Comparative safety of tramadol and other opioids following total hip and knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Tramadol is increasingly used to treat acute postoperative pain among older adults following total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA). However, tramadol has a complex pharmacology and may be no safer than full opioid agonists. We compared the safety of tramadol, oxycodone, and hydrocodone among opioid-naïve older adults following elective THA/TKA. METHODS: This retrospective cohort included Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries ≥ 65 years with elective THA/TKA between January 1, 2010 and September 30, 2015, 12 months of continuous Parts A and B enrollment, 6 months of continuous Part D enrollment, and no opioid use in the 6 months prior to THA/TKA. Participants initiated single-opioid therapy with tramadol, oxycodone, or hydrocodone within 7 days of discharge from THA/TKA hospitalization, regardless of concurrently administered nonopioid analgesics. Outcomes of interest included all-cause hospitalizations or emergency department visits (serious adverse events (SAEs)) and a composite of 10 surgical- and opioid-related SAEs within 90-days of THA/TKA. The intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) hazard ratios (HRs) for tramadol versus other opioids were estimated using inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighted pooled logistic regression models. RESULTS: The study population included 2,697 tramadol, 11,407 oxycodone, and 14,665 hydrocodone initiators. Compared to oxycodone, tramadol increased the rate of all-cause SAEs in ITT analyses only (ITT HR 1.19, 95%CLs, 1.02, 1.41; PP HR 1.05, 95%CLs, 0.86, 1.29). Rates of composite SAEs were not significant across comparisons. Compared to hydrocodone, tramadol increased the rate of all-cause SAEs in the ITT and PP analyses (ITT HR 1.40, 95%CLs, 1.10, 1.76; PP HR 1.34, 95%CLs, 1.03, 1.75), but rates of composite SAEs were not significant across comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative tramadol was associated with increased rates of all-cause SAEs, but not composite SAEs, compared to oxycodone and hydrocodone. Tramadol does not appear to have a superior safety profile and should not be preferentially prescribed to opioid-naïve older adults following THA/TKA.

Green innovation in analytical chemistry: A sustainable densitometric HPTLC approach for the distinctive separation and quantification of structurally related abused drugs - tramadol, tapentadol, and venlafaxine - in seized pharmaceutical dosage forms.

An innovative ecofriendly high-performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method with spectrophotometric detection for simultaneous determination of Tramadol (TMD), Tapentadol (TAP), and Venlafaxine (VEN) in seized dosage forms was presented. Our method was conducted to achieve separation following the optimal conditions: pre-coated silica gel plates using a green mobile phase (heptane: acetone: ammonia, 7:3:0.5 v/v), with absorbance scanning at 272 nm. The validation of the method was done following International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines, demonstrates linearity, accuracy, precision, selectivity, robustness, and system suitability. Separation was achieved with a detection limit of 0.34, 0.16, and 0.084 (ug/band) for TMD, TAP, and VEN, respectively, the method successfully analyzes seized samples. Trueness is confirmed through a high degree of similarity between HPTLC and gas chromatography results. The study's ecofriendly approach, simplicity, and selectivity position it as a promising method for efficient, on-site monitoring of seized samples.

Comparison of analgesic efficacy of tramadol, morphine and methadone in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic efficacy and the effect on physiological variables and behavior of the use of tramadol, methadone and morphine as preoperative analgesia in healthy cats undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy. METHODS: Cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy were randomly assigned to receive one of the following premedication treatments intramuscularly: methadone (0.2 mg/kg; n = 10); morphine (0.2 mg/kg; n = 10); or tramadol (3 mg/kg; n = 10). Induction of anesthesia was done with propofol, and maintenance of anesthesia was done with isoflurane. Intraoperative heart rate, arterial blood pressure, respiratory rate, end-tidal isoflurane concentration and frequency of rescue analgesia (fentanyl 2.5 µg/kg) were compared between groups. Postoperative analgesia was assessed using the UNESP-Botucatu Multidimensional Composite Pain Scale, and perioperative serum glucose, cortisol concentrations and postoperative rescue analgesia were evaluated. RESULTS: Intraoperative rescue analgesia was required in 76.5% of cats at some time during surgery, and 27% of cats required postoperative rescue analgesia up to 6 h after extubation. There were no significant differences between groups with respect to intraoperative and postoperative rescue analgesia, pain scale scores and end-tidal isoflurane concentrations. In the immediate postoperative period, after extubation, most of the patients presented with hypothermia; however, 1-6 h postoperatively, hyperthermia was observed in most of the patients, and was most common in the tramadol group. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Under the conditions of this study, methadone, morphine and tramadol produced satisfactory postoperative analgesia in most of the cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy, and the effects lasted up to 6 h postoperatively. Intraoperative analgesia was not sufficient in most cases. Significant cardiovascular or respiratory effects contraindicating the use of these drugs were not found. Postanesthetic hyperthermia occurred with all opioids studied and was more frequent in the tramadol group.

