Treatment Of Nausea In Patients Research Articles

Nasal Inhalation of Isopropyl Alcohol for the Treatment of Nausea in Patients With Cancer

Nasal Inhalation of Isopropyl Alcohol for the Treatment of Nausea in Patients With Cancer

The Efficacy of Aromatherapy in the Treatment of Post-Discharge Nausea in Patients Undergoing Outpatient Abdominal Surgery

The Efficacy of Aromatherapy in the Treatment of Post-Discharge Nausea in Patients Undergoing Outpatient Abdominal Surgery

Granisetron Transdermal Patch for Treatment of Nausea in Patients Undergoing Cisplatin Based Chemotherapy for Cervical Cancer

Objective: The purpose of this study was to define the incidence of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in newly diagnosed cervical cancer patients receiving cisplatin and radiation treatment; and to determine if the granisetron transdermal patch (Sancuso?) would be appropriate to recommend as part of standard antiemetic regimen for the cisplatin radiation chemotherapy order set. Methods: This is a retrospective case-controlled study of cervical cancer patients receiving cisplatin chemotherapy with radiation (cisXRT); comparing patients receiving the granisetron transdermal patch to matched patients receiving oral 5HT3 blockers. All patients prescribed cisXRT between September 15th 2008 and November 30, 2011 were identified using pharmacy dispensing records. Patients were included if they received at least a partial dose of cisXRT and Sancuso? patch as standard antiemetic prophylaxis prior to cisXRT for cervical cancer treatment. Exclusion criteria included concomitant investigational agents, biotherapy and/or chemotherapy agents; prior chemotherapy; or incomplete or restricted medical records. Patients will be matched based on age. Patients were matched 3:1 (oral:patch). A total of 404 patients that received and completed cisXRT were identified utilizing an existing de-identified database from previous study were reviewed to evaluate parameters of interest. Results: A total of 285 patients’ medication records were reviewed for Sancuso? use, and 47 were identified. Of these 47 charts only five patient cases met eligibility criteria to be included in the study. All five patients that received the granisetron patch had at least three known risk factors for nausea. The nausea/vomiting in these patients did not worsen after receiving the Sancuso? patch, and four out of five had subjective improvement. CINV was unrelated to changes in laboratory values or incidence of other toxicity and was not dose-related. Conclusions: While no definitive conclusions could be drawn from this retrospective analysis, the limited data suggests that patients’ nausea and vomiting did not worsen after receiving the Sancuso? patch, and four out of five patients had subjective improvement. The challenges met and limitations identified justify the need for a prospective study that is now underway to control other contributing variables and evaluate overall efficacy of the granisetron patch for controlling CINV in patients receiving cisplatin plus radiation.

Manual Acupuncture as An Adjunctive Treatment of Nausea in Patients with Cancer in Palliative Care – a Prospective, Observational Pilot Study

Good clinical evidence has been reported for the effect of PC6 acupuncture in preventing or attenuating postoperative and pregnancy related nausea. Our primary aim was to examine whether PC6 acupuncture during a period of chemotherapy could complement pharmacological treatment of nausea in cancer patients in the palliative stage of their disease. We conducted a prospective observational pilot study to measure changes in nausea, and also explored the relationship between nausea, pain and constipation. Twelve patients suffering from nausea and four nausea free patients participated in the study. The nausea free patients were included because they had been troubled by nausea in a previous course of chemotherapy, despite medication with antiemetic drugs, and were about to start a new course of treatment. The patients rated their intensity of nausea, pain and constipation on a numerical rating scale before each of 10 treatment sessions with PC6 acupuncture over the course of three weeks, and at two follow ups during the following week. Fifteen patients completed the study. Compared to before treatment, the patients scored a significantly reduced intensity of nausea before the last treatment session (P<0.01) and at the first follow up (P<0.05). Three out of four nausea free patients were still nausea free before the last treatment session with acupuncture. No relationship could be found between nausea, pain and constipation before, during or after the treatment period had finished. The study demonstrated that acupuncture treatment in cancer patients can be associated with a significantly reduced intensity of nausea during a period of chemotherapy in their final phase of life.

Systematic review of the efficacy of antiemetics in the treatment of nausea in patients with far-advanced cancer.

To systematically review studies of antiemetics used in the treatment of nausea in patients with far-advanced cancer. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) and uncontrolled studies identified by electronic and hand searching. Identified studies were appraised for quality and effect size. Of 21 studies included, 2 were systematic reviews, 7 were RCT and 12 were uncontrolled studies or case series. Differences in interventions and outcomes amongst the RCT precluded any quantitative data synthesis and all seven studies were prone to bias. Whereas uncontrolled studies indicated a high response rate to standard regimens (75-93% for both nausea and vomiting), RCT showed much lower response rates to these agents (23-36% for nausea, 18-52% for vomiting). The two methods of antiemetic choice (choice based either on the inferred mechanism or empirical) were equally effective. There is reasonably strong evidence for the use of metoclopramide in cancer-associated dyspepsia and steroids in malignant bowel obstruction. There was conflicting evidence about the efficacy of serotonin antagonists compared with standard treatments (e.g. metoclopramide, dopamine antagonists and dexamethasone). There was little or no evidence of the efficacy of some commonly used and seemingly effective drugs such as haloperidol, cyclizine, and methotrimeprazine. Evidence supporting the existing consensus-based guidelines for management of nausea and vomiting in advanced cancer is sparse. Current approaches to treatment based on the neuropharmacology of the emetic pathway may be inappropriate in this setting. Well-designed studies of the impact of "standard" management and novel agents on nausea and vomiting in palliative populations are needed.

Successful administration of metoclopramide for the treatment of nausea in patients with advanced liver disease: A double-blind controlled trial

A double-blind comparison of metoclopramide versus placebo was performed on 8 cirrhotic patients with nausea (8 cases) and heartburn (3 of the 8 cases) plus mild portal-systemic encephalopathy. As metoclopramide is a dopamine antagonist and dopamine-inadequate neurotransmission has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hepatic coma, this study was also designed to evaluate the effects of metoclopramide on mental state. The study included basal, placebo, metoclopramide, and final periods; each period lasted for 2 wk. Throughout the study patients received 3 g/day of neomycin and an 1800-cal diet containing 40 g/day of mixed protein. During the placebo and metoclopramide phases patients received either two 10-mg metoclopramide capsules t.i.d. or identical placebo capsules. During the study, biweekly liver function tests and portalsystemic encephalopathy parameters were evaluated. A self-evaluation for the presence of nausea and heartburn was also obtained. To monitor the dopamine-blockade effect of metoclopramide, serum prolactin levels were measured. Metoclopramide significantly suppressed the subjective signs of nausea (7 of 8 cases) and heartburn (all cases). Serum prolactin levels were 22 ± 21 ng/ml, 30 ± 31 ng/ml, 110 ± 57 ng/ml (p < 0.01), and 18.6 ± 2 ng/ml during basal, placebo, metoclopramide, and final periods, respectively. In spite of these signs of dopamine blockade, no deterioration in mental state, asterixis, electroencephalograms, blood ammonia levels, or psychometric testings were observed. In addition, no extrapyramidal signs were noticeable during any period of the study. One patient presented transient somnolence at the end of the metoclopramide period. We conclude that dopamine blockade is not associated with the appearance of portal-systemic encephalopathy. Metoclopramide is a safe and effective treatment for nausea and heartburn in patients with advanced liver disease.