Pain management in peripheral arterial obstructive disease: oral slow-release oxycodone versus epidural l-bupivacaine.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effectiveness of oral slow-release oxycodone (group OX, n=18) with that of epidural l-bupivacaine (group LRA, n=13) for the control of moderate/severe pain of advanced-stage peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD) patients.

DESIGN

Observational and retrospective analysis of advanced stage and hospitalised PAOD patients treated for pain management for at least 7 days prior to surgery or discharged from the hospital without surgery.

METHODS

The outcome measures were pain intensity using the visual analogue scale under static, (VASs) and dynamic (VASd) conditions; vital signs, treatment side effects and patient satisfaction.

RESULTS

In both groups, pain control was satisfactory and VAS scores median were VASs<3 and VASd<4; under dynamic conditions, pain control was better in the LRA group (p<0.01). Against few and transient side effects, most patients (n=30) found both pain treatments good or excellent. Results should be confirmed by studies with larger samples.

CONCLUSIONS

In the perioperative setting, the epidural infusion of local anaesthetics, such as l-bupivacaine, is an effective technique for pain control in PAOD patients; for patients with contraindication for this technique or for non-surgical or outpatients, slow-release oxycodone is suggested as a possible alternative for the control of severe pain in these patients.