM) and Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) in elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia.

Methods: 82 patients were randomized into ESPB and ITM groups. Both groups received spinal anesthesia with 10 mg of heavy bupivacaine. In the ITM group, intrathecal morphine (100 mcg) was added. The ESPB group received bilateral T10 level ESPB with 20 ml 0.25% bupivacaine postoperatively. Postoperative pain control included intravenous paracetamol 4x1gr, intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with tramadol, and diclofenac 75 mg for rescue analgesia when NRS > 4. NRS, tramadol consumption, and side effects were recorded 24 hours postoperatively. The primary outcome of this study is to compare 24-hour postoperative opioid consumption after cesarean sections. Secondary outcomes include postoperative pain scores, rescue analgesia needs, and potential side effects.

Results: NRS scores ≤ 4 at all time intervals and were comparable among groups. The total 24-hour tramadol consumption was significantly higher in ESPB group (median: 75; Q1,Q3[40,140]) compared to ITM (50 [27.5,60], P = 0.008). Tramadol consumption was similar among groups during 0-6 and 6-12 hours. In the 12-24 hours, it was significantly higher in ESPB group (22.5 [15,57.5]) compared to ITM (15 [12.5,25],P = 0.005). In ITM group, nausea and vomiting were observed in 3 patients, itching in 1 patient; no adverse effects were observed in ESPB group.

Discussion: Patients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia, intrathecal morphine reduced opioid consumption more effectively than ESPB. ESPB is not recommended as a primary analgesic option for cesarean sections.

Objectives: Chronic pain (CP) significantly impacts emotional and physical well-being and overall quality of life across diverse populations in the United States (U.S.). Notably, underrepresented minoritized (URM) groups, such as Hispanic/Latinx youth, may experience disproportionate effects due to health disparities and lack of access to quality healthcare. However, this remains understudied. This study aims to examine the association between CP and its related psychosocial factors- depressive and anxiety symptoms, and pain catastrophizing- in Hispanic/Latinx youth, as compared to Non-Hispanic White (NHW) youth.

Methods: The current study sample included 58 self-identifying Hispanic/Latinx and 58 NHW youth seeking CP treatment at a large northeastern tertiary pain clinic, ages 12-18 y.o., M=15.49, SD=1.71), of which 88% identified as biologically female. Participant samples for each group were age-and-sex matched.

Results: Significant associations were found between anxiety and depressive symptoms and pain catastrophizing for youth in both groups. Ethnicity significantly moderated the associations between pain catastrophizing and depressive symptoms and between anxiety and depressive symptoms, with NHW youth with pain exhibiting stronger relations between these constructs when compared to Hispanic/Latinx youth with pain.

Discussion: Our results suggested that for NHW youth with CP, greater tendencies toward catastrophizing and experiences of anxiety may more strongly contribute to depressive symptoms, when compared to their Hispanic/Latinx youth counterparts. Further investigation of pain-coping mechanisms among Hispanic/Latinx youth and other youth from historically marginalized populations (e.g., racial/ethnic minoritized groups) will help advance clinical understanding of sociocultural variability in links between pain-related psychosocial outcomes in the CP experience.

Objectives: Postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting adversely affect postoperative rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We aimed to identify factors associated with postoperative pain trajectory and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and evaluated the effects of different analgesic modalities.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients undergoing unilateral primary TKA from 2017 to 2022. Patients received either general or spinal anesthesia. Patient -controlled analgesia (PCA) included patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) and intravenous analgesia (PCIA). Outcome variables included maximal pain intensity at certain times (before surgery, and 24h and 48h after surgery); and incidence of PONV. A Generalized estimating equation was used to determine the correlation between PCA usage and longitudinal pain score at 48 hours follow-up after surgery. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate PONV after adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: In total, 2,510 patients were identified. Patients without PCA intervention and with higher BMI reported greater acute postoperative pain. Furthermore, women and lower BMI were associated with higher rates of PONV. After adjusting for confounding factors, the PCEA group had a lower pain score than both the no PCA group (β estimate =-0.443, 95% CI= (-0.561 to -0.324), P<0.001) and the PCIA group (mean difference=-0.227, 95% CI = (-0.328 to -0.126), P <0.001).

Conclusion: General anesthesia and PCA had no effect on the PONV incidence following TKA. Greater BMI correlated with higher pain scores but a lower likelihood of PONV. Epidural PCA provided superior acute postoperative analgesia without increasing the incidence of PONV.

