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Purpose: Antiemetics are being used both for the treatment and prophylaxis of opioid-induced nausea and vomiting (OINV) in clinical practice, despite the lack of evidence for the prophylactic benefit. Studies among Japanese physicians demonstrated over 80% prescribe antiemetics, with neuroleptic antipsychotics as the most commonly prescribed drugs. Our objective was to elucidate the current scenario of the prophylactic use of antiemetics for OINV among Italian physicians.Methods: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional national survey. All the invited participants received an e-mail with an 11-item electronic questionnaire accessible through a direct link. Anonymity was guaranteed. According to the exploratory intent of the survey, we did not predefine any formal statistical hypothesis. Associations between variables were tested by the Pearson chi-square or the Fisher exact test.Results: From January to March 2017, 112 completed the electronic questionnaire (112/256, overall response rate, 43.7%). Nearly half of the participants were oncologists (54; 48.2%). Sixty-one (54.4%) physicians worked in palliative care units. About 45% of the interviewed prescribed prophylactic antiemetics at the beginning of opioid prescription. The most commonly chosen drugs for this purpose were prokinetics such as metoclopramide and domperidone (84%), followed by 5-HT3 antagonists (8%), neuroleptic antipsychotics (6%), and corticosteroids (2%). Ninety-one physicians (81%) declared to prescribe antiemetics at the occurrence of OINV, mainly prokinetics (N = 70; 77%).Conclusion: Italian physicians do not commonly prescribe prophylactic antiemetics for OINV. Unlike previously reported data, dopamine antagonists resulted the most commonly prescribed drugs. Prospective clinical trials are necessary to evaluate the real efficacy of this practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the existence of protocols for effective pain control, pediatric pain is still high, due to scarce knowledge of its treatment, especially regarding opioids. This study aimed to evaluate doctors and nurses' knowledge of pain treatment and the use of opioids in children, before and after the implementation of Law 38/2010, that represented an important step in guaranteeing patients' rights to gain access to appropriate services for pain control and palliative care in Italy and in establishing the obligation of specific training programs in this matter for health professionals. An ad hoc questionnaire was developed and administered before (investigation A) and after (investigation B) the issuance of the Law. In B both doctors and nurses showed a slight but significant increase in correct answers and a reduction in incorrect ones, mainly concerning the category Myths and Prejudices. In both investigations doctors and nurses showed adequate general knowledge, yet there were some gaps regarding the specific knowledge of opioid drugs. Most of the participants were not familiar with the Law and its provisions. Investigation B showed an improvement in health professionals' knowledge, perhaps due to a hospital environment that followed the provisions of Law 38/2010. Nevertheless, the establishment of training courses according to the Law is needed to improve the knowledge of opioids, as well as to dispel deeply rooted myths and prejudices on pediatric pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: An ongoing national multicenter survey [Italian Oncologic Pain multiSetting Multicentric Survey (IOPS-MS)] is evaluating the characteristics of breakthrough cancer pain (BTP) in different clinical settings. Preliminary data from the first 1500 cancer patients with BTP enrolled in this study are presented here.Methods: Thirty-two clinical centers are involved in the survey. A diagnosis of BTP was performed by a standard algorithm. Epidemiological data, Karnofsky index, stage of disease, presence and sites of metastases, ongoing oncologic treatment, and characteristics of background pain and BTP and their treatments were recorded. Background pain and BTP intensity were measured. Patients were also questioned about BTP predictability, BTP onset (≤10 or >10 min), BTP duration, background and BTP medications and their doses, time to meaningful pain relief after BTP medication, and satisfaction with BTP medication. The occurrence of adverse reactions was also assessed, as well as mucosal toxicity.Results: Background pain was well controlled with opioid treatment (numerical rating scale 3.0 ± 1.1). Patients reported 2.5 ± 1.6 BTP episodes/day with a mean intensity of 7.5 ± 1.4 and duration of 43 ± 40 min; 977 patients (65.1%) reported non-predictable BTP, and 1076 patients (71.7%) reported a rapid onset of BTP (≤10 min). Higher patient satisfaction was reported by patients treated with fast onset opioids.Conclusions: These preliminary data underline that the standard algorithm used is a valid tool for a proper diagnosis of BTP in cancer patients. Moreover, rapid relief of pain is crucial for patients' satisfaction. The final IOPS-MS data are necessary to understand relationships between BTP characteristics and other clinical variables in oncologic patients.Funding: Molteni Farmaceutici, Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There is general agreement about the need to perform a screening test to assess the risk of opioid misuse prior to starting a long-term opioid treatment for chronic noncancer pain. The evidence supporting the effectiveness of opioid long-term treatment is weak, and no predictors of its usefulness have been assessed. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the effect on pain and quality of life of chronic opioid treatment, and detect the possible predictors of its effectiveness. Methods This observational, prospective study was conducted in 2 Italian Pain Relief Units on 77 patients affected by intractable chronic pain. Patients were submitted to psychological tests, investigating the individual pain experience, risk of opioid misuse, mood states, quality of life, and personality characteristics prior to starting treatment and at 2,4, and 6-month follow-up. Results Both maximum and habitual pain, as measured with VAS, underwent a statistically significant reduction at 2, 4, and 6-month follow-up. In multivariate analysis, lower scores in the Pain Medication Questionnaire ( PMQ) were predictive of a major reduction in maximum VAS ( P = 0.005). Both low PMQ and MMPI-cynicism scores were predictive of habitual VAS decrease ( P = 0.012 and P = 0.028, respectively). Conclusion The results indicate that pain relief significantly improved over a 6-month period of opioid treatment, together with quality of life. The outcome was better in patients with a pretreatment low risk of opioid misuse, low scores in the Cynicism scale of MMPI-2, and no aberrant drug behaviors at follow-up. Therefore, a psychological screening and support is crucial for a good outcome of opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the prognostic value of initial pain intensity and its duration in advanced cancer patients. Methods A prospective study was conducted in a sample of patients with cancer requiring pain control. Patients underwent standard