scholarly journals Reasons for failure to perform interventional pain procedures in cancer patients: an analysis of pain clinic consultations

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 030006052095755
Author(s):  
Ki Wook Kim ◽  
Shin Hyung Kim ◽  
Ji Yeon Won ◽  
Hun Jang ◽  
Sang Jun Park

Background Interventional pain procedures (IPPs) may be necessary for some cancer patients when conservative treatment fails. However, many IPPs are often delayed or cancelled for cancer patients who are referred to the pain clinic. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the reasons for such cancellations to identify clinically avoidable causes of the delay in IPP. Results We enrolled 350 cancer patients who were referred to our pain clinic for an IPP between March 2016 and February 2018. There were 213 (60.9%) cases that were cancelled, among which 115 (54%) cases were potentially avoidable and 98 (46%) were unavoidable. The most common reasons for cancellation were patient-derived factors, which accounted for 85 (39.9%) cases. Patient refusal was a common reason for cancellation, with 33 (15.5%) cases attributed to this cause. The primary avoidable causes of cancellation were a recommendation that the patient continue with their current pharmacological pain treatment, conflict with another planned treatment, and pain characteristics that were not suitable for an IPP. Together, these accounted for 76.5% of all avoidable cancellations. Conclusions Comprehensive and accurate pain assessments before IPP may result in more favorable outcomes for the efficient use of medical resource and effective pain relief in cancer patients.

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (22;6) ◽  
pp. 561-573
Author(s):  
Jeetinder Kaur Makkar

Background: Epidural steroid injections (ESIs) are commonly used for management of lumbosacral radicular pain. Midline interlaminar (MIL) or transforaminal (TF) routes are commonly used. The TF route, although associated with higher delivery of drug to the ventral epidural space, has serious complications including spinal cord injury and permanent paralysis reported in literature. Therefore, there is a search for a technically better route with fewer complications and greater drug delivery into the ventral epidural space. Recently, a parasagittal interlaminar (PIL) approach has been defined. Objectives: We conducted this study to compare therapeutic effectiveness of 3 techniques of ESIs in patients having unilateral lumbar radiculopathy. Further, effect of ESI on bone mineral density (BMD) and serum osteocalcin levels were studied. Study Design: Randomized double-blind trial. Setting: Pain clinic of a tertiary care hospital. Methods: Sixty-five patients were randomly allocated into group MIL, group PIL, and group TF to receive epidural injection with 80 mg of methylprednisolone and 2 mL of 2% lidocaine. Effective pain relief and improvement in disability were assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Modified Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (MODQ) scores at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively. Patients with < 50% relief received additional injection. Primary outcome of study was effective pain relief at 6 months. Mean change in VAS and MODQ scores, BMD, and serum osteocalcin levels were secondary outcome assessed. Results: Patients having effective pain relief were significantly higher in group PIL (16 of 20 [80%]) and group TF (15 of 20 [75%]) compared with group MIL. Patients receiving ESI in group PIL and group TF showed significantly lower VAS scores than group MIL (P = 0.02, P = 0.50 at 3 months and P = 0.00, P = 0.02 at 6 months, respectively). Mean MODQ scores in group PIL and group TF were significantly lower than group MIL. However, group PIL and group TF did not significantly differ in MODQ scores. There was no significant change in serum osteocalcin and BMD, as assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan at 3 months. Limitations: The absence of a placebo control group, small sample size, and relatively short follow-up of 6 months were limitations. Conclusions: PIL approach is equivalent to TF and superior to MIL approach in terms of effective pain relief and decrease in disability in patients with unilateral lumbar radiculopathy. This study showed no deleterious effect on BMD. Key words: Epidural steroid, technique, efficacy, bone marrow density, serum osteocalcin


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-39
Author(s):  
Roman V. Garjaev ◽  
E. S Gorobets ◽  
P. I Feoktistov ◽  
I. E Karmanov

Neuraxial blockades provide effective pain relief. There are some benefits of prolonged epidural analgesia versus systemic opioids via PCA. Unfortunately, severe hemorrhagic complications can occur after application of these blockades. Methods: poll of all anesthesiologists working in cancer clinic during 2001-2015, search of data in medical archive. Results: it was revealed 2 cases of spinal hematoma following 30,042 epidural anesthetics and 0 cases among 8,126 spinal techniques. Both of complications were associated with evidence of hemostatic abnormality, there were no neurologic symptoms; patients had a conservative treatment and good outcomes. Conclusions: the incidence of spinal epidural hematoma after prolonged epidural analgesia was 0.67 per 10,000 (95% CI 0.57-0.76per 10,000), after spinal anesthesia - 0 per 8,126.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaron Haviv ◽  
Sigal Mazor ◽  
Margolis Shani ◽  
Robert Yanko ◽  
Doron J. Aframian ◽  
...  

