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"Elect"ing to say "maybe?" Results have been released from a National Poll on Healthy Aging. Among adults 50 to 80 years of age who considered having elective surgery—including joint, eye, abdominal, cosmetic, foot, or leg—well over 60% said their #1 concern was pain/discomfort. The poll was...
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New guidelines for perioperative acute pain treatment in patients undergoing complex surgeries have been established by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and 14 other societies, including American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery...
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Does an earlier age for first menstrual cycle lead to chronic widespread pain later in life? Researchers in Norway utilized the Tromsø Study—conducted from 2007-2008 and 2015-2016, with over 12,000 participants aged 30-99—and reported findings in the journal of Pain. The study looked at chronic...
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In a narrative review published in Cureus, researchers examined acute pain, which is normal postsurgery, and its potential transition to chronic pain. Postsurgery rates of persistent/subacute pain (lasting over a month) range from 10% to 50%; chronic pain (lasting more than 3 months) is seen in 2%...
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A retrospective cohort study of post colorectal surgery and trips to the emergency department (ED) is discussed in the journal of Diseases of the Colon & Rectum. In order to increase prevention of return ED visits—approximately 11% of patients—researchers characterized the factors that brought...
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A rose is a rose is a rose. And an emoji of a rose is even easier to “get.” There are over 3500 Unicode Standard emoji, including medical-specific ones such as a pill or a syringe. Newer added emoji include a stethoscope, microbe, and drop of blood. Authors of a JAMA commentary suggest even more...
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Early detection for dementia or stroke risk could improve outcomes. In a retrospective cohort study reported in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, researchers used Framingham Heart Study data. After determining widespread pain, and those who were dementia-free at baseline, researchers followed up...
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Who is more likely to use cannabis for pain? A study in the journal of Cancer states its findings that, within the past year, 8% of cancer survivors reported using cannabis vs 15% of people without cancer. All those surveyed, whether cancer survivors or not, were more likely to use cannabis if they...
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The journal of Scientific Reports has published an article in which researchers discuss a potential treatment for burn injuries. These injuries, which globally affect over 6 million people every year, may cause infections, scarring, and even death. Clinical benefits have been noted through the use...
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The CDC reports potential COVID-19 symptoms even months after infection. Most of the 33.5 million US COVID patients recovered with no complications. Some, however, still experience physical health problems leading to difficulties with activities of daily living, such as fatigue, muscle weakness, and...