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We aimed to characterize the in-hospital analgesic use among total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA or TKA) patients, and to identify possible drug-related challenges. We identified 15 263 patients operated with a THA or TKA between 1 January 2012 and 30 April 2016. The prevalence of analgesic users and patients with potential clinically relevant drug-drug interactions (DDIs), along with the prevalence of readmission among patients with vs. without a DDI, were calculated. A DDI was defined as the combination of (A) a diuretic, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker, and an non-steroidal anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID); (B) warfarin and an NSAID; and (C) a benzodiazepine or a benzodiazepine-related drug and an opioid. The prevalence of analgesics administered in THA and TKA patients was 99.3% and 99.1% for paracetamol and 93.8% and 98.8% for opioids, respectively. The prevalence of patients who received interaction A, B or C was 8.4%, 2.5% and 40.7%, respectively. Patients with vs. without a DDI had a higher prevalence of 30-day readmission. In conclusion, most THA and TKA patients were administered paracetamol or opioids. The prevalence of 30-day readmission was higher in patients with than in patients without a potential clinically relevant DDI.

Purpose: Many elderly people living in nursing homes experience pain and take analgesic medication. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of pain and pharmacological pain treatment among people living in nursing homes in Sweden, in two large, comparable, samples from 2007 to 2013. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were performed in 2007 and 2013, including all residents in nursing homes in the county of Västerbotten, Sweden. A total of 4933 residents (2814 and 2119 respectively) with a mean age of 84.6 and 85.0 years participated. Of these, 71.1 and 72.4% respectively were cognitively impaired. The survey was completed by the staff members who knew the residents best. Results: The prescription of opioids became significantly more common while the use of tramadol decreased significantly. The staff reported that 63.4% in 2007 and 62.3% in 2013 had experienced pain. Of those in pain, 20.2% in 2007 and 16.8% in 2013 received no treatment and 73.4 and 75.0% respectively of those with pain, but no pharmacological treatment, were incorrectly described by the staff as being treated for pain. Conclusions: There has been a change in the pharmacological analgesic treatment between 2007 and 2013 with less prescribing of tramadol and a greater proportion taking opioids. Nevertheless, undertreatment of pain still occurs and in many cases, staff members believed that the residents were prescribed analgesic treatment when this was not the case.

Problem setting. Conducted a comparison of the systems of pharmaceutical provision with pharmaceutical care – providing medical products inUkraine and abroad through the introduction of health insurance and reimbursement of medicines from the state budget.Recent research and publications analysis. Quantitative analysis of the incidence of malignant neoplasms and mortality, the number of pharmacies inUkraine and Kharkiv region; the level of public spending on the program to combat cancer. Noted that the market of voluntary medical insurance inUkraine is underdeveloped (covering only 3% of the population) for a complete provision of population with necessary medicines and medical services. The basic conditions for the successful treatment of cancer. Analyzed legislative framework regulating the circulation of medicines for cancer patients inUkraine.Paper objective. The review violation circulation of medicines, pharmacy made by specialists in providing cancer. Determined that prescription drugs helps minimize forensic pharmaceutical risks (side effects, abuse, etc.). Processed work of scientists ofUkraine and other countries to ensure the cancer drugs of different pharmacological clinical, legal nomenclature and classification of legal groups.Conclusions of the research. Proposed standard-setting initiatives to improve the legal system "doctor-patient-pharmacist" and narcotic drugs for pharmaceutical providing for patients with cancer at discounted prescription from pharmacies in Ukraine and Kharkov region: expanding the definition of "pharmacy"; promoting the opening of pharmacies in rural areas and increase the number of pharmacies that carry out activities related to narcotic drugs, Проведено сравнение систем фармацевтического обеспечения предоставления фармацевтической помощи в Украине и за рубежом, проанализированы количественные показатели заболеваемости злокачественными новообразованиями, количество аптек в Украине и Харьковской области. Изучено нарушение правил обращения лекарственных средств, допущеных для обеспечения онкобольных. Предложены нормотворческие инициативы для усовершенствования системы правоотношений «врач–пациент–провизор» и оборота наркотических лекарственных средств для фармацевтического обеспечения онкобольных по льготным рецептам в аптечных учреждениях Украины и Харьковского региона, Проведено порівняння систем фармацевтичного забезпечення надання фармацевтичної допомоги в Україні та за кордоном, проаналізовано кількісні показники захворюваності на злоякісні новоутворення, кількість аптек в Україні та в Харківській області. Вивчено порушення правил обігу лікарських засобів, допущених для забезпечення онкохворих. Запропоновано нормотворчі ініціативи для удосконалення системи правовідносин «лікар–пацієнт–провізор» та обігу наркотичних лікарських засобів для фармацевтичного забезпечення онкохворих за пільговими рецептами в аптечних закладах України та Харківського регіону

