Cryoneurolysis for Nonsurgical Inpatients

For extended relief of postoperative acute pain, cryoneurolysis—providing temporary analgesia through the use of extremely low temperatures to reversibly ablate a peripheral nerve—has been proven effective, but can it also help acute worsening in nonsurgical inpatients? Researchers, publishing their findings in Cureus, report on a 30 year old patient with CLOVES syndrome—congenital lipomatous overgrowth, vascular malformations, epidermal nevis, spinal/skeletal anomalies/scoliosis.

Day in Hospital: Opioid Consumption (MME) / Average Verbal Pain Score (X out of 10)

• 0: 48MME / 10 out of 10
• 1: 46MME / 10 out of 10
• 2: 72MME / 10 out of 10
• 3: 78MME / 10 out of 10

Day 4: Received cryoneurolysis

• 4: 56MME / 6 out of 10
• 5: 0MME / 0 out of 10

The study concluded that there was “successful use of a portable, percutaneous cryoneurolysis device in a hospital setting for the treatment of acute-on-chronic pain to facilitate opioid weaning and hospital discharge in a nonsurgical patient. More studies are warranted to establish the feasibility, safety, cost-effectiveness, and efficacy of the use of cryoneurolysis in an inpatient setting. Regional anesthesiologists and acute pain specialists who possess the skills to perform ultrasound-guided interventions can use cryoneurolysis as a potential tool for the management of complex pain to facilitate hospital discharge in opioid-tolerant patients admitted primarily for pain management.”

 

Access the journal article here.

Other Categories:

• Analgesics

• Anesthesiology

• pain management

• research/study

• wound care