The impact of tightened prescribing restrictions for PBS-subsidised opioid medicines and the introduction of half-pack sizes, Australia, 2020-21: an interrupted time series analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of the tightened Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescribing rules for immediate release (IR) and controlled release (CR) opioid medicines (1 June 2020), which also eliminated repeat dispensing without authorisation for codeine/paracetamol and tramadol IR and introduced half-pack size item codes for IR formulations. DESIGN, SETTING: Population-based interrupted time series analysis of PBS dispensing data claims for a 10% sample of PBS-eligible residents and IQVIA national opioid medicine sales data (PBS-subsidised and private prescriptions), 28 May 2018 - 6 June 2021. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean amount of PBS-subsidised opioid medicines dispensed per day and mean overall amount sold per day - each expressed as oral morphine equivalent milligrams (OME) - overall, by formulation type (IR, CR), and by specific formulation. RESULTS: During the twelve months following the PBS changes, daily PBS-subsidised opioid medicine dispensing was 81 565 OME lower (95% CI, -106 146 to -56 984 OME) than the mean daily level for 2018-20, a decline of 3.8% after adjusting for the pre-intervention trend; the relative reduction was greater for IR (8.4%) than CR formulations (2.6%). Total daily sales of all, IR formulation, and CR formulation opioid medicines did not change significantly after the PBS changes. Repeat dispensing of prescriptions comprised 7.4% of PBS-subsidised opioid dispensing before 1 June 2020, and 1.3% after the changes. Half-pack sizes comprised 8.4% of PBS-subsidised IR opioid medicine dispensing and 2.8% of all opioid medicines sold in the twelve months after the PBS changes. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of new PBS rules for subsidised opioid medicines was followed by a decline in PBS-subsidised dispensing. Some people may have bypassed the new restrictions by switching to private prescriptions, but our findings suggest that opioid medicine use in Australia declined as a result of the new restrictions.

PHARMACOKINETICS OF TRAMADOL AND O-DESMETHYLTRAMADOL IN GIANT TORTOISES (CHELONOIDIS VANDENBURGHI, CHELONOIDIS VICINA).

The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of two orally administered doses of tramadol (1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) and its metabolite, O-desmethyltramadol (M1) in giant tortoises (Chelonoidis vandenburghi, Chelonoidis vicina). Eleven giant tortoises (C. vandenburghi, C. vicina) received two randomly assigned, oral doses of tramadol (either 1 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg), with a washout period of 3 wk between each dose. The half-life (t½) of orally administered tramadol at 1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg was 11.9 ± 4.6 h and 13.2 ± 6.1 h, respectively. After oral administration of tramadol at 1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg, the maximum concentration (Cmax) was 125 ± 69 ng/ml and 518 ± 411 ng/ml, respectively. There were not enough data points to determine pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters for the M1 metabolite from either dose. Tramadol administered orally to giant tortoises at both doses provided measurable plasma concentrations of tramadol for approximately 48 h with occasional transient sedation. Oral tramadol at 5 mg/kg, on average, achieves concentrations of >100 ng/ml, the reported human therapeutic threshold, for 24 h. Based on the low levels of M1 seen in this study, M1 may not be a major metabolite in this taxon.

REKOVER study protocol: a pRospective patient treatment rEgistry of tramadol and dexKetoprofen trometamol oral fixed-dose combination (SKUDEXA) in mOderate to seVere acutE pain in Real-world setting in Asia.

