Health

What myths have complicated the management of childrens pain? Research indicates knowledge regarding children’s pain has improved and the myths, like “infants have immature nervous systems and do not feel pain,” have been dispelled. However, attitudes regarding children’s pain have not changed. For example, despite documented knowledge that developmentally appropriate children over 3 to 4 …

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What is plasticity? Plasticity refers to the capacity to respond differently or change in response to tissue damage. Neuroplasticity due to early or repeated exposure to pain may result in a maladaptive reorganization of the peripheral and central nervous system. Noxious stimuli including inflammation may cause elevated nociceptive input and elicit a neuroplastic response causing …

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How do childrens pain experiences differ from those adults? There is evidence that children experience pain differently than adults. Normative quantitative sensory testing (QST) values demonstrate that younger children (<8 years of age) are less sensitive to thermal and mechanical stimuli and more sensitive to pain stimuli than older children (>9-year-olds). Reference values for QST …

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What types of pain do children experience? Like adults, children experience acute pain from injury, illness, and invasive medical procedures. Neonates experience 1 to 10+ painful procedures per day during their first week of hospitalization. Children receive 49 doses of 14 vaccines by their 6th birthday; and over 6 million children per year have surgery. …

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What interventional modalities are available for pain control in the older patient? In cases where pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions may be limited in achieving adequate analgesia, interventional modalities that target the pain pathways may be beneficial. There are limited studies on the effectiveness of interventional procedures specifically in the elderly population; however, it is believed …

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What is prostatic acid phosphatase? Adenosine has been shown to activate adenosine receptors in the nervous system resulting in analgesia. However, adenosine has a very short half-life, making it ineffective for chronic pain management. Nervous system injury results in the release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that is known to induce painful sensations. ATP is rapidly …

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How do the angiontensin II type 2 receptors modulate pain, and what clinical evidence exists for pain modulation? Angiotensin II is a potent vasopressor hormone important in controlling blood pressure and volume in the cardiovascular system. It binds and stimulates at least two types of receptors: AT1 and AT2. AT2 is a G-protein-coupled receptor that …

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