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Journal of Pain and Symptom Management Jun 2024Strong opioids are the cornerstone in the treatment of cancer-related pain.
CONTEXT
Strong opioids are the cornerstone in the treatment of cancer-related pain.
OBJECTIVES
This study aims to compare analgesic effectiveness of different strong opioids for the treatment of cancer-related pain.
METHODS
PubMed and Embase were searched for RCTs that compared strong opioids for treatment of cancer-related pain against one another. A network meta-analysis was conducted and the related Surface Under the Cumulative RAnking (SUCRA)-based treatment ranks were calculated. Primary outcome was pain intensity (numerical rating scale (NRS)) and/or the percentage of patients with ≥50% pain reduction, after 1 and 2-4 weeks.
RESULTS
Sixteen RCTs (1813 patients) were included. Methadone showed, with a high certainty of evidence, increased ORs for treatment success at 1 week, compared with morphine, buprenorphine, fentanyl, and oxycodone, range 3.230-36.833. Methadone had the highest likelihood to be the treatment of preference (ToP) (SUCRA 0.9720). For fentanyl, ORs were lower, however significant and with high certainty. After 2-4 weeks, methadone again showed the highest likelihood for ToP, however, with moderate certainty and nonsignificant ORs. The combination of morphine/methadone, compared with morphine, buprenorphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, methadone, and oxycodone achieved a treatment effect of mean NRS difference after 2-4 weeks between -1.100 and -1.528 and had the highest likelihood for ToP.
CONCLUSION
The results suggest that methadone possibly deserves further promotion as first-line treatment for the treatment of cancer-related pain.
PubMed: 38838946
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.05.022 -
PLOS Global Public Health 2024Tramadol is a widely prescribed painkiller around the world. As a synthetic opioid, it offers a valuable substitute for morphine and its derivatives in African...
Tramadol is a widely prescribed painkiller around the world. As a synthetic opioid, it offers a valuable substitute for morphine and its derivatives in African countries. However, the adverse health effects of tramadol use resulting from illicit trafficking, like those caused by fentanyl and methadone in North America, have not been well-documented in Africa. This scoping review aims to shed light on the nature and scope of the nonmedical use (NMU) of tramadol in Africa and its associated health consequences. To carry out our scoping review, we used Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) five-step approach for exploratory analysis and followed Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines for scoping reviews to ensure systematic and replicable studies. We then searched six databases: Medline, Global Health (EBSCO), Scopus, Web of Science, the African Journals online database, and for grey literature via Google Scholar without any time restriction. The articles were imported into Covidence and reviewed by two independent researchers. Eighty-three studies on NMU of tramadol's prevalence or health consequences were selected from 532 titles/abstracts screened, including 60 cross-sectional and six qualitative studies from 10 African countries. Findings from the included studies highlighted five distinct groups significantly affected by the NMU of tramadol. These groups include: 1) young adults/active populations with varying degrees of prevalence ranging from 1.9% to 77.04%, 2) professionals, where drivers exhibit a relatively high prevalence of tramadol NMU, ranging from 7.2% to 35.1%, and commercial motorcyclists, with a prevalence of 76%, 3) patients, who have a high rate of tramadol NMUs, with prevalence rates ranging from 77.1% to 92%, 4) academics, with a considerable rate of tramadol misuse among substance-using undergraduates (74.2%) and substance-using high school students (83.3%), and 5) other individuals impacted in various ways. The health consequences are classified into four distinct types: intoxication, dependence syndrome, withdrawal syndrome and other symptoms. Despite providing a comprehensive global overview of the phenomenon described in the African literature, this systematic scoping review's main limitations stem from the relatively limited exploration of various consequences of the NMU of tramadol, notably those of a social and economic nature. Our review shows that tramadol misuse affects diverse populations in Africa. The prevalence of misuse varies within sub-populations, indicating the complexity of the issue. Professional and academic groups have different rates of misuse across regions. This highlights the need for targeted interventions to address unique challenges contributing to tramadol misuse. Future studies should focus on the social and economic costs of abuse on households to better understand the impact on well-being. Systematic review registration: Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/ykt25/.
PubMed: 38236813
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002784 -
Archives of Academic Emergency Medicine 2024Considering the importance of delirium disorder in burn patients and its complications, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the prevalence... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Considering the importance of delirium disorder in burn patients and its complications, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the prevalence of delirium and its related factors in burn patients.