INTRODUCTION: Satisfactory management of acute pain remains a major medical challenge despite the availability of multiple therapeutic options including the fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs. Tramadol and dexketoprofen trometamol (TRAM/DKP) 75/25 mg FDC was launched in 2018 in Asia and is widely used in the management of moderate to severe acute pain. There are limited data on its effectiveness and safety in Asian patients, and therefore, a need to better understand its usage patterns in clinical practice. We aim to understand the usage pattern of TRAM/DKP FDC, its effectiveness and tolerability in patients with moderate to severe acute pain in Asia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: REKOVER is a phase-IV, multicountry, multicentre, prospective, real-world observational study. A total of 750 postsurgical and non-surgical patients (male and female, aged 18-80 years) will be recruited from 13 tertiary-care hospitals (15 sites) in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. All patients prescribed with TRAM/DKP FDC and willing to participate in the study will be enrolled. The recruitment duration for each site will be 6 months. The severity of pain will be collected using Numeric Pain Rating Scale through the treatment period from day 1 to day 5, while satisfaction with the treatment will be evaluated using Patient Global Evaluation Scale at the end of treatment. Any adverse event reported during the study duration will be recorded for safety analysis (up to day 6). The study data will be entered into the ClaimIt portal and mobile application (app) (ObvioHealth, USA). All the inpatient data will be entered into the portal by the study site and for outpatient it will be done by patients through an app. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the local ethics committee from each study sites in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. Findings will be disseminated through local and global conference presentations, publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and continuing medical education.

Efficacy of Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block on Postoperative Pain and Total Analgesic Consumption in Patients Undergoing Reduction Mammoplasty Surgery: An Evidence Based Report.

Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block (SPSIPB) is a novel technique that provides analgesia in shoulder, hemithorax and in the back of the neck. In this study, the efficacy of this block on postoperative pain and quality of recovery is reported in ten consecutive patients who had undergone reduction mammoplasty. Blocks were performed bilaterally with 30 ml 0.25 % bupivacaine for each side, at the end of surgery. Cumulative tramadol consumption and numerical rating scale (NRS) scores during rest (static) and coughing (dynamic) were assessed within the first postoperative 24 hours. Mean total tramadol consumption was 39 ±9.94 mg. NRS scores above 4 were observed in 5 patients in the dynamic NRS assessment at the postoperative 1st hour, while static and dynamic NRS scores were ≤4 at other durations. SPSIPB may play a part in postoperative multimodal analgesia following mammoplasty in the future and may reduce total analgesic consumption. Key Words: Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block, Reduction mammoplasty, Breast surgery, Postoperative analgesia.

Uptake, translocation, and metabolization of amitriptyline, lidocaine, orphenadrine, and tramadol by cress and pea.

The uptake, translocation, and metabolization of four widely used drugs, amitriptyline, orphenadrine, lidocaine, and tramadol, were investigated in a laboratory study. Cress (Lepidium sativum L.) and pea (Pisum sativum L.) were employed as model plants. These plants were grown in tap water containing the selected pharmaceuticals at concentrations ranging from 0.010 to 10 mg L-1, whereby the latter concentration was employed for the (tentative) identification of drug-related metabolites formed within the plant. Thereby, mainly phase I metabolites were detected. Time-resolved uptake studies, with sampling after 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 days, revealed that all four pharmaceuticals were taken up by the roots and further relocated to plant stem and leaves. Also in these studies, the corresponding phase I metabolites could be detected, and their translocation from root to stem (pea only) and finally leaves could be investigated.

Simultaneous determination of tramadol in earwax and urine samples: effects of age, duration time and sex.

Background: This study aims to determine the concentrations of tramadol in earwax (µg/g) and urine (µg/ml) samples taken from postoperative patients, to evaluate the sensitivity of earwax (cerumen) as an alternative analyte and compare it with the findings in urine samples. Results: The results indicated that tramadol concentrations in earwax samples were averaged 45.08 µg/g (range: 13.5-107.7 µg/g), whereas tramadol concentrations in urine samples were averaged 4.97 µg/ml (range: 1.57-10.11 µg/ml). There were significant differences when comparing age groups, duration and sex between earwax and urine samples (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Despite the significant differences between earwax and urine samples, earwax can be used as a bioindicator of tramadol detection.