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze opioid analgesic use in the La Paz University Hospital in 2008 in order to identify patterns of use and consumption. To that end, data from inpatients were analyzed overall, as well as by hospitals and departments. We analyzed data on consumption in the previous 5 years and quantified the use of the remaining active principles administered as analgesics in our hospital. Materials and methods: Following the Wold Health Organization's guidelines for studieson medication use in hospitals, data are shown as defined daily dose (DDD) per 100 hospital stays. Data on drug use were obtained from the drug management program, Farma Tools (Dominion®), which is used by the Pharmacy Service at La Paz Hospital. Results: The overall value of opioid utilization in 2008 was 8.1 DDD per 100 hospital stays. The most widely used active principles were parenteral morphine and transdermal fentanyl. Together, these drugs represented 83% of total opioid consumption. Analysis by hospital revealed that the General and Traumatology Hospitals showed the highest opioid drug consumption and followed the same utilization pattern as overall use. The services most representative of opioid consumption in inpatients were the Recovery Room in the General and Traumatology Hospitals, Critical Care, Oncology, Hematology and Palliative Care. In the last 5 years of the study, the overall use of these drugs increased by 20%, irrespective of the active principles involved. Analysis of analgesic intake at La Paz Hospital showed widespread use (104 DDD per 100 hospital stays). Opioids represented 7.4% of total analgesic consumption, the most frequently used analgesics being acetaminophen and metamizol. Conclusions: The results of our study show an increasing trend in opioid consumption in this hospital. We believe this increase reflects an improvement in the management of both acute and chronic pain, since the use of all opioid active ingredients increased. In hos, Objetivo: El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido realizar un estudio de utilización de analgésicos opiáceos en el Hospital Universitario La Paz (Madrid) en el año 2008 para conocer cómo se está utilizando este grupo de medicamentos y cuál es la tendencia del consumo. Para ello, se presentan los datos de uso de opiáceos en pacientes ingresados de forma global, por hospitales y por servicios clínicos. Se exponen los datos de consumo de los 5 últimos años y se ha cuantificado el uso del resto de principios activos empleados como analgésicos en nuestro hospital. Material y métodos: Haciendo uso de la metodología recomendada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud para los estudios de utilización de medicamentos en hospitales, presentamos nuestros datos en dosis diarias definidas (DDD) por 100 estancias. Los datos de consumo se han obtenido del programa de gestión de medicamentos del Servicio de Farmacia Farma Tools (Dominion®) Resultados: El valor global de utilización de opiáceos en 2008 ha sido de 8,1 DDD/100 estancias. Los principios activos más consumidos han sido la morfina parenteral y el fentanilo transdérmico, y entre los 2 representan el 83% del consumo total de opiáceos. En el análisis por hospitales apreciamos que el Hospital General y el de Traumatología son los que presentan un mayor empleo de opiáceos y siguen el mismo patrón de utilización que el global. Los servicios más representativos del consumo de opiáceos han sido las reanimaciones del Hospital General y de Traumatología, los Servicios de Oncología, Cuidados paliativos y Hematología. En estos últimos 5 años se ha producido un incremento global del consumo de aproximadamente el 20%, viéndose implicados todos los principios activos. Con relación al consumo total de analgésicos, los datos reflejan una amplia utilización en el hospital (104 DDD/100 estancias). Los opiáceos representan un 7,4% del consumo total de analgésicos, siendo el paracetamol y el metamizol los analgésicos más ampliamente utilizados.

In recent years there has been a wide use of the epidural technique not only during surgery to provide anesthesia and analgesia, but also for obstetric and trauma as well as acute, chronic and cancer pain states. Nowadays there is an increase in the number of the epidural drugs. Local anesthetics and opioids are still the pharmacological agents more widely used epidurally, nevertheless other drugs from different pharmacological classes are administered as adjuvant to local anesthetics and opioids or are in various early stages of investigation. Regarding to local anesthetics, the most recent literature focuses on the new enantiomers, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine, the efficacy of which is similar to that of bupivacaine with a reduced risk of cardiotoxicity. About opioids, the other class of drugs mainly used, the debate, in the last years, concerned the physicochemical properties of morphine and of the more recent lipophilic agents, fentanyl and sufentanil, in order to explain the main differences in efficacy and safety. Other categories of agents have been investigated for epidural administration, such as alpha(2)-adrenergic agonists clonidine and dexmedetomidine. They are being used increasingly as adjuvants to local anesthetics and opioids. Ketamine and neostigmine, the more recent studied drugs for epidural use, are still under investigation and are not part of routine clinical practice.

The identification and cloning of the vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) represented a significant step for the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the transduction of noxious chemical and thermal stimuli by peripheral nociceptors. TRPV1 is a non-selective cation channel gated by noxious heat, vanilloids and extracellular protons. TRPV1 channel activity is remarkably potentiated by pro-inflammatory agents, a phenomenon that is thought to underlie the peripheral sensitisation of nociceptors that leads to thermal hyperalgesia. Cumulative evidence is building a strong case for the involvement of this receptor in the etiology of both peripheral and visceral inflammatory pain, such as inflammatory bowel disease, bladder inflammation and cancer pain. The validation of TRPV1 receptor as a key therapeutic target for pain management has thrust intensive drug discovery programs aimed at developing orally active antagonists of the receptor protein. Nonetheless, the real challenge of these drug discovery platforms is to develop antagonists that preserve the physiological activity of TRPV1 receptors while correcting over-active channels. This is a condition to ensure normal pro-prioceptive and nociceptive responses that represent a safety mechanism to prevent tissue injury. Recent and exciting advances in the function, dysfunction and modulation of this receptor will be the focus of this review.