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Enhanced recovery program shows promise in reducing opioid reliance after pancreatic cancer surgery

By improving hospital care pathways, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center successfully reduced inpatient opioid use by 50% after pancreatic cancer surgery and cut the median opioid prescription volumes at discharge to zero.

6 Sep 2023

Novel multimodal analgesia protocol following total knee arthroplasty provides pain relief without opioids

A study led by Vinod Dasa, MD, Professor of Orthopaedics at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, reports that a novel surgical pain management strategy following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), or total knee replacement, provided pain relief without opioids.

27 Feb 2023

Genicular nerve blocks provide short term pain relief for patients with knee osteoarthritis

Results from a recent clinical trial published by Wiley in Arthritis & Rheumatology demonstrate that patients with knee osteoarthritis experience short term pain relief from genicular nerve blocks-;or locally injected anesthetics that block nerves around the knee joint.

13 Nov 2022

Study reports disparities in the use of regional anesthesia techniques

Women, minorities and patients enrolled in Medicaid are less likely to receive regional anesthesia techniques that consistently improve outcomes after surgery, suggests research being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2022 annual meeting.

24 Oct 2022

Epidural lidocaine injections show promise for treating psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory, debilitating skin disorder. Although there is no cure for psoriasis, several treatment options can inhibit inflammation and relieve signs and symptoms of this disease.

10 Aug 2022

‘Injections, injections, injections’: Troubling questions follow closure of sprawling pain clinic chain

On May 13 of last year, the cellphones of thousands of California residents undergoing treatment for chronic pain lit up with a terse text message: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, Lags Medical Centers will be closing effective May 19, 2021."

22 Feb 2022

Study: Patients meeting a particular criteria need invasive procedures to treat chronic neck pain

The use of radiofrequency ablation--targeted heat from an electrical current to ease nerve pain--may be helpful for treating chronic neck pain, but only in patients meeting particular criteria, conclude evidence-based consensus guidelines, published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.

12 Nov 2021

New slow-release system mimics nature to provide long-lasting local anesthesia

Site 1 sodium channel blockers such as tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin are small-molecule drugs with powerful local anesthetic properties.

14 Sep 2021

Polymer patch provides controlled release of drugs for post-operative pain management

A Duke-led team of scientists has developed a bio-compatible surgical patch that releases non-opioid painkillers directly to the site of a wound for days and then dissolves away.

11 Jan 2021

Study shows effects of COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer screening

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries paused their breast cancer screening programmes. A new study,presented at the 12thEuropean Breast Cancer Conference, suggests that the disruption to screeningcould result in an increase in the proportion of women who die of breast cancer.

1 Oct 2020

Music found to be effective in reducing anxiety prior to anesthesia

Music is a viable alternative to sedative medications in reducing patient anxiety prior to an anesthesia procedure, according to a Penn Medicine study published today in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.

21 Jul 2019

Cedars-Sinai expert urges physicians and patients to manage pain without addictive pills

As the opioid epidemic continues to claim lives and shatter families across the nation, a Cedars-Sinai expert is urging physicians and patients to try managing pain without the addictive pills.

17 Jun 2019

Tetrodotoxin found in pufferfish can provide potent pain relief when given properly

Opioids remain a mainstay of treatment for chronic and surgical pain, despite their side effects and risk for addiction and overdose.

13 Jun 2019

New understanding in the evolution of human feet

Scientists have made a step forward in understanding the evolution of human feet.

14 Jan 2019

Nasal surgery can reduce or eliminate chronic headaches in selected patients

Nasal surgery to relieve obstructed breathing can reduce or eliminate chronic headaches in selected patients, reports a paper in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

29 Nov 2018

Christiana Care Health System successfully reduces opioid prescriptions

Before surgeon Emily Penman, M.D., begins a mastectomy or lumpectomy, her lightly sedated patient receives a nerve block, an injection of medicine to control pain after surgery.

21 Aug 2018

Local anesthetic drug not linked to reduction in opioid use, complications after knee surgery

Contrary to what some studies may suggest, the local anesthetic drug, liposomal bupivacaine, did not reduce in-hospital opioid prescriptions or opioid-related complications in patients who received the drug during total knee replacement surgery as part of a multimodal approach to manage postsurgical pain, finds a new study published in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

22 May 2018

Researchers use optogenetics to treat chronic pain

The finger prick from a thorn generates an immediate sensory response. In that instant, neurons at the injury site fire an electrical signal along a nerve fiber to the central nervous system. Our brain notes to avoid further encounters with thorns and the painful insult subsides.

18 Apr 2018

CRFA better than steroid injection for managing pain from knee osteoarthritis

For patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, a minimally invasive procedure called cooled radiofrequency ablation provides better pain reduction and functional improvement compared to steroid injection of the knee, concludes a study in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, published by Wolters Kluwer.

2 Nov 2017

Research finds decrease in opioid use among patients recovering from hip and knee replacement

Opioid use in patients recovering from hip and knee replacement decreased by one-third between 2006 and 2014, reflecting success in efforts to promote a multimodal approach to pain management (using a variety of methods to manage pain) rather than using opioids alone, reveals new research being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 annual meeting.

23 Oct 2017