Trace element levels: How Substance Use Disorder (SUD) contributes to the alteration of urinary essential and toxic element levels.

Increasing illicit drug use is one of the main problems in most countries or societies. Monitoring heavy metals and trace elements in this vulnerable group seems to be necessary. Therefore, we assessed the urinary trace element and toxic metals/metalloids concentrations (Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Nickel (Ni), and Mercury (Hg)) in opium, tramadol, and cannabis users compared to healthy subjects. In this cross-sectional study, patients with substance use disorder (SUD) (n = 74) were divided into four groups: cannabis, tramadol, opium, and mixed (simultaneous use of more than one of the three studied substances), along with a healthy group (n = 60). Urine samples were prepared by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method so that heavy metals/metalloids could be measured by ICP-MS. The mean urinary concentration of Cu (48.15 vs. 25.45; 89.2%, p<0.001), Hg (1.3 vs. 0.10; 1200%, p < 0.001), and Zn (301.95 vs. 210; 43.8%, p < 0.001) was markedly lower among patients with SUD. The mean urinary concentration of other elements including As (1.9 vs. 4.1; 115.8%), Cd (0.1 vs. 1.10; 1000%), Cr (6.80 vs. 11.65; 71.3%), Ni (2.95 vs. 4.95; 67.8%), and Pb (1.5 vs. 7.9; 426.6%) were significantly higher among patients with SUD compared to healthy subjects. When sub-groups were compared, no significant differences were observed between their trace element levels (Kruskal-Wallis test, p > 0.05). This can be an indication that regardless of the type of drug, the levels of trace elements are changed with respect to healthy individuals. Our results showed that illicit drug use causes changes in urinary trace element/heavy metal/metalloid levels and highlights the need for monitoring heavy metals and trace elements in individuals with substance use disorder. Assessment of different elements in biological samples of drug dependents may be useful for implementing new prevention and treatment protocols. In case of changes in their levels, complementary recommendations, attention to diet, and periodic assessment of toxic metal levels within treatment programs will be needed.

Tramadol-warfarin interaction.

Overview of: Danbury G Susan Gladstone: Prevention of future deaths report [online], 2023. Available: https://www.judiciary. uk/​prevention-​of-​future-​death-​reports/​susan-​gladstone-​prevention-​offuture-​deaths-​report/ [Accessed 8 January 2024].

Effects of Intravenous Lipid Emulsion Administration in Acute Tramadol Poisoning: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: As the prevalence of tramadol toxicity is increasing, managing these patients with the aim of treatment and complete recovery has become a major challenge for health care professionals. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the short-term effects of IV lipid emulsion (ILE) administration in cases of tramadol poisoning. METHODS: In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 120 patients with pure tramadol poisoning and a Glasgow Coma (GCS) score ≤ 12 referred to a poisoning center in Tehran, Iran were selected and randomly assigned 1:1 to receive ILE 20% (intervention) or 0.9% saline (control) after admission and primary stabilization. The patient's vital signs, GCS score, hospitalization duration, and rate of seizure occurrence were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Mean (SD) age of participants was 25.3 (5.4) years and 84 (70%) were male. Mean (SD) ingested dose of tramadol was 3118 (244) mg, which was not different between the groups. Compared with controls, the ILE group had a higher level of consciousness after treatment (median [interquartile range] GCS score 12 [10-13] vs. 10 [8-12]; p = 0.03). In addition, length of hospitalization (median [interquartile range] (2 [1-3] days vs. 4 [4-6] days; p < 0.01) and rate of seizure occurrence were lower in the intervention group (16/60 vs. 30/60; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In the setting of tramadol poisoning with a decreased level of consciousness and based on our study's findings, administration of ILE is suggested to help manage patients in hospital emergency departments. However, larger trials might be needed to confirm these findings before entering the guidelines.

