Conversion from high-dose full-opioid agonists to sublingual buprenorphine reduces pain scores and improves quality of life for chronic pain patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of converting patients from high doses of full-opioid agonists to sublingual (SL) buprenorphine. DESIGN: An observational report of outcomes assessment. SETTING: An interventional pain management practice setting in the United States. SUBJECTS: Thirty-five chronic pain patients (age 24-66) were previously treated with high-dose opioid-agonist drugs and converted to SL buprenorphine. Patients' daily morphine equivalents ranged from 200 mg to 1,370 mg preconversion, with a mean daily dose of 550 mg. METHODS: A retrospective chart analysis examined numerical pain levels and quality of life scores before and 2 months after conversion to SL buprenorphine. RESULTS: After continuation of SL buprenorphine therapy for 2 months, the mean pain score decreased from 7.2 to 3.5 (P < 0.001), with 34 of the 35 patients examined reporting a decrease in pain. This pain score decrease was robust with regard to initial pain score and preconversion morphine equivalent dosage. Quality of life scores improved from 6.1 to 7.1 (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Average pain scores decreased from 7.2 to 3.5, and quality of life scores increased from 6.1 to 7.1 for 35 patients converted from high-dose full-opioid agonists to SL buprenorphine therapy for more than 60 days. Clinicians should consider buprenorphine SL conversion for all patients on high-dose opioids, particularly patients with severe pain (7-10) unrelieved by their current opioid regimen or patients for whom the clinician does not feel comfortable prescribing high-dose opioids.

Atypical Wounds; Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

Patients with severe diabetic foot ulcerations that fail to heal with standard conventional therapies may be candidates for hyperbaric oxygen therapy; these patients also should be evaluated for atypical wound etiologies. Medical evaluation includes thorough history, physical examination, screening laboratory tests, and ulcer biopsy. During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, patients breathe 100% oxygen at 2 times to 3 times atmospheric pressure while enclosed in a hyperbaric chamber. Over time, administration of hyperbaric oxygen therapy can result in wound neovascularization and enhanced limb salvage. In patients with suspected atypical ulceration, referral to a multidisciplinary wound healing center is considered standard of care.

What Heals Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Surgery, Immunosuppression, or Both?

BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that is a significant source of impaired quality-of-life for affected individuals. For patients with refractory disease, radical resection of all involved tissue may offer the only potential option for a cure. However, high rates of recurrence after wide local excision have led investigators to seek alternative therapeutic combinations. We present our experience and a literature review. METHODS: A comprehensive literature review (1982-2016) was performed on PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE, using key words relevant to HS. RESULTS: A total of 1842 publications were identified, and 15 publications were included in this review on: surgical intervention (n = 10), biologic therapy (n = 4), and joint surgical and biologic treatment (n = 1) of HS. The treatment type, level of evidence, and key findings are assessed and discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Recent trials demonstrating the safety and efficacy of biologic therapy alone in patients with moderate-to-severe HS have spurred questions regarding the potential utility of these agents as adjuncts to more traditional surgical interventions. The results of the literature search advocate a role for radical resection and biologic therapy in the setting of moderate-to-severe disease. Preliminary results from limited case series suggest a potential role for combined management in the setting of advanced, recalcitrant disease.

Building a Multidisciplinary Hospital-Based Wound Care Center: Nuts and Bolts.

BACKGROUND: A hospital-based wound care center provides an important platform for the multidisciplinary approach to wound care. The colocation of specialists is an ideal working environment for the efficient delivery of quality care of the complex wound through daily communication and shared resources. METHODS: We describe the critical components necessary in building a hospital-based wound care center. Furthermore, the experience at the authors' institution in developing the multidisciplinary approach is discussed. RESULTS: Readily available ancillary services, specially trained personnel, continuum of care from the outpatient clinic to admission to surgery, and inpatient and outpatient post operative care all contribute to a process that is especially amenable to the care of the complex wound. CONCLUSIONS: The final goal is to return the patient to the best quality of life achievable given his or her wound or disability. The aim of this study is to present the authors' experiences and provide insight for others who may want to build this model within their institutions.

The Use of Bovine Collagen-glycosaminoglycan Matrix for Atypical Lower Extremity Ulcers.

