Interventionell smärtbehandling fokuserad på facettledsrelaterad smärta : en hälsoekonomisk utvärdering

The pain-system is a central mechanism in our life. Chronic pain is one of the major causes of impaired health-related quality of life according to the World Health Organization’s “Global Burden of Disease”-studies. Zygapophysial joint pain has been shown to account for the pain in 30% - 50% of patients with chronic pain. There are several well-established, evidence-based methods to treat zygapophysial joint pain in the cervical and lumbar regions. This thesis originates from this and starts by exploring whether the treatment of zygapophysial joint pain can improve health-related quality of life. This thesis describes methods for the diagnosis and treatment of zygapophysial joint pain in the thoracic region that can be applied to the treatment of all pain-foci localized to the zygapophysial joints. I show that the health-related quality of life was significantly improved after treatment, and that the clinical methods used for treating thoracic pain were similar to the methods that have been established previously for cervical and lumbar pain. In order to better understand the patients’ experiences we performed qualitative interviews with patients who underwent diagnostic tests and treatments. The overall theme revealed by these interviews was that of empowerment, in which the patients were empowered by the process of diagnostic tests and treatments. The next question was whether the method was cost-effective or not. In the first cost-effectiveness analysis, the patients served as their own controls and we evaluated the results against the limits set by the Swedish national board of health and welfare. The results showed that it was cost-effective in the moderate to low range. Finally, we compared the treatment to the “gold standard” for pain management in Sweden; i.e.pain rehabilitation. We mimicked a randomized controlled trial by using propensity score weighting to compare 254 patients agains 15,357 patients registered in the Swedish National Register of Pain Rehabilitation. The results showed that interventional pain management was cost-effective in the moderate (12 months after treatment) to low (≥24 months after) range whereas pain rehabilitation was in the very high range (after 12 months) and became cost-effective in the high range after 24 months of treatment. Currently, interventional pain management accounts for just 2% of all specialized pain management procedures in Sweden. If this could be increased to 25%, it may be possible to save 106 million SEK annually, while simultaneously gain 14 quality adjusted life years of health. If an interventional pain assessment is performed early in the process, treatable patients could be directed toward interventional treatment and away from interdisciplinary pain management programs, with the potential for further reductions in costs. Nästan var 5:e människa i världen (15-20%) har haft ont mer än 3 månader. Utesluter man dem som har smärtor pga cancer, reumatiska sjukdomar, nyligen opererats eller fått frakturer så kvarstår ca hälften. Ländryggsvärk, tätt följd av huvudvärk, är den viktigaste orsaken till funktionsnedsättning i världen enligt de studier WHO genomfört mellan 1990 och 2017. Ca 30-50% av dessa har facettleds-relaterad smärta. Sedan slutet av 1980-talet har mycket arbete skett för att säkerställa hur man på ett evidensbaserat sätt ska kunna diagnostisera och behandla en facettleds-relaterad smärta. Diagnostik och behandling av facettleds-relaterad smärta från halsrygg och ländrygg är väl etablerad så länge man följer de internationella guidelines som finns framtagna, dvs där diagnostik sker med hjälp av exakta nervblockader vid minst två tillfällen och att minst 80% smärtlindring uppnås varje gång, och behandlingen sker så att nerven nås av behandlingen. Denna avhandling utgår härifrån. Det första steget var att ta fram en metodik för diagnostik och behandling i bröstryggen eftersom detta inte tidigare var bra beskrivet. Behandling i halsrygg och ländrygg användes som referenser att jämföra mot. Men eftersom smärta är en av de viktigaste orsakerna till försämrad livskvalitet ville vi även ta ett steg till, och se om det gick att använda livskvalitets-skattning som utfalls-mått. Så istället för att följa upp hur ont patienter hade 3,6 och 12 månader efter behandling frågade vi efter hur de skattade sin livskvalitet. Vi kunde då se att behandlingsresultaten i bröstryggen var likvärdiga med dem vi såg i ländrygg och halsrygg, och vi kunde se att hos dem som fick en förbättring av behandlingen så beskrev de en i det närmaste normalisering av livskvaliteten, och att förbättringen ofta kvarstod ett år efter behandling. Att livskvaliteten förbättrades så kraftigt efter behandling väckte en ny fråga: Vad var det som gjorde detta? Vi genomförde därför en kvalitativ intervju studie där vi frågade efter hur patienterna upplevde utredningen. Det var flera delar som blev tydliga, men det övergripande temat som beskrevs var ökad egenkontroll (Empowerment). Patienterna beskrev att de genom utredningen upplevde att de stärktes i sin egenkontroll. Empowerment är en faktor som lyfts fram både när man pratat om försämrad livskvalitet och om stärkt livskvalitet, och nämns ofta som ett viktigt mål när det gäller smärtbehandling. Nästa frågeställning var ifall det var kostnadseffektivt att genomföra denna typ av utredningar. Facettleds-relaterade besvär utgör enbart 30-50% av orsakerna till smärtor, men det är först när vi genomför diagnostiska blockader det går identifiera vilka dessa är, så många patienter måste utredas för att en mindre mängd ska kunna få behandling. Vi genomförde därför en studie där vi inkluderade kostnaderna för alla patienter som utreddes (873 st), och alla blockader och besök dessa genomgick. Vi hämtade uppgifter från socialstyrelsen över medicinering och sjukvårdskonsumtion och lade in förändringarna i kostnadsberäkningarna. Sedan satte vi detta i relation till den genomsnittliga förbättring av livskvaliteten vi såg hos de 331 patienter som behandlades. Det mått man då får fram, kostnad per kvalitets-justerat levnadsår (QALY), använder Socialstyrelsen för bedömning av i princip all sjukvård i Sverige. Vi beräknade kostnaden till 220 tkr/QALY, och det räknas med Socialstyrelsens terminologi som en ”moderat” kostnad. Följdfrågan blir naturligtvis hur denna typ av utredning/behandling står sig jämfört med gängse behandling, dvs smärtrehabilitering. Att genomföra en randomiserad studie där patienter slumpmässigt fördelas till smärtrehabilitering respektive interventionell behandling är inte praktiskt genomförbar. Istället har vi efterliknat samma procedur genom att vikta resultaten med hjälp av s.k. propensity score. På det sättet får man jämförbara patientgrupper där de 254 patienter som genomgått behandling för facettleds-smärta jämförs mot 15 357 patienter som genomgått smärtrehabilitering under samma period. Kostnader räknades på samma sätt som i den föregående studien, men den här gången tog vi även in data över sjukskrivning från Försäkringskassan. Interventionell smärtbehandling resulterade i en förbättring av 0.186 kvalitetsjusterade levnadsår (QALY) per individ efter 1 år medan smärtrehabilitering resulterade i 0.164 QALY per person efter 1 år. Kostnaden per QALY var för interventionell behandling 119 tkr (”Moderat” kostnad) och för smärtrehabilitering 1 187 tkr (”Mycket hög” kostnad). Förlängs uppföljningsperioden till 2 år så sjönk kvoten för interventionell smärtbehandling till 49 tkr/QALY (”Låg”) och smärtrehabilitering till 553 tkr/QALY (”Hög”).  Idag utgör interventionell smärtbehandling 2% av den specialiserade smärtvården. Om andelen skulle öka till 25% skulle man årligen spara motsvarande 106 millioner kr samtidigt som hälsovinsten skulle bli ca 14 QALY/år. Om en interventionell utredning genomförs tidigt så finns det även förutsättningar för att behandlingsbara patienter kan tas bort från dem som behöver smärtrehabilitering, vilket kan ge ytterligare besparingseffekter.För att delta digitalt via Zoom:Meeting ID: https://umu.zoom.us/j/64638163740Passcode: 646 3816 3740</p