METHODS
A comprehensive, systematic search was performed in different international electronic databases, such as Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science, as well as Persian electronic databases such as Iranmedex, and Scientific Information Database (SID) using keywords extracted from Medical Subject Headings such as "Prevalence", "Delirium", and "Burns" from the earliest to the 17th of July, 2023.
RESULTS
In total, 2,710 burn patients participated in ten original studies. Among the participants, 64.6% were male. In the ten studies, the reported pooled prevalence of delirium among burn patients was 20.5% (95% CI: 10.9% to 35.0%; I=96.889%; P<0.001). Also, factors such as total body surface area, duration of hospitalization, mortality, days on ventilator, alcoholism, benzodiazepine dose, methadone dose, age, male gender, ICU days, operation days, wound care under anesthesia, and opioid dose had a significant correlation with the prevalence of delirium in burn patients.
CONCLUSION
Health managers and policymakers can reduce the prevalence of delirium in burn patients by eliminating or reducing factors associated with it.
PubMed: 38162381
DOI: 10.22037/aaem.v12i1.2136 -
Experimental Biology and Medicine... Nov 2023The opioid epidemic has become a serious national crisis in the United States. An indepth systematic analysis of opioid-related adverse events (AEs) can clarify the...
The opioid epidemic has become a serious national crisis in the United States. An indepth systematic analysis of opioid-related adverse events (AEs) can clarify the risks presented by opioid exposure, as well as the individual risk profiles of specific opioid drugs and the potential relationships among the opioids. In this study, 92 opioids were identified from the list of all Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs, annotated by RxNorm and were classified into 13 opioid groups: buprenorphine, codeine, dihydrocodeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, tapentadol, and tramadol. A total of 14,970,399 AE reports were retrieved and downloaded from the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) from 2004, Quarter 1 to 2020, Quarter 3. After data processing, Empirical Bayes Geometric Mean (EBGM) was then applied which identified 3317 pairs of potential risk signals within the 13 opioid groups. Based on these potential safety signals, a comparative analysis was pursued to provide a global overview of opioid-related AEs for all 13 groups of FDA-approved prescription opioids. The top 10 most reported AEs for each opioid class were then presented. Both network analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis were conducted to further explore the relationship between opioids. Results from the network analysis revealed a close association among fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, which shared more than 22 AEs. In addition, much less commonly reported AEs were shared among dihydrocodeine, meperidine, oxymorphone, and tapentadol. On the contrary, the hierarchical clustering analysis further categorized the 13 opioid classes into two groups by comparing the full profiles of presence/absence of AEs. The results of network analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis were not only consistent and cross-validated each other but also provided a better and deeper understanding of the associations and relationships between the 13 opioid groups with respect to their adverse effect profiles.
Topics: Analgesics, Opioid; Bayes Theorem; Data Mining; Fentanyl; Hydrocodone; Hydromorphone; Meperidine; Oxycodone; Oxymorphone; Tapentadol; United States
PubMed: 38158803
DOI: 10.1177/15353702231211860 -
Cureus Sep 2023Patients with diminished renal function necessitate special care. In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), opioid analgesics should be prescribed based on the... (Review)
Review
Patients with diminished renal function necessitate special care. In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), opioid analgesics should be prescribed based on the severity of renal insufficiency; this will determine treatment options at the beginning and throughout the management of pain in CKD patients. The dosage of hydrophilic drugs and drugs with active metabolites should be adjusted according to the severity of CKD, and the process of treatment should be monitored by modifying drug dosages as necessary for background and breakthrough pain. Patients with CKD may benefit from opioid analgesics that are lipophilic, such as methadone, fentanyl, and buprenorphine, as the first line; however, fentanyl is inappropriate for patients undergoing hemodialysis. Opioid prescription in CKD patients is the subject of this systematic review, which aims to compare their safety and efficacy. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 recommendations. Using three databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar), we collected and reviewed articles, including literature reviews, randomized control trials (RCTs), and systematic reviews published between 1980 and 2022, to enable us to gather enough valuable data on this rare topic. After applying appropriate filters, a total of 109 results were obtained. They were further screened and subjected to quality assessment tools, which finally yielded 11 studies included in this systematic review. This consisted of two RCTs, two systematic reviews, and seven narrative reviews. This review focused on the safety and appropriate use of opioids in patients with CKD. The accumulation of morphine and codeine metabolites may result in neurotoxic side effects. Hydromorphone and oxycodone are considered safe to administer but require careful adjustments in dosage. Common comorbidities among patients with CKD may amplify opioid-related adverse effects.
PubMed: 37727840
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.45485