Long-Term Evaluation of Spinal Cord Stimulation in Patients With Painful Diabetic Polyneuropathy: An Eight-to-Ten-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy (PDPN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study was the eight-to-ten-year follow-up of a previously performed pilot and randomized controlled trial on the effects of SCS in PDPN, initiated by the multidisciplinary pain center of Maastricht University Medical Center+. The study population consisted of a subgroup of patients who still used SCS treatment ≥ eight years after implantation (n = 19). Pain intensity scores (numeric rating scale [NRS]) during the day and night and data on secondary outcomes (ie, quality of life, depression, sleep quality) were reported during yearly follow-up consultations. Long-term efficacy of SCS was analyzed by comparing the most recently obtained data eight to ten years after implantation with those obtained at baseline. RESULTS: Pain intensity, day and night, was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced by 2.3 (NRS 6.6-4.3) and 2.2 (NRS 6.8-4.6) points, respectively, when comparing the long-term data with baseline. Moreover, for > 50% of patients, the pain reduction was > 30%, which is considered clinically meaningful. No differences were found regarding the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: This eight-to-ten-year follow-up study indicates that SCS can remain an effective treatment in the long term to reduce pain intensity in a subcohort of patients with PDPN who still had an SCS device implanted after eight years.

Multimodal prehabilitation (Fit4Surgery) in high-impact surgery to enhance surgical outcomes: Study protocol of F4S PREHAB, a single center stepped wedge trial.

BACKGROUND: High-impact surgery imposes a significant physiological and functional burden and is associated with substantial postoperative morbidity. Multimodal prehabilitation has demonstrated a reduction in postoperative complications and enhanced functional recovery, mainly in abdominal cancer surgery. Common preoperative risk factors shared among patients undergoing high-impact surgery, extending beyond abdominal cancer surgery procedures, suggest the relevance of multimodal prehabilitation to a broader patient population. This stepped wedge trial primarily aims to examine the hospital-wide effect of multimodal prehabilitation, compared to standard preoperative care, on the occurrence and severity of postoperative complications. Secondary and tertiary endpoints include length of hospital stay, physical fitness, nutritional status, mental health, intoxications, and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. METHODS: The Fit4Surgery (F4S) PREHAB trial is a monocenter stepped wedge trial in an academic hospital. Adult patients, divided into 20 health clusters based on specific diagnoses, will be assessed for eligibility and receive usual preoperative care or multimodal prehabilitation. Patient enrollment commenced in March 2021 and continues up to and including April 2024. The intervention consists of a high-intensity exercise program, a nutritional intervention, psychological support, and smoking and alcohol cessation. The primary outcome will be measured by the Clavien-Dindo classification (grade II or higher) and the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI). DISCUSSION: Multimodal prehabilitation potentially reduces postoperative complications and enhances functional recovery. This is the first study to determine the hospital-wide effect and cost-effectiveness of multimodal prehabilitation in patients across various surgical specialties.

Do Men and Women Have a Different Association between Fear-Avoidance and Pain Intensity in Chronic Pain? An Experience Sampling Method Cohort-Study.

BACKGROUND: Fear-avoidance is one of the factors associated with chronic pain. However, it remains unclear whether the association between fear-avoidance and pain depends on sex. The present study aimed to investigate whether the association between fear-avoidance and pain intensity differed between men and women in chronic pain patients. Additionally, the potential confounding effect of affective experiences on the association between fear-avoidance and pain intensity was analyzed. METHOD: This cohort study included hospital referred chronic pain patients (n = 45). Short momentary assessment questions according to the experience sampling method (ESM) were used to repeatedly assess patients' pain intensity, level of fear-avoidance and positive as well as negative affect during their daily life. Linear mixed-effects models were applied in the statistical analysis. Unadjusted and adjusted models were made, in which the latter corrected for statistically significant affective experiences and baseline variables, taking the Aikake Information Criterion into account to assess a better model of fit. RESULTS: The results demonstrated an association between fear-avoidance and pain intensity that differed for men and women. In men (n = 13), no association between these variables was found (-0.04 (95% CI: -0.14, 0.06) with a p-value of 0.48), whereas in women (n = 32), an increase in fear-avoidance was associated with a (slight) increase in pain intensity (0.18 (95% CI 0.06, 0.30) with a p-value of 0.003). Affect did not confound the above-mentioned findings. CONCLUSION: Our data supports previous research highlighting the importance of sex differences in pain experience. These findings may be relevant for clinicians to consider more personalized (i.e., gender specific) pain management in chronic pain patients.