Patient perspectives on interventional pain management : thematic analysis of a qualitative interview study

Background: Chronic pain is a widespread problem that is usually approached by focusing on its psychological aspects or on trying to reduce the pain from the pain generator. Patients report that they feel responsible for their pain and that they are disempowered and stigmatized because of it. Here, we explored interventional pain management from the patient’s perspective to understand the process better. Methods: A purposive sample of 19 subjects was interviewed by an independent interviewer. The interviews were transcribed into text and thematic analysis was performed. Results: The subjects’ perceptions covered three key themes: themselves as objects; the caregivers, including the process of tests and retests, the encounters and interactions with professionals, and the availability of the caregivers; and finally the outcomes, including the results of the tests and treatments and how these inspired them to think of other people with pain. Linking these themes, the subjects reported something best described as “gained empowerment” during interventional pain management; they were feeling heard and seen, they gained knowledge that helped them understand their problem better, they could ask questions and receive answers, and they felt safe and listened to. Conclusions: Many of the themes evolved in relation to the subjects’ contact with the healthcare services they received, but when the themes were merged and structured into the model, a cohesive pattern of empowerment appeared. If empowerment is a major factor in the positive effects of interventional pain management, it is important to facilitate and not hinder empowerment

Cost-effectiveness of radiofrequency neurotomy to treat zygapophysial joint pain compared with pain rehabilitation programs