Objective: Posterior cervical spine surgery can result in significant discomfort in the post-operative period. Post-operative pain management presents a challenge, particularly in the elderly population which is more sensitive to adverse effects from analgesia. We aimed to compare outcomes after peri-operative posterior cervical muscle plane blocks versus patients who received general anesthesia only.

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched for articles concerning the use of blocks in posterior cervical spinal surgery from January 1, 1974, to December 11, 2023. Data from studies meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed. Fixed-effect and random-effects models were used to establish odds ratios (ORs) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each outcome.

Results: The results of the pooled analysis showed that in patients undergoing elective posterior cervical spine surgery, a peri-operative posterior cervical muscle plane block resulted in a statistically significant decrease in numerical pain rating scores at 2 hours post-operatively, 12 hours post-operatively, adverse events, and post-operative nausea/vomiting. A pre-operative posterior cervical block resulted in a decrease in the duration of surgery, and numerical pain rating scores at 24 hours post-operatively though not to a level of statistical significance.

Discussion: These meta-analyses suggest that peri-operative posterior cervical muscle plane blocks are safe and result in improved post-operative analgesic efficacy when compared to controls. More robust prospective, randomized studies are necessary to help inform the safety and efficacy of peri-operative posterior cervical blocks for elective posterior cervical spine surgery.

Objectives: Historically in medicine and beyond, the understanding of and treatment of pain is based on finding tissue injury. The fact that for chronic pain, there often is no (longer) any traceable tissue injury, in combination with the fact that pain essentially is a private experience, poses a challenge for clinical communication. This paper therefore examines how pain is linguistically and interactionally constructed as invisible.

Method: The qualitative approach of interactional sociolinguistic analysis is used to analyse 37 consultations and 11 semi-structured interviews with patients with chronic pain, collected at a Belgian pain clinic. This fine-grained approach to studying communication provides an in-depth empirical understanding of phenomenon under scrutiny.

Results: The data show that pain is constructed as invisible on several levels: 1) on the biomechanical and clinical level in terms of its lack of visible or traceable tissue injury, 2) on the level of interaction, as pain needs to be made apparent to other people through pain displays, and 3) on the social level, as chronic pain often is not visible or apparent in society more largely.

Conclusion: The discussion explores how on these three levels, notions of the abnormal or deviant body come into play, in which patients and health professionals complexly construct pain both as not normal (i.e. not a neutral or desirable state of being), while, at the same time, the lack of traceable tissue injury is constructed as medically normal for chronic pain. This also shows how patients and healthcare providers often orient to the stigma around chronic pain.

Objectives: Chronic pain is a leading cause of morbidity in children and adolescents globally but can be managed with a combination of traditional Western medicine and integrative medicine (IM) practices. This combination has improved various critical health outcomes, such as quality-of-life, sleep, pain, anxiety, and healthcare utilization. These IM practices include acupuncture, yoga, biofeedback, massage, mindfulness, or any combination of these modalities. The current manuscript developed a budget impact model to estimate the institutional costs of implementing these practices among adolescents.

Methods: A decision tree was used to estimate the reduction in hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) use based on a previously published retrospective analysis of children receiving IM practices comparing utilization rates 1-year pre-and post-implementation of IM services (Figure 1). Costs associated with the implementation of each modality were based on hourly compensation rates for licensed professionals administering each service and equipment associated with delivery (e.g. acupuncture needles, biofeedback equipment, and sensors). The cost of each hospitalization and ED visit was derived from the literature. In addition, cost-savings were estimated based on government- and commercial-contracted reimbursement rates for each service.

Results: Cost-savings were approximated to range from $1344 to $3439 per patient, with even greater cost-savings of up to $6,000 and $4,132 when accounting for governmental and commercial payer reimbursement, respectively.

Discussion: IM leads to improved pain relief when combined with traditional medicine and yields significant cost-savings, thus supporting the routine implementation of IM alongside traditional medicine in healthcare settings.

Objectives: The double-point serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) covers more area, including the axilla, than the single-point approach, potentially offering better pain relief after modified radical mastectomy (MRM). The objective of this study were to evaluate the clinical outcomes of these 2 procedures for patients treated with MRMs.

Methods: Sixty women were randomly assigned to double- or single-point groups. Double-point received SAPB at the third and fifth ribs, single-point at the fifth rib. The primary outcome includes pain numeric rating scale (NRS) at rest and movement 24 hours postsurgery. The secondary outcomes are axilla comfort NRS, recovery quality, and adverse events.

