Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pain Management for September 2012. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Pain Intensity in Juvenile Arthritis Varies Widely
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- In youth with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), pain intensity varies within days, impacting patient quality of life, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in Arthritis Care & Research.
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Benzodiazepine Use Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- New use of benzodiazepines correlates with an increase in the risk of dementia, according to a study published online Sept. 27 in BMJ.
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Topical NSAIDs Effective for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can provide effective pain relief for chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults, according to a review published online Sept. 12 in The Cochrane Library.
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Drugs Similar in Efficacy for Neuropathic Pain in Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- In the treatment of patients with chronic diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP), there are no significant differences in pain-relief efficacy between amitriptyline, duloxetine, and pregabalin; however, pregabalin improves sleep continuity and duloxetine improves daytime functioning, according to research published online Sept. 18 in Diabetes Care.
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Medicare Knee Replacement Numbers Up Over Last 20 Years
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- From 1991 to 2010 there was a 161.5 percent annual volume increase in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) among Medicare enrollees as well as an increase in per capita utilization, according to research published in the Sept. 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Spinal Injury Incidence About 5 Percent in Iraq/Afghanistan
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of spinal trauma sustained by military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan is about 5 percent, according to a study published in the Sept. 19 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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IV Acetaminophen Eases Post-Spinal Op Pain for Children
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Children and adolescents given intravenously (IV)-administered acetaminophen after major spine surgery have significantly less postoperative pain, compared with those given placebo, but administration of acetaminophen does not reduce the need for opioids, according to a study published in the Sept. 15 issue of Spine.
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Nearly Half of European Mortality Due to Cancer, Chronic Disease
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Deaths from cancer and chronic diseases accounted for approximately 42 percent of deaths in 2007 across the European Union (EU), according to a study published online Aug. 28 in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.
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Gout Is Primary Indication in About 0.2 Percent of ER Visits
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Gout is the primary indication in about 0.2 percent of emergency department visits annually, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in Arthritis Care & Research.
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Study Looks at Pain Processing Abnormalities in Knee OA
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with knee osteoarthritis (K-OA), the lack of correlation between clinical pain and radiographic evidence of disease severity may be due to central sensitization, according to a study published online Sept. 7 in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Review: Inhaled Analgesia Provides Pain Relief in Labor
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- For women in labor, inhaled analgesia provides pain relief but is associated with considerable side effects, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in The Cochrane Library.
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Radiography Unnecessary After Spinal Fusion Surgery
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- In patients who have undergone spinal fusion surgery with intraoperative fluoroscopic guidance and have no postoperative problems, postoperative radiographs do not provide additional clinical information and are not cost-effective, according to a study published in the July issue of The Spine Journal.
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Risk of Car Accidents Up With Antidepressant Use
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- There is an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) for patients taking antidepressants, benzodiazepines, or Z-drugs, according to a study published online Sept. 13 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
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Aubagio Approved for Multiple Sclerosis
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Aubagio (teriflunomide) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).
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Meta-Analysis: Acupuncture Reasonable Chronic Pain Option
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Acupuncture is an effective treatment for chronic pain conditions, including back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, and chronic headache, with pain relief superior to both no-acupuncture controls and sham-acupuncture groups, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis published online Sept. 10 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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For Obese, Body Habitus, Not BMI Impacts Op Site Infection
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- For obese patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion surgery, the skin to lamina distance and the thickness of subcutaneous fat are significant risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI), according to a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of Spine.
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Epidural Steroid Injection Impairs Hip Bone Density
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Epidural steroid injections (ESIs) for radiculopathy negatively impact bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women, according to a study published online Sept. 3 in Spine.
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Adding Ketamine to Opioids Doesn't Reduce Cancer Pain
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Using subcutaneously administered ketamine in a dose-escalating regimen as an adjunct to opioids and standard co-analgesics does not have any clinical benefit in relieving cancer pain, but it is associated with increased toxicity, according to research published online Sept. 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Costs of Neck and Back Conditions Increasing in U.S.
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- For individuals with back and neck conditions, costs have increased in the last decade, with the main increase due to rising medical specialist costs, according to a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of Spine.
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Not All Docs/Nurses Want to Be Asked About Hand Hygiene
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Although most health care workers (HCWs) appreciate the role of patients in preventing health care-associated infection, a considerable proportion are uncomfortable with patients asking about their hand hygiene, according to a letter published online Sept. 3 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Bolus Epidural Fentanyl Cuts Post-Spinal Decompression Pain
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Intraoperative bolus epidural fentanyl is effective at alleviating early postoperative pain after lumbar canal decompression, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in The Spine Journal.
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No Increased Risk of Cancer With Biologics in Rheumatoid Arthritis
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the use of biologic response modifiers (BRMs) for at least six months is not associated with an increased risk of malignancy compared with placebo or other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), according to a study published in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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