Background: Chronic pain is a widespread condition that causes much suffering and significant cost to society. Pain rehabilitation programs (REH) have dominated the treatment of chronic pain in Sweden in recent decades. Although radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN) was cost-effective in recent studies, the long-term health and economic effects of REH have not been comprehensively evaluated.DesignObservational study with propensity score weighting to compare RFN and REH. Methods: Patients assessed and treated between 2010 and 2016 were eligible; 15,357 underwent REH and 254 underwent RFN. Patient data were combined with linked data from national registers. We used propensity score weighting to mimic a randomized controlled trial using baseline gender, age, and baseline health-related quality of life as covariates. Results: Health-related quality of life improved significantly in both groups, by 0.164 and 0.352 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) at 1 and 2 years after REH, and by 0.186 and 0.448 QALYs after RFN. The assessment and diagnostic procedures were slightly more expensive for RFN, but the treatment costs were greater for REH. Sick leave decreased after treatment in both groups, particularly after RFN. The cost per QALY gained 1 year after REH was ∼121,633 USD, which is considered “very expensive” according to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. By comparison, the cost of RFN was ∼13,715 USD, in the “moderate” range. After 2 years the cost per QALY gained was in the “moderate” range for REH and “low” for RFN. Conclusions: RFN and REH improved health-related quality of life, with significantly greater improvement with RFN. The treatments were comparable based on propensity score weighting, and RFN was cost-effective in the moderate to low range, whereas REH was considered very expensive to moderate. Expanding RFN from 2% currently to 25% of the treatments given in Sweden could save ∼21.2 million USD annually in healthcare expenditure

Cost-effectiveness of Radiofrequency Denervation for Zygapophyseal Joint Pain

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability. Radiofrequency denervation (RFD) is effective when performed according to guidelines for patients with correctly diagnosed zygapophyseal joint pain (ZJP). However, the cost-effectiveness of this method has not been fully explored. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze whether RFD is cost-effective for ZJP from a societal perspective. STUDY DESIGN: Cost effectiveness study based on an observational study. SETTING: An interventional pain management clinic in central Sweden. METHODS: Patients - This cost-effectiveness study was performed for all patients (n = 873) assessed between 2010 and 2016 at a specialized interventional pain clinic in Sweden. Those diagnosed with ZJP (n = 331, 37.9%) were treated with RFD and followed up for 1 year after the RFD. Using data collected from national registers, we determined the health care costs, medication costs, the patients' time and travel costs, and the patients' ability to work. The effects of RFD on quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and cost/QALY gained were calculated. RESULTS: On average, patients reported very low health-related quality of life (HRQoL; EQ-5D index: 0.212). After RFD, HRQoL increased significantly to 0.530 (P &lt; 0.0001). Drug consumption and specialized health care consumption were reduced by 54% and 81%, respectively, and the cost/QALY gained from a societal perspective was 221,324 Swedish krona (USD ~26,008). The sensitivity analysis showed that the treatment was cost-effective in all scenarios evaluated, using the patients as their own controls. The cost/QALY gained from a health care perspective was 72,749 Swedish krona (USD ~8,548). LIMITATIONS: The results are based on data collected at one center. The results need to be compared with those from pain rehabilitation programs and should be confirmed using data from other centers. CONCLUSIONS: Patients referred for RFD in Sweden report extremely low HRQoL. HRQoL significantly increased following RFD in patients with ZJP. Medications and health care consumption decreased after RFD. RFD was cost-effective, and the sensitivity analysis yielded stable results in different scenarios. Therefore, RFD is a cost-effective treatment that meets the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare criteria for a high priority treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01835704) with Protocol ID SE-Dnr-2012-446-31M-1.  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01835704

Cost-effectiveness of Radiofrequency Denervation for Zygapophyseal Joint Pain

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability. Radiofrequency denervation (RFD) is effective when performed according to guidelines for patients with correctly diagnosed zygapophyseal joint pain (ZJP). However, the cost-effectiveness of this method has not been fully explored. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze whether RFD is cost-effective for ZJP from a societal perspective. STUDY DESIGN: Cost effectiveness study based on an observational study. SETTING: An interventional pain management clinic in central Sweden. METHODS: Patients - This cost-effectiveness study was performed for all patients (n = 873) assessed between 2010 and 2016 at a specialized interventional pain clinic in Sweden. Those diagnosed with ZJP (n = 331, 37.9%) were treated with RFD and followed up for 1 year after the RFD. Using data collected from national registers, we determined the health care costs, medication costs, the patients' time and travel costs, and the patients' ability to work. The effects of RFD on quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and cost/QALY gained were calculated. RESULTS: On average, patients reported very low health-related quality of life (HRQoL; EQ-5D index: 0.212). After RFD, HRQoL increased significantly to 0.530 (P &lt; 0.0001). Drug consumption and specialized health care consumption were reduced by 54% and 81%, respectively, and the cost/QALY gained from a societal perspective was 221,324 Swedish krona (USD ~26,008). The sensitivity analysis showed that the treatment was cost-effective in all scenarios evaluated, using the patients as their own controls. The cost/QALY gained from a health care perspective was 72,749 Swedish krona (USD ~8,548). LIMITATIONS: The results are based on data collected at one center. The results need to be compared with those from pain rehabilitation programs and should be confirmed using data from other centers. CONCLUSIONS: Patients referred for RFD in Sweden report extremely low HRQoL. HRQoL significantly increased following RFD in patients with ZJP. Medications and health care consumption decreased after RFD. RFD was cost-effective, and the sensitivity analysis yielded stable results in different scenarios. Therefore, RFD is a cost-effective treatment that meets the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare criteria for a high priority treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01835704) with Protocol ID SE-Dnr-2012-446-31M-1.  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01835704

