We have conducted a meta-analysis of the clinical effects of morphine and hydromorphone to compare their benefit in analgesia. Embase and Medline were searched with an end-date of June 2009 for randomized, controlled trials or observational studies that addressed comparative analgesic and side-effects or particular side-effects. Two researchers independently identified included studies and extracted the data. Estimates of opioid effects were combined by using a random-effects model. Meta-analysis of eight studies suggested that hydromorphone (494 patients) provides slightly better (P=0.012) clinical analgesia than morphine (510 patients). The effect-size was small (Cohen's d=0.266) and disappeared when one study was removed, although the advantage of hydromorphone was more evident in studies of better quality (Jadad's rating). Side-effects were similar, for example, nausea (P=0.383, nine studies, 456 patients receiving hydromorphone and 460 morphine); vomiting (P=0.306, six studies, 246 patients receiving hydromorphone and 239 morphine); or itching (P=0.249, eight studies, 405 patients receiving hydromorphone, 410 morphine). This suggests some advantage of hydromorphone over morphine for analgesia. Additional potential clinical pharmacological advantages with regard to side-effects, such as safety in renal failure or during acute analgesia titration, are based on limited evidence and require substantiation by further studies.  

Descargar

AbstractBACKGROUND: Nerve blocks with local anesthetics have been used in the diagnosis and treatment of neuralgias. Usually these blocks were administered in combination with corticosteroids and other drugs that can be effective by themselves. Although lasting benefits from nerve blocks in neuralgias have long been described, definitive evidence is lacking. We had the following objectives in this systematic review: to analyze the evidence behind the practice of peripheral nerve blockade with local anesthetics in patients with neuralgias and radicular pain syndromes; to assess the duration of pain relief after conduction block resolution; and to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment of these syndromes with a series of blocks. METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase, narrative reviews, and book chapters. Only articles published in English were collected. The list of 3347 identified articles was reduced to 39 articles that were read entirely, 12 of which met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Twelve included articles were analyzed. Each can be classified as a single case report or case series; there were no controlled studies among them. Nine reports assessed a single block outcome; all recorded pain relief beyond the duration of conduction blockade. Those 9 reports represented a total of 69 patients, 30 of whom had complete pain relief and 10 had relief ≥50%. Seven reports with the assessment of continuous pain ≥1 week after a single block reported complete or profound pain relief in 11 of 17 patients. All 3 reports with the assessment of a series of blocks in a large number of patients (total of 270) reported overall positive results. CONCLUSION: Because all reviewed articles were only single case reports or case series, no reliable conclusion could be drawn concerning the effectiveness of nerve blocks with local anesthetics in neuralgia. However, 2 features of the analyzed reports—the large magnitude of the effect and the high consistency of the reported outcome—indicate that future research efforts are warranted.  

Descargar

Pain medicine Vol 11(7) 990 - 1000

Descargar

Effects of Intravenous Prostaglandin E1 on Pain and Body Temperature in Patients with Post-Herpetic Neuralgia
Pain Medicine
Volume 11, Issue 4, Date: April 2010, Pages: 609-616
Akifumi Kanai, Guoqin Wang, Keika Hoshi, Hirotsugu OkamotoABSTRACTObjective. Bathing, heating, or sympathetic blockade often alleviates pain due to post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), suggesting that blood flow may affect PHN pain. Here, we examined the effect of prostaglandin E1 (PGE), which improves blood circulation, on pain and body temperature in patients with PHN.Design. Twenty-four patients with PHN were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. After 30-minute rest in a temperature-controlled (20°C) and intravenous cannulation, patients were randomized to receive either 60 µg of PGE dissolved in 100 mL of saline, or 100 mL of saline at an infusion rate of 0.03 µg/kg/min. Following a 7-day washout period, patients were crossed over to receive the other treatment. The visual analog scale (VAS) of ongoing pain and tactile allodynia, and skin and the tympanic temperatures were measured before and after infusion.Results. The two solutions significantly decreased the VAS for ongoing pain, and the reduction was greater with PGE than placebo (P < 0.05). Although the temperatures of the forehead, hand, foot, chest, abdomen, and the most painful region were significantly increased in the two solutions, the elevation in the foot and the most painful region was greater with PGE than placebo (P < 0.01). The tympanic temperature did not significantly change following infusion of PGE.Conclusions. Intravenous infusion of PGE produces analgesia associated with elevation of skin temperature in patients with PHN.

Descargar

J Pain. 2009 Feb;10(2):113-30.Clinical guidelines for the use of chronic opioid therapy in chronic noncancer pain.Chou R, Fanciullo GJ, Fine PG, Adler JA, Ballantyne JC, Davies P, Donovan MI, Fishbain DA, Foley KM, Fudin J, Gilson AM, Kelter A, Mauskop A, O'Connor PG, Passik SD, Pasternak GW, Portenoy RK, Rich BA, Roberts RG, Todd KH, Miaskowski C; American Pain Society-American Academy of Pain Medicine Opioids Guidelines Panel. 

Abstract

Descargar