Results: At 24 hours postsurgery, the double-point group compared with the single-point group showed movement pain NRS of 3 (2 to 3) versus 3 (3 to 4) ( P =0.011) and rest pain NRS of 1 (1 to 1) versus 2 (1 to 3) ( P =0.037). The difference between them did not exceed the minimum clindically important difference (MCID). The axillary comfort NRS in the double-point group was lower than the single-point group at 6 and 12 hours postsurgery, at 1 (1 to 2) versus 2 (2 to 4) ( P =0.001) and 1 (1 to 2) versus 2 (2 to 4) ( P =0.01), respectively, but there were no statistically significant differences at 24 and 48 hours postsurgery. At 48 hours postsurgery, pain scores and opioid use were similar in both groups. Recovery scores, rescue analgesia timing, adverse events, and hospital stay length were similar in both groups.

Discussion: Double-point SAPB offers wider anesthetic spread but shows no significant clinical advantage in pain or axillary comfort over single-point SAPB after MRM.

Objective: Effective postoperative analgesia is critical for thoracic surgery. This study compares the analgesic efficacy of the erector spinae plane block (ESPB), retrolaminar block (RLB), and paravertebral block (TPVB) in single-incision video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (SITS).

Methods: Seventy-six patients underwent general anesthesia followed by ultrasound-guided nerve blocks with 20 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine. Primary outcomes included the area under the curve (AUC) of numeric rating scale (NRS) scores during rest and coughing over 24 hours. Secondary outcomes included perioperative opioid use, plasma biomarkers, and postoperative recovery measures.

Results: The AUC for NRS was 107.8±10.53 in the ESPB group, 104.8±8.05 in the RLB group, and 103.6±10.42 in the TPVB group, demonstrating noninferiority for ESPB (difference: 4.2±3.0, 95% CI: -1.82 to 10.22) and RLB (difference: 1.2±2.6, 95% CI: -3.97 to 6.37) compared with TPVB. No statistically significant differences were observed in opioid use, plasma biomarkers, QoR-15 scores, or adverse events.

Discussion: ESPB and RLB provide noninferior analgesia compared with TPVB in SITS patients and are effective alternatives that enhance safety.

Objective: Research has shown that there has been an increase in the prevalence of chronic back pain (CBP) in adolescents, especially in female adolescents. The purpose of the current study was to test the hypothesis that the observed increase in the prevalence of early menarche in female adolescents is contributing to the increase in the prevalence of CBP over time in this population.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 251,390 female adolescents from 27 countries/regions were drawn from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children questionnaire-based surveys conducted in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. The Karlson-Holm-Breen method was used to examine the explanatory role of the increase in the prevalence of early menarche on the increase in the prevalence of CBP while controlling for socioeconomic status, physical activity, body mass index, and psychological symptoms.

Results: The increase in the prevalence of early menarche between 2002 and 2014 was associated with the increase in the prevalence of CBP ( P < 0.001). The percent of CBP prevalence increase accounted for by the increase in early menarche was 2.2%.

Conclusions: The increase in the prevalence of CBP in female adolescents observed over the last decade may be explained, in part, by the decrease in the age of menarche. This finding, coupled with research showing a decline in early menarche worldwide, highlights the need to delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms of the association between early menarche and pain-particularly CBP-in female adolescents.

Objectives: Beliefs and knowledge about pain can influence how an individual approaches pain management. At present, there have been no investigations into the beliefs and knowledge that females hold about their pelvic pain; therefore, pain intervention approaches may not be targeted at current patient understandings. Exploring beliefs and knowledge may help inform and subsequently improve pain intervention outcomes for pelvic pain by allowing more tailored content to be delivered. This study aimed to identify beliefs and knowledge that females hold about their pelvic pain.

Materials and methods: Semistructured interviews (n = 12) were conducted. Based on the common sense model, interview questions investigated participants' beliefs and knowledge related to the identity (diagnostic labels), cause, consequence, control, and timeline of their pelvic pain. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using an Interpretive Description Framework.

Results: Participants reported holding biopsychosocial understandings of pain; however, many described their own pain experience in a way that was more aligned with the biomedical model of pain, suggesting incongruence in pain understanding. Participants valued their ability to take charge of their pain management, highlighting bodily autonomy and being proactive in pain management approaches. This approach to management did not provide total control over participants' pelvic pain. Pelvic pain was perceived as disruptive of life, both at present and into the future, with the predictability of pain varying over time.

Conclusion: This study provides insight into the perspectives of females with pelvic pain. Recommendations for clinicians are provided with a focus on delivering targeted education and equipping patients with helpful representations of their pain.