Analgaesic Effect of Erector Spinae Plane Block in Coronary Surgery: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of preemptive erector spinae plane (ESP) block application on postoperative pain scores and opioid demand in off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Randomised-controlled trial. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Abant Izzet Baysal University (AIBU) Medical School, Bolu, Turkiye, from November 2020 to April 2021. METHODOLOGY: Fifty patients between the ages of 50 and 75 years, received CABG surgery. These participants who were at risk of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) III were randomly divided into two groups: ESP (Group E) and Control (Group C). Intervention in Group E was performed bilaterally at the T5 level before the operation. In the study, the primary outcome was postoperative opioid demand while the secondary outcomes consisted of intraoperative opioid demand, visual analogue scale scores, and the duration of hospital stay. RESULTS: Tramadol demand was significantly decreased in Group E at 0-1, 1-12, 12-24, and 0-48 hours (p <0.05). Intraoperative fentanyl demand for Group E was also statistically significantly decreased (p= 0.001). In Group E, the visual analogue scale scores at 30 minutes, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 12th hour, and 16th hour after postoperative extubation were observed to be significantly lower than those of Group C (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Preemptive ESP block application in CABG surgery patients reduced postoperative tramadol demand, intraoperative fentanyl demand, and postoperative pain scores. KEY WORDS: Coronary artery bypass surgery, Erector spinae plane block, Acute postoperative pain.

Safety and efficacy of ketorolac continuous infusion for multimodal analgesia of vaso-occlusive crisis in patients with sickle cell disease.

Pain is an hallmark of sickle-cell-related acute clinical manifestations as part of acute vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). In SCD pain has different origins such as vascular or neuropathic pain, which requires multimodal analgesia. This is based on the administration of drugs with different pharmacological mechanisms of action, maximizing analgesia and minimizing their adverse events and the risk of drug-addition in patients experiencing acute-recurrent pain events as in SCD. Ketorolac is a potent non-narcotic analgesic, being relatively safe and effective during pain-management in children and adults. Up to now, there is a lack of safety information on continuous infusion ketorolac as used to control acute pain in patients with SCD, and the benefits/risks ratio needs to be investigated. Here, we report for the first time the safety profile of ketorolac in the special population of patients with SCD. We confirmed that ketorolac in combination with tramadol, an opioid like molecule, is effective in pain control of adult patients with SCD experiencing acute severe VOCs defined by pain visual analog scale. Our study shows that short term (72 h) continuous infusion of ketorolac plus tramadol is not associated with adverse events such as liver or kidney acute disfunction or abnormalities in coagulation parameters during patients' hospitalization and within 30 days after patients discharge. This is extremely important for patients with SCD, who should have access to multimodal therapy to control recurrent acute pain crisis in order to limit central sensitization a fearsome issue of undertreated recurrent acute pain and of chronic pain.

Comparative Evaluation of the Local Anesthetic Action of Tramadol Hydrochloride With Adrenaline Versus Lidocaine Hydrochloride With Adrenaline for Maxillary Exodontia: A Randomized Control Trial.

BACKGROUND: Tramadol hydrochloride (T-HCl) has demonstrated to have a local anesthetic effect similar to lidocaine hydrochloride (L-HCl) when administered locally for minor oral surgical procedures. PURPOSE: Our study aimed to compare the anesthetic effect of T-HCl versus L-HCl in maxillary premolar extraction. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING AND SAMPLE: The study is a split-mouth, double-blind randomized clinical trial at the Faculty of Dental Sciences, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bengaluru, India. The study sample was composed of patients referred for maxillary bicuspid extraction. Patients were excluded from the sample if, allergic to the study drugs, pregnant or lactating females, and smokers. EXPOSURE VARIABLE: The variable is an anesthetic drug administered for local anesthesia and it is grouped into 2 categories, T-HCl and L-HCl. A supraperiosteal infiltration of T-HCl with adrenaline on one side and L-HCl with adrenaline on the contralateral side was injected. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLE: The primary outcome variable was profound anesthesia of T-HCl, where the patient sensed the loss of sensation of touch, temperature, and pain. Secondary outcomes were onset and duration of anesthesia, intraoperative pain, postoperative analgesia, and adverse reactions, were recorded. ANALYSES: Inferential statistics, the χ2 Test, the Mann-Whitney Test, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to compare the parameters. The level of significance was set at ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients were included, and 80 teeth were extracted. Profound anesthesia was achieved in all the cases. The mean subjective duration of anesthesia in the T-HCl and L-HCl groups was 130.80 ± 20.01 minutes and 111.40 ± 14.87 minutes, respectively, with a P value of .001. The mean Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score for pain during the procedure in the T-HCl and L-HCl groups was 0.60 ± 0.67 and 1.10 ± 0.71, respectively, with a P value of .002. The mean Visual Analogue Scale score for pain postoperatively in the T-HCl and L-HCl groups was 0.70 ± 0.72 and 1.40 ± 0.67, respectively, with a P value of .001. Six patients in T-HCl required postoperative analgesia when compared to 18 patients in L-HCl (P value < .003). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: T-HCl provides similar anesthetic outcomes in the extraction of maxillary bicuspids as L-HCl.

