Intrathecal Drug Delivery (ITDD) systems for cancer pain

Intrathecal drug delivery is an effective pain management option for patients with chronic and cancer pain. The delivery of drugs into the intrathecal space provides superior analgesia with smaller doses of analgesics to minimize side effects while significantly improving quality of life. This article aims to provide a general overview of the use of intrathecal drug delivery to manage pain, dosing recommendations, potential risks and complications, and growing trends in the field

Postoperative Pain Management in Children of Hispanic Origin: A Descriptive Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: It has been established that pain is frequently undertreated in children following outpatient surgery. Very few studies, however, have investigated this phenomenon in ethnically diverse populations. METHODS: This study included 105 families of children aged 2 to 15 years of Hispanic origin and low income undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy surgery. Participating parents completed baseline and demographic packets. Recorded postoperative pain ratings and administration of analgesics at home for 1 week were collected during home visits. RESULTS: Despite the high (70%; 99% confidence interval [CI], 57%–82%) incidence of significant pain in the first 24 hours home, 32% (95% CI, 20%–45%) of the children received 0 to 1 dose of analgesia. Overall, 21% children (99% CI, 11%–35%) received 4 or less total doses of pain medication over the entire week after surgery. Of the total analgesic doses administered to children in the week after surgery, only 44% (99% CI, 40%–47%) were in accepted ranges. CONCLUSIONS: Despite experiencing significant postoperative pain, Hispanic children assessed in this study received suboptimal analgesic therapy at home

Postoperative Pain Management in Children of Hispanic Origin: A Descriptive Cohort Study.

BackgroundIt has been established that pain is frequently undertreated in children following outpatient surgery. Very few studies, however, have investigated this phenomenon in ethnically diverse populations.MethodsThis study included 105 families of children aged 2 to 15 years of Hispanic origin and low income undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy surgery. Participating parents completed baseline and demographic packets. Recorded postoperative pain ratings and administration of analgesics at home for 1 week were collected during home visits.ResultsDespite the high (70%; 99% confidence interval [CI], 57%-82%) incidence of significant pain in the first 24 hours home, 32% (95% CI, 20%-45%) of the children received 0 to 1 dose of analgesia. Overall, 21% children (99% CI, 11%-35%) received 4 or less total doses of pain medication over the entire week after surgery. Of the total analgesic doses administered to children in the week after surgery, only 44% (99% CI, 40%-47%) were in accepted ranges.ConclusionsDespite experiencing significant postoperative pain, Hispanic children assessed in this study received suboptimal analgesic therapy at home

Geospatial Variations and Neighborhood Deprivation in Drug-Related Admissions and Overdoses

Drug overdoses are a national and global epidemic. However, while overdoses are inextricably linked to social, demographic, and geographical determinants, geospatial patterns of drug-related admissions and overdoses at the neighborhood level remain poorly studied. The objective of this paper is to investigate spatial distributions of patients admitted for drug-related admissions and overdoses from a large, urban, tertiary care center using electronic health record data. Additionally, these spatial distributions were adjusted for a validated socioeconomic index called the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). We showed spatial heterogeneity in patients admitted for opioid, amphetamine, and psychostimulant-related diagnoses and overdoses. While ADI was associated with drug-related admissions, it did not correct for spatial variations and could not account alone for this spatial heterogeneity