Impact on long-term mortality of presence of obstructive coronary artery disease and classification of myocardial infarction.

In contrast to the associated with thromboembolic event type 1 myocardial infarction, type 2 myocardial infarction is caused by acute imbalance between oxygen supply and demand of myocardium. Type 2 myocardial infarction may be present in patients with or without obstructive coronary artery disease, but knowledge about patient characteristics, treatments, and outcome in relation to coronary artery status is lacking. We aimed to compare background characteristics, triggering mechanisms, treatment and long-term prognosis in large real-life cohort of patients with type 1 and type 2 myocardial infarction with and without obstructive coronary artery disease

Type 2 myocardial infarction in clinical practice.

We aimed to assess differences in incidence, clinical features, current treatment strategies and outcome in patients with type 2 vs. type 1 acute myocardial infarction (AMI)

Functional outcome and health-related quality of life in patients with sacrococcygeal teratoma – a Swedish multicenter study

Background/Purpose: The aims of this study were to evaluate bowel and urinary tract function, to identify predictors for dysfunctional outcome and to evaluate health-related quality-of life (QoL) in patients treated for sacrococcygeal teratomas (SCT). Methods: Medical records of patients with SCT born between 1985 and 2015 treated at three Swedish pediatric surgical centers were reviewed. Questionnaires regarding urinary tract function, bowel function and QoL were sent to patients and parents. Different QoL instruments were used for the different age groups. Results: Totally 85 patients were identified. Four patients died in the neonatal period. Forty-nine patients answered the questionnaires (60%). Median age at follow-up was 8.9 years (range 3.6–28.8). Bowel dysfunction was reported by 36% and urinary tract dysfunction by 46% of the patients. Univariate analysis revealed that urinary tract dysfunction correlated with gestational age (p = 0.018) and immature histology (p = 0.008), and bowel dysfunction correlated with gestational age (p = 0.016) and tumor size (p = 0.042). Low gestational age was an independent predictor for both urinary tract and bowel dysfunction. Good or very good QoL was reported by 56% of children aged 4–7 years, 90% of children aged 8–17 years and 67% of the adults. Conclusion: Although a considerable proportion of bowel and urinary tract dysfunction was found, the reported QoL was good in a majority of the patients with SCT. Low gestational age was found to be a predictor for bowel- and urinary tract dysfunction. Level of Evidence: Level III

Lipid levels achieved after a first myocardial infarction and the prediction of recurrent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Background: Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals post-myocardial infarction (MI) are debated, and the significance of achieved blood lipid levels for predicting a first recurrent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (rASCVD) event post-MI is unclear. Methods: This was a cohort study on first-ever MI survivors aged &lt;= 76 years attending 4-14 week revisits throughout Sweden 2005-2013. Personal-level data was collected from SWEDEHEART and linked national registries. Exposures were quintiles of LDL-C, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TGs) at the revisit. Group level associations with rASCVD (nonfatal MI or coronary heart disease death or fatal or nonfatal ischemic stroke) were estimated in Cox regression models. Predictive capacity was estimated by differences in C-statistic, integrated discriminatory improvement, and net reclassification improvement when adding each blood lipid to a validated risk prediction model. Results: 25,643 patients, 96.9% on statin therapy, were followed during a mean of 4.1 years. rASCVD occurred in 2173 patients (8.5%). For LDL-C and TC, moderate associations with rASCVD were observed only in the 5th vs. the lowest (referent) quintiles. For TGs and HDL-C increased risks were observed in quintiles 3-5 vs. the lowest. Minor predictive improvements were observed when lipid fractions were added to the risk model but the discrimination overall was poor (C-statistics &lt; 0.6). Conclusions: Our data question the importance of LDL-C levels achieved at first revisit post-MI for decisions on continued treatment intensity considering the weak association with rASCVD observed in this post-MI cohort