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Epidural analgesia may give good pain relief after hip or knee replacement surgery, but this benefit must be weighed against the possibility of adverse effects and complications. Hip and knee replacements are common operations to improve mobility and quality of life. After surgery, good pain relief is essential to enable patients to start walking again. ...

Amputee pain may present in a body part that has been amputated (phantom pain) or at the site of amputation (stump pain), or both. Phantom pain and stump pain are complex conditions and affect up to 80% of amputees. The underlying causes are not fully understood. Drug therapy is the most common treatment yet the condition remains poorly managed. The ...

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is characterised by persistent pain, usually in the hands or feet, that is not proportionate in severity to any underlying injury. It often involves a variety of other symptoms such as swelling, discolouration, stiffness, weakness and changes to the skin. This overview sought to summarise and report all of the available ...

Researchers in the Cochrane Collaboration conducted a review of research about the effects of serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) on fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). After searching for all relevant studies, they found 10 studies with up to 6038 people. Their findings are summarized below. Adults with FMS, who took the SNRIs duloxetine ...

The clinical research is insufficient to support the routine use of inhaled prostacyclin for acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome in critically ill children or adults with low blood oxygen levels. Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are critical respiratory conditions that are triggered by respiratory ...

Insufficient evidence is available from randomized controlled trials to support the use of antithrombin III to improve the survival of critically ill patients. Antithrombin III (AT III) is an anticoagulant with anti-inflammatory properties. In the present systematic review we set out to assess the benefits and harms of its use in critically ill patients. ...

Broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment is defined as the use of an antibiotic or a combination of antibiotics which act against a wide range of disease-causing bacteria. Broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment can reduce mortality rates in patients with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock. Sepsis is a serious medical condition which is characterized ...

There is a lack of knowledge from previous research to support the use of inhaled nitric oxide (INO) to improve the survival of patients with acute respiratory failure and low blood oxygen levels. In the present systematic review we set out to assess the benefits and harms of its use in patients with acute respiratory failure. We identified 14 randomized ...

Neuropathic pain is pain that arises from damage to the part of the nervous system that carries sensory information to the brain. It is difficult to treat because of its severity, duration and resistance to simple painkillers. Some studies have suggested that oxcarbazepine, when given on its own, can relieve pain from nerve damage. To investigate the ...

During surgery, patients are given fluids into their veins to prevent and treat dehydration and loss of blood. Some fluids consist of a simple salt solution whilst others are matched more closely to the fluid in the blood. These latter fluids are called buffered fluids because they maintain the balance of the acids and bases in the body. We searched ...