Effect of Intraligamentary Tramadol Hydrochloride on Anesthetic Success During Endodontic Management of Mandibular Molars: A Randomized Clinical Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Tramadol hydrochloride has shown local anesthetic properties similar to lidocaine, apart from a central analgesic effect. The present study evaluated the effect of the administration of tramadol alone or in addition to 2% lidocaine, as supplementary intraligamentary injections. METHODS: One hundred and five patients, with a failed primary inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB), were randomly allocated to one of the three supplementary intraligamentary groups: 2% lidocaine with 1: 80,000 epinephrine; tramadol hydrochloride (50 mg/mL); and 2% lidocaine with 1: 80,000 epinephrine plus tramadol hydrochloride. Patients received 1.2 mL doses (0.6 mL of each root). Patients reporting pain ≤54 on Heft Parker visual analogue scale (Heft-Parker VAS), were categorized as successful anesthesia. A finger pulse oximeter was used to measure the heart rates. The anesthetic success rates, gender, and type of tooth were compared using the Pearson chi-square test. The heart rates and age were statistically evaluated using the one-way analysis of variance test. The level of significance was set at 0.05 (p=0.05). RESULTS: The initial IANB was successful in 31% of cases. There were significant differences in the anesthetic success rates of different supplementary intraligamentary injections (χ2= 33.6, p<0.001, df=2). The 2% lidocaine-plus-tramadol resulted in significantly higher success rates than the two groups. There were no significant changes in the baseline heart rates of all groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The addition of tramadol to 2% lidocaine with 1: 80,000 epinephrine, given as supplementary intraligamentary injection, can help in achieving successful anesthesia during the endodontic management of mandibular molars with irreversible pulpitis resistant to IANB injections.

Opioid Prescribing by Emergency Physicians: Trends Study of Medicare Part D Prescriber Data 2013-2019.

BACKGROUND: Emergency physicians play a critical role in mitigating the opioid epidemic in public health. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the prescribing of emergency physicians for opioids among Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the Part D program from 2013 to 2019. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive analysis of Medicare Part D prescriber data, focusing on opioid claims between 2013 and 2019. The primary outcome variables evaluated included proportion of opioid claims, trends of the most prescribed opioids, cost of opioid claims, and days' supply per claim. RESULTS: A total of 63,586 emergency physicians were identified over the study period. Opioid prescription by emergency physicians decreased from 14.45% to 11.55%, and the cost spent on opioid drugs declined by 50%. The use of drugs such as hydrocodone-acetaminophen and oxycodone-acetaminophen declined substantially, whereas tramadol and acetaminophen-codeine prescription increased. The opioid prescribing rate and days' supply also decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The decline in traditional opioid agents such as hydrocodone-acetaminophen was partly offset by an increase in opioids like tramadol, which carry additional potential adverse events. Opioid prescribing rate, average days' supply, and cost of opioid drugs significantly decreased from 2015 to 2019, after a spike in 2015. All regions observed a decrease in emergency physicians, but opioid prescribing rates varied across regions. These trends highlight successful opioid stewardship practices in some areas and the need for further development in others. This information can aid in designing tailored guidelines and policies for emergency physicians to promote effective opioid stewardship practices.

Opioid analgesics prescribing trends 2010-2019 in Slovenia: National database study.

