BACKGROUND Although a convenient opioid delivery system, transdermal fentanyl patches have caused several deaths and resulted in safety warnings reminding prescribers that fentanyl patches should be prescribed only for patients who have adequate prior exposure to opioids. We conducted a longitudinal analysis of the safety of fentanyl initiation by examining past opioid exposure among patients n...

BACKGROUND An appropriate plasma concentration of fentanyl is the key to achieving good pain control in cancer patients. Cachexia, a multifactorial syndrome, is known to affect drug-metabolizing enzymes. However, the fentanyl concentrations in the blood of patients with cachexia have not been analyzed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of cancer cachexia on dose-adjusted plasm...

BACKGROUND Previous meta-analysis suggested that transdermal fentanyl was not inferior to sustained-release oral morphine in treating moderate-severe cancer pain with less adverse effects. Now, we updated the data and performed a systematic review. METHODS Updated cohort studies on transdermal fentanyl and oral morphine in the treatment of cancer pain were searched in electronic databases inc...

OBJECTIVE To describe a successful experience with a high dose (1000 microg/hr) of transdermal fentanyl for cancer pain relief. CASE REPORT A 62-year-old man suffering from rectal carcinoma was treated by our home care hospice unit during his last 3.5 months of life. At admission to our home care unit, he suffered mostly from severe anal pain (verbal pain scale of 10/10) due to advanced disea...

1. Balki M, Manninen PH. Craniotomy for suprasellar meningioma in a 28-week pregnant woman without fetal heart rate monitoring. Can J Anesth 2004;51:573-6. 2. Chow MS, Mercier PA, Omahen DA, Wood SL, Johnson JA. Recurrent exophytic meningioma in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2013;121:475-8. 3. Rodríguez-Porcel F, Hughes I, Anderson D, Lee J, Biller J. Foster kennedy syndrome due to meningioma growt...

Postoperative pain is a significant concern for patients who undergo surgery via a midline posterior approach to the occipitocervical junction and spinal axis. The development of the disposable, ambulatory pain pump presents a novel alternative for treatment of postoperative pain. The authors describe a multimodal treatment algorithm for postoperative pain after posterior occipitocervical junct...