Pain In Intensive Care Unit Patients Research Articles

Pain Management Strategies in Intensive Care Unit: Challenges and Best Practice.

Pain management in the ICU (intensive care unit) is a very complex problem which involves a wide variety of conditions, lack of sufficient tools for use, and high personnel to patient ratio. In the last three decades, pain as a clinical issue has become well analyzed, and treatment protocols based on scientific evidence have been established. Besides medication, some non-pharmacological methods such as music therapy, relaxation, and massage have been proven to be very much practical and manageable in pain management of ICU. The main opioids are utilized predominantly due to their power but NSAIDs and local anesthesia are combined with opioids with the aim to reduce the pain as much as possible. Yet more research now has to prove that pain evaluation and management is effective. This article discusses on the issues and the best approaches to solving them when managing pain in ICU patients.

Acceptability and Feasibility of a Patient-Oriented Music Intervention to Reduce Pain in the Intensive Care Unit: Protocol for a Crossover Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Many patients experience pain in the intensive care unit (ICU) despite receiving pain medication. Research has shown that music can help reduce pain. Music interventions studied so far have not used music streaming to generate playlists based on patient preferences while incorporating recommended tempo and duration. Previous research has focused on postoperative ICU patients able to self-report, which is underrepresentative of the ICU population that might benefit from a music intervention for pain management. We developed a new patient-oriented music intervention (POMI) that incorporates features based on theoretical, empirical, and experiential data intended to be used in the ICU. Such a music intervention should consider the expertise of ICU patients, family members, and nursing staff, as well as the practicality of the intervention when used in practice. The primary objectives of this study are to (1) evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the POMI to reduce pain in ICU patients and (2) evaluate the feasibility of conducting a crossover pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) for intervention testing in the ICU. A secondary objective is to examine the preliminary efficacy of the POMI to reduce pain in ICU patients. A single-blind 2×2 crossover pilot RCT will be conducted. Patients will undergo 1 sequence of 2 interventions: the POMI which delivers music based on patients' preferences via headphones or music pillow for 20-30 minutes and the control intervention (headphones or pillow without music). The sequence of the interventions will be inverted with a 4-hour washout period. Timing of the interventions will be before a planned bed turning procedure. Each patient will undergo 1 session of music. Twenty-four patients will be recruited. Patients able to self-report (n=12), family members of patients unable to self-report (n=12), and nursing staff (n=12) involved in the bed turning procedure will be invited to complete a short questionnaire on the POMI acceptability. Data will be collected on the feasibility of the intervention delivery (ie, time spent creating a playlist, any issue related to headphones/pillow or music delivery, environmental noises, and intervention interruptions) and research methods (ie, number of patients screened, recruited, randomized, and included in the analysis). Pain scores will be obtained before and after intervention delivery. Recruitment and data collection began in March 2022. As of July 5, 2022, in total, 22 patients, 12 family members, and 11 nurses were recruited. Methodological limitations and strengths are discussed. Study limitations include the lack of blinding for patients able to self-report. Strengths include collecting data from various sources, getting a comprehensive evaluation of the intervention, and using a crossover pilot RCT design, where participants act as their own control, thus reducing confounding factors. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05320224; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05320224. DERR1-10.2196/40760.

Management of procedural pain in the intensive care unit.

Pain is a common experience for inpatients, and intensive care unit (ICU) patients undergo more pain than other departmental patients, with an incidence of 50% at rest and up to 80% during common care procedures. At present, the management of persistent pain in ICU patients has attracted considerable attention, and there are many related clinical studies and guidelines. However, the management of transient pain caused by certain ICU procedures has not received sufficient attention. We reviewed the different management strategies for procedural pain in the ICU and reached a conclusion. Pain management is a process of continuous quality improvement that requires multidisciplinary team cooperation, pain-related training of all relevant personnel, effective relief of all kinds of pain, and improvement of patients' quality of life. In clinical work, which involves complex and diverse patients, we should pay attention to the following points for procedural pain: (1) Consider not only the patient's persistent pain but also his or her procedural pain; (2) Conduct multimodal pain management; (3) Provide combined sedation on the basis of pain management; and (4) Perform individualized pain management. Until now, the pain management of procedural pain in the ICU has not attracted extensive attention. Therefore, we expect additional studies to solve the existing problems of procedural pain management in the ICU.