OBJECTIVE: Significant increases in global opioid use have been reported in recent decades. This study analyzed opioid utilization in outpatient care in Slovenia between 2010 and 2019. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study performed a nationwide database analysis of all outpatient opioid analgesic prescriptions based on Slovenian health insurance claims data. Prevalence was defined as the number of recipients prescribed at least one opioid per 1000 inhabitants. Opioid consumption was presented as the total number of dispensed prescriptions per 1000 inhabitants and dispensed defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants for each year analyzed. RESULTS: The age-standardized prevalence of opioid recipients decreased by 21.5% during the study period. Total opioid consumption decreased both in the number of prescriptions (-9.2%) and DDD (-5.4%). Tramadol consumption decreased in terms of the number of prescriptions (-12.2%) and DDD (-2.7%), whereas prescriptions for strong opioids increased (10.2%) and DDDs decreased (-16.2%). The results suggest less intensive prescribing of strong opioids and more intensive prescribing for tramadol. The most frequently used strong opioids were fentanyl and oxycodone/naloxone. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of opioid recipients and opioid consumption is decreasing in Slovenia. Further research is needed to understand whether this finding reflects safe use or underuse of these important analgesics.

Intradermal Sterile Water Injection: Safe and Effective Alternative for Relief of Acute Renal Colic in the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: The optimal pain relief method for acute renal colic in the emergency department remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: We compared the safety and efficacy of intradermal sterile water injection (ISWI) to treatment with intramuscular (IM) diclofenac, intravenous (IV) opioids, and IV paracetamol in patients with acute renal colic. METHODS: This randomized, single-blind study included 320 patients with renal colic to one of four treatment groups. The first group received ISWI at four different points around the most painful flank area. Patients in the DI, PARA, and TRAM groups received 75 mg IM diclofenac, 1 g IV paracetamol, and 100 mg IV tramadol, respectively. Pain intensity was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) before treatment and 15, 30, and 60 min after treatment. RESULTS: VAS scores 15 and 30 min after treatment were significantly lower in group ISWI than in groups DI, PARA, and TRAM. However, there were no significant differences in the decrease in the pain score at baseline and at 60 min after treatment. In addition, fewer patients required rescue analgesia in group ISWI than in group TRAM. However, no significant differences were observed between group ISWI and group DI or PARA in terms of the need for rescue analgesia. Finally, there were significantly fewer adverse events in group ISWI than in groups DI and TRAM. CONCLUSIONS: ISWI had similar efficacy, faster pain relief, and lower need for rescue analgesia compared with diclofenac, paracetamol, and tramadol for the management of acute renal colic. In addition, ISWI was well-tolerated and had no adverse effects.

Opioid therapy trajectories of patients with chronic non-cancer pain over 1 year of follow-up after initiation of short-acting opioid formulations.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared opioid utilization trajectories of persons initiating tramadol, short-acting hydrocodone, or short-acting oxycodone, and it characterized opioid dose trajectories and type of opioid in persistent opioid therapy subsamples. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of adults with chronic non-cancer pain who were initiating opioid therapy was conducted with the IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus for Academics data (2008-2018). Continuous enrollment was required for 6 months before ("baseline") and 12 months after ("follow-up") the first opioid prescription ("index date"). Opioid therapy measures were assessed every 7 days over follow-up. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to identify trajectories for any opioid and total morphine milligram equivalent measures, and longitudinal latent class analysis was used for opioid therapy type. RESULTS: A total of 40 276 tramadol, 141 023 hydrocodone, and 45 221 oxycodone initiators were included. GBTM on any opioid therapy identified 3 latent trajectories: early discontinuers (tramadol 39.0%, hydrocodone 54.1%, oxycodone 61.4%), late discontinuers (tramadol 37.9%, hydrocodone 39.4%, oxycodone 33.3%), and persistent therapy (tramadol 6.7%, hydrocodone 6.5%, oxycodone 5.3%). An additional fourth trajectory, intermittent therapy (tramadol 16.4%), was identified for tramadol initiators. Of those on persistent therapy, 2687 individuals were on persistent therapy with tramadol, 9169 with hydrocodone, and 2377 with oxycodone. GBTM on opioid dose resulted in 6 similar trajectory groups in each persistent therapy group. Longitudinal latent class analysis on opioid therapy type identified 6 latent classes for tramadol and oxycodone and 7 classes for hydrocodone. CONCLUSION: Opioid therapy patterns meaningfully differed by the initial opioid prescribed, notably the presence of intermittent therapy among tramadol initiators and higher morphine milligram equivalents and prescribing of long-acting opioids among oxycodone initiators.