Continuation versus Interruption of Buprenorphine/Naloxone in Adult Veterans Undergoing Surgery: Examination of Postoperative Pain and Opioid Utilization in a National Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Prescription rates for buprenorphine in opioid use disorder are increasing, and recent guidelines recommend its continuation during and after surgery; however, evidence from clinical outcome studies is limited. We tested the hypotheses that 1) perioperative continuation of buprenorphine does not result in higher pain scores and 2) that this approach does not result in higher supplemental postoperative opioid requirements.

Methods: The Veterans Affairs Corporate Data Warehouse was queried for patients who underwent surgery while being prescribed buprenorphine/naloxone for opioid use disorder between 2010 and 2020.

The topical 5% lidocaine medicated plaster in localized neuropathic pain: a reappraisal of the clinical evidence.

Topical 5% lidocaine medicated plasters represent a well-established first-line option for the treatment of peripheral localized neuropathic pain (LNP). This review provides an updated overview of the clinical evidence (randomized, controlled, and open-label clinical studies, real-life daily clinical practice, and case series). The 5% lidocaine medicated plaster effectively provides pain relief in postherpetic neuralgia, and data from a large open-label controlled study indicate that the 5% lidocaine medicated plaster is as effective as systemic pregabalin in postherpetic neuralgia and painful diabetic polyneuropathy but with an improved tolerability profile.

Management of Postoperative Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American Pain Society, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Committee on Regional Anesthesia, Executive Committee, and Administrative Council.

Unlabelled: Most patients who undergo surgical procedures experience acute postoperative pain, but evidence suggests that less than half report adequate postoperative pain relief. Many preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative interventions and management strategies are available for reducing and managing postoperative pain. The American Pain Society, with input from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, commissioned an interdisciplinary expert panel to develop a clinical practice guideline to promote evidence-based, effective, and safer postoperative pain management in children and adults.

Research Gaps in Practice Guidelines for Acute Postoperative Pain Management in Adults: Findings From a Review of the Evidence for an American Pain Society Clinical Practice Guideline.

Unlabelled: Acute postoperative pain is a common clinical condition that, when poorly controlled, can result in a number of significant negative consequences. The American Pain Society commissioned an evidence-based guideline on the management of postoperative pain to promote evidence-based, safe, and effective perioperative pain management. An interdisciplinary panel developed 31 key questions and inclusion criteria to guide the evidence review.

An Analysis of Rescue Medication Utilization from a 3-Month, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain Treated with Single-Entity, Twice-Daily, Extended-Release Hydrocodone.

Objective: To evaluate the durability of pain relief provided by a new formulation of single-entity, hydrocodone extended-release (ER) (Zohydro(®) ER) throughout the 12-hour dosing interval by examining patterns of rescue medication use.

Design: Phase 3, enriched enrollment, randomized withdrawal study with an open-label, conversion/titration phase (≤6 weeks) followed by a placebo-controlled, double-blind treatment phase (12 weeks).

Setting: Fifty-seven study sites in the United States enrolled patients.

Perioperative management of the opioid tolerant patient for orthopedic surgery.

The prevalence of opioid use in the North America and some countries of the European Union has resulted in an increase in the number of patients who may exhibit opioid tolerance when requiring postoperative pain management. The approach to postoperative pain control in these patients is different from the strategies used in opioid-naïve patients. Better understanding of the cellular mechanisms of opioid tolerance in animals has resulted in the transfer of these concepts from the basic research to the clinical arena.

Opioids for chronic pain: new evidence, new strategies, safe prescribing.

In the United States, the prevalence and burden of chronic pain is large and still growing. Older adults (aged ≥65 years) make up a large portion of the population with chronic pain, and their presentation, diagnosis, and treatment tends to be more complicated because of age-related physiological changes and comorbidities. Guidelines on treating patients with severe back pain recommend opioids as an option for those who do not find adequate pain relief from acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Validity and reliability of two pain assessment tools in Brazilian children and adolescents.

Aims: The aim of this research is to examine the validity and reliability of the Brazilian version of the Revised Faces Pain Scale and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale.

Background: Several self-report and behavioural pain tools have been shown to have good psychometric properties for the evaluation of pain in children and adolescents. This study was designed to analyse the correlation between two pain scales in school-age children and adolescents.

Spinal cord and peripheral nerve stimulation techniques for neuropathic pain.

When comprehensive medical pharmacological therapy titrated to maximum doses fails to provide an appropriate level of analgesia, or side effects associated with these therapies impair the ability to increase the doses to obtain appropriate therapeutic effects in patients with a variety of chronic neuropathic pain conditions, alternative methods, such as spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation, are effective alternative options. This article discusses important concepts to consider when implementing spinal cord and peripheral nerve stimulation therapy for the treatment of neuropathic pain conditions other than failed back surgery syndrome. The focus is primarily on post-surgical pain syndromes, which are frequently encountered in daily clinical practice.

Current developments in opioid therapy for management of cancer pain.

Pain remains a highly prevalent problem for patients with cancer and typically falls into one of 3 types: visceral, somatic, and neuropathic. A mechanistic, pathophysiologic approach to pain management involves a good assessment of the type of pain, followed by tailoring of the treatment based on the diagnosis. This pain management strategy can provide rapid pain control with a lower incidence of complications and side effects than other methods.

Multimodal approaches to the management of neuropathic pain: the role of topical analgesia.

Because of their localized activity and low systemic absorption, topical analgesics have a favorable safety profile and a low risk for drug-drug interactions. There is a growing body of evidence on the efficacy and safety of these agents in a variety of pain disorders, including the most prevalent neuropathic pain conditions. The molecular basis for the usage of peripheral analgesics in neuropathic pain and the available clinical trial evidence for a wide variety of topical agents are reviewed.

Interventional procedures for cancer pain management: when are they indicated?

Non-invasive pharmacological management of patients with cancer related pain has resulted in pain control in 90-95% of the patients. Thus, 5-10% of patients still experience inadequate pain control despite aggressive combined pharmacological therapy. Moreover, patients may not tolerate an aggressive program of titration of medications and fail this approach because of side effects.

Cellular mechanisms of opioid tolerance and the clinical approach to the opioid tolerant patient in the post-operative period.

The high prevalence of opioid use for recreational purposes in the USA and the European Union, as well as the use of opioids for the treatment of chronic non-malignant pain, has resulted in an increase in the number of patients with opioid tolerance who undergo surgery and require post-operative pain management. The approach to post-operative pain control in these patients is significantly different to the strategies used in opioid naïve patients. Fortunately, better understanding of the cellular mechanisms of opioid tolerance in animals has resulted in the transfer of concepts from the 'bench' to the clinical arena.

Using a multi-modal rehabilitation program for patients undergoing open sigmoidectomy.

Postoperative ileus, a temporary inhibition of gastrointestinal function, is a universal complication after major abdominal surgery. Treatment for ileus is supportive, and has changed little since Wangensteen's 1932 report. Nasogastric suction could delay or replace operative management of bowel obstruction, thereby reducing mortality.