Current Perspectives on the Assessment and Management of Pain in the Intensive Care Unit.

Critical illness is often painful, both from the underlying source of illness, as well as necessary procedures performed for the monitoring and care of these patients. Pain is often under-recognized in the critically ill, especially among those who cannot self-report, so accurate assessment and management continue to be major consideration in their care. Pain management in the intensive care unit (ICU) is an evolving practice, with a focus on accurate and frequent pain assessment, and targeted pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment methods to maximize analgesia and minimize sedation. In this review, we will evaluate several validated methods of pain assessment in the ICU and present management options. We will review the evidence-based recommendations put forth by the largest critical care societies and several high-quality studies related to both the in-hospital approach to pain, as well as the short- and long-term consequences of untreated pain in ICU patients. We conclude with future directions.

Clinical Utility of the Behavioral Pain Assessment Tool in Patients Admitted in the Intensive Care Unit.

IntroductionUnnoticed and unrelieved pain is one of the main sources of psychological and physiological stress for intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The eight-item behavior pain assessment tool (BPAT) is a multicountry validated tool to assess pain in ICU patients. However, its feasibility and clinical utility for ICU patients in India need further research.Aims and objectivesThe Aims and objectives of the study were to assess pain using BPAT and its clinical utility in pain assessment and management in ICU patients.Materials and methodsFollowing ethical approval, 400 consecutive adult patients admitted in the ICUs in a tertiary care teaching hospital were assessed for pain severity using BPAT at intake, baseline pain and procedural pain. Patients <18 years and in deep coma on the Glasgow coma scale were excluded from the study. The patients with BPAT score ≥4 were given opioid analgesic, and their pain was reassessed after 2–3 hours. A feedback regarding feasibility and clinical utility was filled by the doctors.ResultsHigh interrater agreement for BPAT was observed with excellent kappa coefficients (>0.85) for each item. The BPAT significantly guided the pain management (p < 0.0001). More than 90% of doctors found BPAT easy to understand and use. In most of the cases (95.5%), doctors agreed that BPAT can improve the clinical management of ICU patients.ConclusionThe BPAT is a reliable, brief, and an easy-to-use pain assessment tool, which clinicians can use for guiding pain assessment and management in the ICU setting on a routine basis.Clinical significanceWe recommend implementing BPAT in the clinical practice for better pain assessment and control in ICU patients.How to cite this articleMitra S, Jain K, Singh J, Saxena P, Nyima T, Selvam SR, et al. Clinical Utility of the Behavioral Pain Assessment Tool in Patients Admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(8):695–700.

COVID-19: Pain Management in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection-Molecular Mechanisms, Challenges, and Perspectives.

Since the end of 2019, the whole world has been struggling with the pandemic of the new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Available evidence suggests that pain is a common symptom during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to the World Health Organization, many patients suffer from muscle pain (myalgia) and/or joint pain (arthralgia), sore throat and headache. The exact mechanisms of headache and myalgia during viral infection are still unknown. Moreover, many patients with respiratory failure get admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for ventilatory support. Pain in ICU patients can be associated with viral disease itself (myalgia, arthralgia, peripheral neuropathies), may be caused by continuous pain and discomfort associated with ICU treatment, intermittent procedural pain and chronic pain present before admission to the ICU. Undertreatment of pain, especially when sedation and neuromuscular blocking agents are used, prone positioning during mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may trigger delirium and cause peripheral neuropathies. This narrative review summarizes current knowledge regarding challenges associated with pain assessment and management in COVID-19 patients. A structured prospective evaluation should be undertaken to analyze the probability, severity, sources and adequate treatment of pain in patients with COVID-19 infection.

Chronic Pain and Chronic Opioid Use After Intensive Care Discharge - Is It Time to Change Practice?

Almost half of patients treated on intensive care unit (ICU) experience moderate to severe pain. Managing pain in the critically ill patient is challenging, as their pain is complex with multiple causes. Pharmacological treatment often focuses on opioids, and over a prolonged admission this can represent high cumulative doses which risk opioid dependence at discharge. Despite analgesia the incidence of chronic pain after treatment on ICU is high ranging from 33–73%. Measures need to be taken to prevent the transition from acute to chronic pain, whilst avoiding opioid overuse. This narrative review discusses preventive measures for the development of chronic pain in ICU patients. It considers a number of strategies that can be employed including non-opioid analgesics, regional analgesia, and non-pharmacological methods. We reason that individualized pain management plans should become the cornerstone for critically ill patients to facilitate physical and psychological well being after discharge from critical care and hospital.