Aims: To examine the effects of expectations for pain relief on the objective and subjective outcome of chronic orofacial pain (OFP) treatment.Materials and Methods: Sixty individuals referred to the Orofacial Pain Clinic at the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine between 2015 and 2017 with OFP reported their expectation for pain relief upon initial consultation. They were also interviewed by telephone after treatment and asked to recall their expectations, referred to as “recalled expectations” (RE). Correlations between RE and treatment success were calculated from pain diaries, and from subjective pain improvement rates (PIR) reported by the patients.Results: 21 males (35.0%) and 39 females (65%), mean age of 46.90 ± 15.77 years and mean pain duration of 49.07 ± 51.95 months participated in the study. All participants rated their expectations as “10” on a 0 to 10 scale during their first visit. RE did not correlate with diary ratings, (P = 0.773) but inversely correlated (−0.3) with PIR (P = 0.020) treatment outcomes.Conclusions: Expectations for pain relief, reported as 10 on a 0–10 scale during the first appointment, may reflect the patient's desire for complete relief of their pain rather than their expectations. Clinicians should therefore be aware of the need for clear communication and wording when examining for expectations. Inverse correlation between recalled expectations and subjective outcome may be due to the nature of recalled expectations when patients already knew their treatment outcomes, and may be explained by the concept of cognitive dissonance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongzhi Huang ◽  
Binith Cheeran ◽  
Alexander L. Green ◽  
Timothy J. Denison ◽  
Tipu Z. Aziz

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was offered to chronic pain patients who had exhausted medical and surgical options. However, several patients developed recurrent seizures. This work was conducted to assess the effect of ACC stimulation on the brain activity and to guide safe DBS programming. A sensing-enabled neurostimulator (Activa PC + S) allowing wireless recording through the stimulating electrodes was chronically implanted in three patients. Stimulation patterns with different amplitude levels and variable ramping rates were tested to investigate whether these patterns could provide pain relief without triggering after-discharges (ADs) within local field potentials (LFPs) recorded in the ACC. In the absence of ramping, AD activity was detected following stimulation at amplitude levels below those used in chronic therapy. Adjustment of stimulus cycling patterns, by slowly ramping on/off (8-s ramp duration), was able to prevent ADs at higher amplitude levels while maintaining effective pain relief. The absence of AD activity confirmed from the implant was correlated with the absence of clinical seizures. We propose that AD activity in the ACC could be a biomarker for the likelihood of seizures in these patients, and the application of sensing-enabled techniques has the potential to advance safer brain stimulation therapies, especially in novel targets.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 973
Author(s):  
Shane Kaski ◽  
Patrick Marshalek ◽  
Jeremy Herschler ◽  
Sijin Wen ◽  
Wanhong Zheng

Patients with chronic pain managed with opioid medications are at high risk for opioid overuse or misuse. West Virginia University (WVU) established a High-Risk Pain Clinic to use sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone (bup/nal) plus a multimodal approach to help chronic pain patients with history of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) or aberrant drug-related behavior. The objective of this study was to report overall retention rates and indicators of efficacy in pain control from approximately six years of High-Risk Pain Clinic data. A retrospective chart review was conducted for a total of 78 patients who enrolled in the High-Risk Pain Clinic between 2014 and 2020. Data gathered include psychiatric diagnoses, prescribed medications, pain score, buprenorphine/naloxone dosing, time in clinic, and reason for dismissal. A linear mixed effects model was used to assess the pain score from the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS) and daily bup/nal dose across time. The overall retention of the High-Risk Pain Clinic was 41%. The mean pain score demonstrated a significant downward trend across treatment time (p < 0.001), while the opposite trend was seen with buprenorphine dose (p < 0.001). With the benefit of six years of observation, this study supports buprenorphine/naloxone as a safe and efficacious component of comprehensive chronic pain treatment in patients with SUD or high-risk of opioid overuse or misuse.


2003 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannu Kokki ◽  
Elina Nikanne ◽  
Mikko Aho ◽  
Jukka Virtaniemi

OBJECTIVE: The first objective of this study was to evaluate pain intensity and opioid consumption during the first 24 hours after uvulopalatoplasty and tonsillectomy in the hospital, and the second was to evaluate pain intensity and its progression during the first 2 weeks after surgery at home. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTINGS: In a prospective parallel group study, 51 patients with uvulopalatoplasty or tonsillectomy were studied. Ketoprofen, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, and fentanyl citrate, an opioid, were used as analgesics. RESULTS: Despite ketoprofen infusion and free access to a patient-controlled pump with fentanyl citrate for rescue analgesia, inadequate pain relief was common both after uvulopalatoplasty (35%) and after tonsillectomy (28%) during the first 24 hours after surgery. The consumption of fentanyl citrate was similar after both operations. At home, pain intensity was highest in the mornings during the first 5 days, and 10 patients had some pain still after 2 weeks. Also at home, high pain scores were reported commonly in both groups. CONCLUSION: Sgnificant pain after uvulopalatoplasty and tonsillectomy lasted for several days. Ketoprofen in the commercial capsule form proved to be too short acting for overnight pain relief. SIGNIFICANCE: Pain treatment in patients with uvulopalatoplasty and tonsillectomy should be improved to allow patients a peaceful recovery after surgery.


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