Treatment of postoperative pain for burn patients with intravenous analgesia in continuous perfusion using elastomeric infusors

Acute pain management in burn patients: appraisal and thematic analysis of four clinical guidelines

OBJECTIVE

Burn patients suffer excruciating pain due to their injuries and procedures related to surgery, wound care, and mobilization. Acute Stress Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, chronic pain and depression are highly prevalent among survivors of severe burns. Evidence-based pain management addresses and alleviates these complications. The aim of our study was to compare clinical guidelines for pain management in burn patients in selected European and non-European countries. We included pediatric guidelines due to the high rate of children in burn units.

METHOD

The study had a comparative retrospective design using combined methodology of instrument appraisal and thematic analysis. Three investigators appraised guidelines from burn units in Denmark (DK), Sweden (SE), New Zealand (NZ), and USA using the AGREE Instrument (Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation), version II, and identified core themes in the guidelines.

RESULTS

The overall scores expressing quality in six domains of the AGREE instrument were variable at 22% (DK), 44% (SE), 100% (NZ), and 78% (USA). The guidelines from NZ and USA were highly recommended, the Swedish was recommended, whereas the Danish was not recommended. The identified core themes were: continuous pain, procedural pain, postoperative pain, pain assessment, anxiety, and non-pharmacological interventions.

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrated variability in quality, transparency, and core content in clinical guidelines on pain management in burn patients. The most highly recommended guidelines provided clear and accurate recommendations for the nursing and medical staff on pain management in burn patients. We recommend the use of a validated appraisal tool such as the AGREE instrument to provide more consistent and evidence-based care to burn patients in the clinic, to unify guideline construction, and to enable interdepartmental comparison of treatment and outcomes.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2005

This paper is the 28th consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system, now spanning over a quarter-century of research. It summarizes papers published during 2005 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior (Section 2), and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia (Section 3); stress and social status (Section 4); tolerance and dependence (Section 5); learning and memory (Section 6); eating and drinking (Section 7); alcohol and drugs of abuse (Section 8); sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (Section 9); mental illness and mood (Section 10); seizures and neurologic disorders (Section 11); electrical-related activity, neurophysiology and transmitter release (Section 12); general activity and locomotion (Section 13); gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (Section 14); cardiovascular responses (Section 15); respiration and thermoregulation (Section 16); immunological responses (Section 17).