Impact of Implementing the Critical Care Pain Observation Tool on Nurses' Performance in Assessing and Managing Pain in the Critically Ill Patients.

ABSTRACTBackground and aimsPain management is one of the most important responsibilities of nurses in an intensive care unit (ICU). It is difficult to perform pain assessment appropriately in patients who are unable to report their pain. This study is aimed to determine the impact of implementing the critical care pain observation tool (CPOT) on the amount and frequency of analgesics' administration in ICUs.Materials and methodsThis interventional study was conducted in 2014. Sixty nurses and 240 patients were studied. This study was carried out in three phases: first the data about amount and frequency of analgesic administration were extracted from patients' medical files. Then the CPOT was implemented into the nursing assessment process and finally, nurses' performance regarding the amount and frequency of analgesic administration was recorded. This data obtained before and after intervention were analyzed using chi-square and independent t-test p values less than 0.05 were considered significant.ResultsIn this interventional study, we found that there was no difference in the demography and cause of ICU admission before and after implementation of CPOT (age p = 0.937, gender p = 0.996, and the cause of admission p = 0.996). We found that after implementing the CPOT into the nursing assessment process, the amount of analgesics administered (7.95 ± 8.77 mg vs. 11.01 ± 11.04 mg, p = 0.018) and the frequency of administration (2.91 ± 1.38 vs. 4.16 ± 0.99, p <0.001) increased significantly. Moreover, there was a significant increase in the frequency of pain assessment per patient per day in nursing practice after implementation of CPOT as compared to the practice before (7.2 ± 2.48 vs. 1.03 ± 1.63, p <0.001). The mean pain scores before and after the intervention (5.5 ± 1.08 vs.2.2 ± 0.48) were also significantly different.ConclusionApplying CPOT, as an objective mean of pain assessment, was effective in improving the performance of ICU nurses in assessment and management of patients' pain. It increased the amount and frequency of analgesic administration. We can recommend that COPT is a useful tool for assessment and management of pain in ICU patients and should be implemented in all ICUs.How to cite this articleModanloo M, Mohsenpour A, et al. Impact of Implementing the Critical Care Pain Observation Tool on Nurses' Performance in Assessing and Managing Pain in the Critically Ill Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2019;23(4):165-169.

Methods of pain assessment in adult intensive care unit patients - Polish version of the CPOT (Critical Care Pain Observation Tool) and BPS (Behavioral Pain Scale).

Many patients treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) experience pain that is a source of suffering and leaves a longterm imprint (chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder). Nearly 30% of patients experience pain at rest, while the percentage increases to 50% during nursing procedures. Pain in ICU patients can be divided into four categories: continuous ICU treatment-related pain/discomfort, acute illness-related pain, intermittent procedural pain and pre-existing chronic pain present before ICU admission. As daily nursing procedures and interventions performed in the ICU may be a potential source of pain, it is crucial to use simple pain monitoring tools. The assessment of pain intensity in ICU patients remains an everyday challenge for clinicians, especially in sedated, intubated and mechanically ventilated patients. Regular assessment of pain intensity leads to improved outcome and better quality of life of patients in the ICU and after discharge from ICU. The gold standard in pain evaluation is patient self-reporting, which is not always possible. Current research shows that the two tools best validated for patients unable to self-report pain are the Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) and the Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT). Although international guidelines recommend the use of validated tools for pain evaluation, they underline the need for translation into a given language. The authors of this publication obtained an official agreement from the authors of the two behavioral scales - CPOT and BPS - for translation into Polish. Validation of these tools in the Polish population will aid their wider use in pain assessment in ICUs in Poland.

