Abstract

YAZDE PULEIO, María L et al. Opioid treatment for mixed pain in pediatric patients assisted by the Palliative Care team: Five years of experience. Arch. argent. pediatr. [online]. 2018, vol.116, n.1, pp.62-64. ISSN 0325-0075.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5546/aap.2018.62.

Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Depending on its pathophysiological mechanism, it may be classified into nociceptive, neuropathic, and mixed pain. If pain is moderate to severe, a strong opioid should be administered and, when this is the case, morphine is the drug of choice. If morphine is ineffective or causes intolerable adverse effects, opioid rotation is recommended. Our objective was to describe the drug management for mixed pain used in patients assisted by the Palliative Care team of Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde between August 2011 and September 2015. A total of 72 patients were included. Their mean age was 10.1 years, and the most common underlying disease was cancer. The initial opioid was morphine in 57 cases; 48 patients received adjuvant drugs. Opioid rotation was indicated in half of cases, and the most common switch was from morphine to methadone.

Keywords : Morphine; Methadone; Opioid analgesics; Pain; Child.

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