Pain management in patients with cancer remains suboptimal. Breakthrough pain (BTP) is characterized by abrupt onset of severe pain in a background of otherwise stable managed pain and presents a substantial burden to patients, as it disrupts activities and quality of life. Rapid-onset opioids (ROOs), with an appropriate onset and duration of effect, provide new options for effective and well-tolerated management of BTP. All currently available ROOs are various formulations of transmucosal immediate-release fentanyl (TIRF) and, although they were originally developed and approved for use in children before painful procedures, are only approved for use in opioid-tolerant adult patients with cancer and BTP. The formulation options include oral lozenge, buccal tablet, buccal film, sublingual tablet, nasal spray, and a sublingual spray; each has practical considerations that vary with the product and route of administration. All have the common advantage of rapid entry into the systemic circulation via transmucosal absorption, avoiding hepatic and intestinal first-pass metabolism and allowing a rapid onset of action that rivals intravenous injections. Rapid onset and short duration of action allow good patient control of analgesia. The pharmacokinetic and analgesic properties of ROOs may allow reduction of the total opioid burden and associated adverse effects, while still providing effective pain relief. The shared TIRF risk evaluation and mitigation strategy program implemented in March 2012 has simplified enrollment and administration of these products to help mitigate the risks of abuse and misuse and to help ensure safe use in patients with cancer suffering from BTP.
Objective: We sought to assess the prevalence and characteristics of breakthrough pain (BTP) in patients with chronic back pain.Design; Researchers utilized a telephone survey using a pain assessment algorithm. This report represents a subset of patients from a larger survey of228patients with chronic pain unrelated to cancer.Participants: This study employed 117subjects taking opioids for a primary diagnosis of back pain and receiving care at geographically dispersed pain treatment centers. Subjects had pain lasting at least six months and had “controlled” baseline pain.Results: Eighty-seven subjects (74 percent) experienced 93 types of BTP. The median number of BTP episodes per day was two; median time to maximum intensity was 10 minutes, and median duration was 55 minutes. Onset could not be predicted for 46 percent of pains. Eighty-three percent of subjects used shorter-acting opioids for BTP. Other medications used for pain included NSAIDs, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, skeletal muscle relaxants, intrathecal local anesthetics, and transdermal local anesthetics.Conclusions: These patients with opioid-treated chronic back pain commonly experienced BTP, which often had a rapid onset and a relatively short duration and was difficult to predict. Opioids were the mainstay of pharmacologic therapy, but nonopioid analgesics and adjuvant analgesics were commonly used.
More than 70% of all knee injuries in soccer occur in non-contact situations. It is known that increased lower limb dynamic knee valgus is associated with such situations. Little has been found out about differences in knee kinematics of the dominant (kicking) and non-dominant (supporting) leg during a single leg landing. A total of 114 male adolescent soccer players (age 14.6 ± 1.1 years) from elite (N = 66) and amateur soccer clubs (N = 48) performed a single leg drop landing down from a box. For each leg, the two-dimensional dynamic knee valgus angle (DKVA) was calculated. Paired t-tests were used to statistically determine significant differences between dominant and non-dominant leg DKVA, and t-tests were calculated between the two performance groups. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were identified for the DKVA between the dominant and non-dominant leg for both amateur and elite players, showing a greater DKVA for the dominant leg. Group differences for the DKVA between amateur and elite players were not found, neither for the dominant, nor for the non-dominant leg. It can be concluded that the non-dominant leg showed more stable dynamics than the dominant leg during unilateral landing regardless of the player’s performance level. This could be due to adaptions to sport-specific requirements. Therefore, it is recommended that programs to prevent knee injuries among soccer players consider the dynamics of each leg individually.
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