Search Tag: opioids
Opioid Use After ICU Admission
2021 09 Mar
The misuse of opioids is a major public health issue in many countries. Excessive use of opioids in the U.S. in particular, is primarily driven by pharmaceutical companies promoting the liberal use of opioids. Also, the American Pain Society describes pain as the fifth vital sign, which has resulted in a generous prescribing and widespread misuse of... Read more
RSNA 2019: Prenatal Opioid Exposure May Alter Brain Function in Babies
2019 26 Nov
One danger from opioid use in pregnancy is that when babies are born, they suffer from drug withdrawal, or a group of conditions known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Moreover, exposure to opioids in utero is believed to have lasting consequences on brain development and behaviour. You might also like: How Blockchain is Fighting Opioid... Read more
Effects of Sedatives and Opioids on Patient Ventilator Asynchrony
2019 09 Jul
Patient-ventilator asynchrony is frequent during invasive mechanical ventilation. If patient-ventilator interaction is poor, it can prolong the duration of mechanical ventilation and can also result in longer ICU and hospital stay as well as increased mortality. It is thus important to optimise patient-ventilator interaction. There are many factors... Read more
Taking Responsibility for Avoidable Patient Deaths
2019 11 Jun
Unmonitored opioid deaths at home after surgery. Primum Non Nocere. First, do no harm. These wise words form the basis of the oath sworn to our patients. With the vast array of treatment models, administration, and decisions in medicine today, this oath is more poignant than ever. Medical Errors are the third leading cause... Read more
#EA19: Acute pain in the ICU: management beyond the usual therapeutic strategies
2019 03 Jun
At this year’s Euroanaesthesia 2019 in Vienna, Austria, Prof. Caterina Aurilio (Naples, Italy), talked about acute pain management in the ICU. She started her presentation with the definition of pain as outlined by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). Pain is an "unnecessary sensory and emotional experience associated with actual... Read more
Use of opioids in the ICU not linked to continued prescriptions
2019 30 May
According to a new study, opioids prescribed in the intensive care unit (ICU) do not drive risks for continued use or prescriptions. The findings were presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2019 International Meeting in Dallas, TX. Opiate abuse is a major healthcare issue. In the U.S., opioid-related deaths have increased more than three-fold... Read more
#ISICEM19: Opioids in critical care - Professor Hannah Wunsch
2019 20 Mar
At the 39th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine , Prof. Hannah Wunsch , senior scientist at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, talked about the use of opioids in the ICU and how it could be related to patient use of opioids after hospitalisation. She highlighted the importance of exploring the opioid prescribing... Read more
Pain management through multimodal analgesia in the ICU
2019 14 Mar
Overview and focus on regional anaesthesia Opioid dependency is a serious problem in the ICU. Opioids are effective at providing pain relief because they reduce the perception of the pain signal. At the same time, opioids are associated with respiratory depression, cough suppression, confusion, and drowsiness. In addition, there is a risk... Read more
Concluding remarks
2019 14 Mar
Reducing sedation and managing and treating pain are important objectives for clinicians. The primary goal should always be to promote the comfort of the patient and to minimise pain through the proper use of multimodal analgesia. The use of opioid drugs should be avoided unless absolutely necessary; and focus should be placed on achieving pain control... Read more
How blockchain is fighting opioid epidemic
2018 13 Sep
Much has been said about blockchain's potential to enhance security of data management and sharing. Gartner has gone so far to say it's overhyped at the moment; yet IBM and other tech firms are bent on turning the promise of cryptographic ledger technology into real-world efficiencies in healthcare and beyond. Blockchain's growing list of innovative... Read more