analgesic strategies used in our palliative care units. Pain intensity was measured at admission ( T0) and after successful dose titration or opioid/route switching within a week ( Ts). Patients were also asked about their pain intensity reported 15 days before admission ( T-15). Doses of opioids and duration of opioid use were recorded. Patients were also assessed for the presence of incident pain, neuropathic pain, alcoholism, delirium, and symptom intensity, including items representing psychological distress. One week after or at time of stabilization ( Ts), the opioid response was clinically graded as follows: (1) good pain control; (2) adequate pain control requiring more aggressive opioid escalation; (3) adequate pain control associated with the occurrence of adverse effects; (4) incapacity to achieve pain control within a week. Opioid escalation indexes and days for dose finding were also recorded. Results Pain intensity at T0 and at T-15, opioid doses, duration of opioid therapy, and age were associated with more complex analgesic therapies, which were effective in almost all patients within a week. Conclusion High levels of pain intensity, often due to previous undertreatment, are predictive of more complex analgesic treatment. Opioid tolerance, as well as younger age, may also play a role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Federation of IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain) Chapters (EFIC) held its 8th EFIC Congress in Florence, Italy, on October 9 to 12, 2013. Over 4000 clinicians and basic scientists attended the interdisciplinary congress. This report summarizes a range of selected presentations from the Congress. It is adapted from the authors' abstracts of their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, part of a comparative research project (WP2) funded by FP7 ALICE RAP, is based upon a review of literature and documents and 18 individual interviews with Italian national stakeholders (SHs) conducted in 2012. The goal was to identify the main shifts in opioid 'substitution drug' treatment policies and understand the role played by different SHs during the last 30 years. The study confirms that opioid 'substitution drug' treatment is a particularly suitable theme for improving knowledge in the field of SH analysis, even if results show that changes in policies are mainly due to external factors rather than to the action of SHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Properly titrated opiates decrease respiratory rate but do not affect tidal volume or induce respiratory acidosis. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether remifentanil improves breathing pattern or reduces inspiratory effort in patients with acute respiratory failure and tachypnea or rapid shallow breathing. METHODS: We studied 14 patients who developed tachypnea and/or rapid shallow breathing if the pressure support level was reduced. During pressure support ventilation, each patient received 30-min infusions, separated by 30 min, of remifentanil and placebo. Measurements were obtained before commencing and before stopping each infusion, and after 3 min of unassisted breathing. The main outcomes were rapid shallow breathing index and change in pressure-time product. RESULTS: Remifentanil did not significantly affect tidal volume. During pressure support ventilation, remifentanil infusion reduced respiratory rate, pressure-time product, and cardiovascular double product (heart rate × systolic arterial pressure) without modifying the sedation score. Mean PaCO2 showed a small and clinically negligible increase during remifentanil, but PaCO2 increased more in the hypercapnic patients than in the normocapnic patients. Remifentanil reduced the rapid shallow breathing index after 3 min of unassisted breathing. CONCLUSIONS: Remifentanil improved respiratory pattern and decreased inspiratory muscles effort in patients with tachypnea or rapid shallow breathing, but did not affect oxygenation or sedation. Though the acid-base balance did not show clinically relevant changes on average, we cannot exclude the possibility that remifentanil might prolong weaning in hypercapnic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper several capture-recapture procedures in the presence of a single source are compared to estimate the size of the population of drug users that risks being registered for personal drug use under Italian law. It is the first time that this method is used in Italy for this particular subpopulation. Data sets are based on police registration data for the year 2007 and have been provided by the Italian Ministry of the Interior. In order to propose a means of evaluating the impact of demand-reduction policies, particular attention has been devoted to prevalence estimates for the younger age groups (those under 20 years of age), for whom prevalence can be considered as a good proxy for incidence; in fact, incidence indicators are more efficient in assessing the effect of policy intervention but are more difficult to estimate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the report on rare use of Opioids for children with acute non-procedural pain in Italian Emergency Departments. Topics discussed include information on the use of the Morphine, primarily for traumatic pain; discussions on the delayed of the correct diagnoses by the use of analgesic; and the information on the occurring of respiratory failure as a side effect in children under 12 year.

Background: Understanding prescription medication misuse is challenging due to lack of consistent measures of misuse behaviors and prevalence between countries. Tramadol is an atypical opioid with a dual mechanism, and has low drug liking compared to conventional opioids. We evaluate tramadol misuse compared to conventional opioids utilizing a harmonized validated national survey across four countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK).Methods: Data from the Survey of Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs (NMURx) Program online cross-sectional general population national surveys are analyzed from 2018 from four countries, with 45,000 total responses. Misuse and abuse of tramadol, codeine, morphine, and oxycodone are compared, and national prevalence estimates calculated via calibration weighting. Rates are calculated per population and per drug availability. Supplemental data are included from patients entering treatment centres and poison centre exposures.Results: In 2018, distribution, misuse, and abuse of four prescription opioids show similar patterns across four countries. In all countries, codeine is misused by the largest number of adults (estimated 861,181 in Italy to 4,676,680 in Spain in past 12 months). When adjusted for availability, tramadol is misused uncommonly with lowest or second lowest rates in all countries. Most abuse occurs by the oral route for all opioids, including tramadol with only 7.27 (Germany) to 54.92 (UK) cases per 100,000 units sold.Conclusions: In four countries, tramadol misuse and abuse are infrequent both in absolute number of cases and in comparison to conventional opioids. Even with availability of intravenous tramadol formulations, misuse by injection is rare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]