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of bovine collagen-glycosaminoglycan matrix on atypical lower extremity ulcers. A retrospective chart review was performed on patients who underwent application of bovine collagen matrix to a lower extremity ulcer with an atypical etiology including autoimmune disease, sickle cell anemia, radiation therapy, connective tissue disease, vasculitis, or coagulopathy from January 2009 to October 2014. The following outcomes were evaluated: rate of ulcer healing and closure, number of ulcers that received a split-thickness skin graft, improvement in pain, and complications related to the ulcer. Thirty-eight patients with 71 lower extremity ulcers were analyzed. The most common ulcer etiolo- gies included rheumatoid arthritis, sickle cell anemia, and coagulopa- thy. After application of the bovine collagen matrix, 30 (42.3%) ulcers healed at a mean of 220.9 days. Of the 71 ulcers, 26 (36.6%) re- ceived a split-thickness skin graft after application of the matrix and 17 (65.4%) of those went on to complete healing. Ten patients had a local infection noted during follow-up, and 5 patients had dehiscence or dissociation of the matrix. Atypical lower extremity ulcers, such as those caused by autoimmune diseases and sickle cell anemia, proved difficult to heal. This case series shows that bovine collagen matrix can be a successful adjunctive therapy for the treatment of these challenging ulcers.

Conversion of chronic pain patients from full-opioid agonists to sublingual buprenorphine.

BACKGROUND: Sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone (buprenorphine SL) is a preparation that is used to treat opioid dependence. In addition, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has acknowledged the legality of an off-label use to treat pain with a sublingual buprenorphine preparation. Buprenorphine SL is unique among the opioid class of analgesics; this compound has a high affinity for the mu-receptor, yet only partially activates it. Thus, buprenorphine SL can provide analgesia, yet minimize opioid side effects. Many patients on high doses of traditional opioid medication develop tolerance. Despite escalating medication dosage, a subset of patients had a paradoxical increase in pain, which has been characterized as opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH).  Buprenorphine SL, on the other hand, may even be anti-hyperalgesic and may have utility in treating these challenging patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of converting patients from traditional full agonist opioid medication to sublingual buprenorphine, as well as to identify patient groups that are most likely to benefit from this therapy. Patients who underwent conversion either had developed tolerance with diminished analgesia or were experiencing side effects on their opioid medications. STUDY DESIGN: An observational report of outcomes assessment. SETTING: An interventional pain management practice setting in the United States. METHODS: Retrospective data from clinical records was compiled on 104 de-identified chronic pain patients whose personal information had been redacted (60 men and 44 women, aged 21-78) and who had previously been treated with opioid-agonist drugs; they were converted to buprenorphine SL in tablet form during the study. Chronic pain was defined as persistent pain for at least 6 months. Data collected from patient profiles included age, sex, diagnosis, medication history, pre-induction opioid intake, reason for detoxification, pre-induction Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Score (COWS), and if applicable, cause of buprenorphine SL cessation. Pain levels and Quality of Life scores were recorded before and after conversion to buprenorphine SL. OUTCOME MEASURES: Level of analgesia for patients who continued conversion to sublingual buprenorphine for more than 2 months. RESULTS: After initiation of buprenorphine SL therapy for more than 2 months, the mean pain scores on a scale from 0-10 decreased by 2.3 points (P < 0.001). Patient Quality of Life (QoL scale) was not significantly affected by buprenorphine SL therapy (P = 0.14). The success rate was highest for patients using morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl before buprenorphine SL induction. These patient groups had a 3.7 point decrease in pain for those taking morphine, a 2.5 point decrease in pain for those taking oxycodone, and a 2.2 point decrease for those taking fentanyl. The smallest pain reduction was seen in the patient group using oxymorphone before conversion with a 1.1 point decrease in pain. Patients taking between 100-199 mg morphine equivalent per day experienced the greatest reduction (2.7 points) in pain scores. Patients taking between 200 and 299 mg morphine equivalent before buprenorphine SL induction exhibited a decrease of over 2 points on average. Patients taking > 400 mg morphine equivalent reported the smallest reduction in pain scores, on average a 1.1 point decrease. LIMITATIONS: This study is limited by its observational nature. CONCLUSIONS: Patients continuing buprenorphine SL therapy for more than 60 days reported significant decreases in pain (2.3 points). Patients on doses of opioid medication between 100-199 mg morphine equivalents seemed to fare better with conversion to buprenorphine SL than patients on the highest doses (> 400 mg morphine equivalents). The opioid drug used by the patient before buprenorphine SL induction appears to have some effect on buprenorphine SL conversion success. Patients previously taking morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl had the greatest decrease in pain after conversion to buprenorphine SL.