Continuous Lidocaine Infusion as Adjunctive Analgesia in Intensive Care Unit Patients

Despite a paucity of data, the role of intravenous lidocaine (IVLI) as adjunctive analgesia in the intensive care unit (ICU) seems promising due to a low potential to contribute to respiratory depression. A retrospective chart review was conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of IVLI for the treatment of pain in ICU patients with varying degrees of organ dysfunction from March 2014 to March 2016. The primary outcomes included the time to a ≥20% reduction in pain scores after the initiation of IVLI and the difference in opioid requirements as well as pain scores prior to and during IVLI therapy. Other variables included the presence of IVLI-related adverse events and the dosage and duration of IVLI. A total of 21 ICU patients were included from 2 different hospitals. The mean time to a ≥20% reduction in pain scores from the start of IVLI was 3.3 hours (SD = 2.2). The median morphine dose equivalents required during 6, 12, and 24 hours pre-IVLI were significantly higher compared to the same time periods after IVLI (18.3 vs 10 mg, P = .002; 41.8 vs 18.3 mg, P = .002; 93.5 vs 30.5 mg, P = .037). Neurological adverse effects of lidocaine were noted in 3 patients, but the effects were reversed on IVLI discontinuation. This report suggests that IVLI as an adjunctive agent in the treatment of acute pain may be a potential option in ICU patients who are refractory to opioids or those in whom opioid-induced respiratory depression is a concern.

Analgesia and sedation in surgery Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

The goals of analgesia and sedation at the intensive care unit (ICU) are to facilitate mechanical ventilation, prevent patient and caregiver injury, and avoid the psychological and physiologic consequences of inadequate treatment of pain, anxiety, agitation, and delirium. Most ICU patients, especially the surgical and trauma ones, routinely experience pain at rest and with routine procedures. Treating pain in ICU patients depends on a clinician?s ability to perform a reproducible pain assessment and to monitor patients over time to determine the adequacy of therapeutic interventions to treat pain. Implementation of behavioral pain scales improves ICU pain management and clinical outcomes, including better use of analgesic and sedative agents and shorter durations of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay. Opioids are the primary medications for managing pain in critically ill patients. Multimodal approach to pain management in ICU patients has been recommended. Sedatives are commonly administered to ICU patients to treat agitation and its negative consequences. Sedation strategies using nonbenzodiazepine sedatives (propofol or dexmedetomidine) may be preferred over sedation with benzodiazepines (midazolam or lorazepam) to improve clinical outcomes in mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients. It is recommend daily sedation interruption or a light target level of sedation be routinely used in adult intensive care patients using mechanical ventilation. Delirium affecting up to 80% of mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients. ICU protocols that combine routine pain and sedation assessments, with pain management and sedation-minimizing strategies, along with delirium monitoring and prevention, may be the best strategy for avoiding the complications of oversedation. Protocolized pain, agitation and delirium assessment (PAD ICU), is significantly associated with a reduction in the use of analgesic medications, ICU length of stay, and duration of mechanical ventilation.

Better pain management for elders in the intensive care unit.

By 2040, there will be 70 million people older than 65 years in the United States. Approximately 50% have pain on a daily basis, and research shows that their pain is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Nurses have an obligation to provide state-of-the-art care and advocate for vulnerable older adults in the intensive care unit (ICU). Untreated pain can complicate an ICU stay and delay discharge. This article briefly reviews difficulties in managing pain in ICU patients, suggests creative methods to properly assess pain, and discusses approaches for encouraging elders in ICU to manage their pain effectively.

A Validated Approach to Evaluating Psychometric Properties of Pain Assessment Tools for Use in Nonverbal Critically Ill Adults

A valid pain assessment is the foundation of adequate pain management. Pain assessment can be challenging, especially in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients who are unable to self-report. In such situations, relying on observational assessment tools is an alternative strategy. This review describes and analyzes the development and psychometric properties of pain assessment tools developed for use with nonverbal critically ill adults. A total of 32 relevant papers that described the psychometric properties of eight pain assessment tools were included. The scale development process, psychometric properties (i.e., reliability and validity), and feasibility of pain assessment tools were analyzed using a 0 to 20 scoring system. Each pain assessment tool was scored independently by two reviewers. Of the eight behavioral pain scales developed for use in adult ICU patients, the Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) and the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) are considered to be the most valid and reliable for this purpose, according to the available evidence. Behavioral pain scales may be viable alternatives to assessing pain in ICU patients who are unable to self-report, but only valid, reliable, and feasible scales should be used for this purpose.