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B M Mount

Publications and source records attributed to B M Mount.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of oral morphine solution and controlled-release morphine tablets in cancer patients.

Twenty-three adult patients with chronic pain due to cancer completed a double-blind, randomized, two-phase crossover trial comparing plasma morphine concentrations and analgesic efficacy of oral morphine sulfate solution (MSS) and controlled-release morphine sulfate tablets (MS Contin [MSC], Purdue Frederick, Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada). MS Contin was given every 12 hours to all patients except those whose daily morphine dose could not be equally divided into two 12-hour doses with the tablet strengths available. MSS was given every 4 hours. Patients received both of the test drugs for at least 5 days, and, on the final day of each phase, peripheral venous blood samples for morphine analysis were obtained. Eighteen patients received MSC every 12 hours, and five received it every 8 hours. The same total daily morphine dose was given in both phases. In the 18 patients who received MSC every 12 hours, the daily morphine dose was 183.9 +/- 140.0 mg (mean +/- SD). In this group, the mean area under the curve (AUC) with MSC was 443.6 +/- 348.4 ng/ml/hour, compared with 406.8 +/- 259.7 ng/ml/hour for MSS (P greater than 0.20). Mean maximum morphine concentrations (Cmax) for MSC and MSS were 67.9 +/- 42.1 and 58.8 +/- 30.3 ng/ml, respectively (P greater than 0.05). Mean minimum morphine concentrations (Cmin) were 17.0 +/- 17.7 and 18.3 +/- 15.0, respectively (P greater than 0.30). There was a significant difference (P less than 0.001) between the two drugs in time required to reach maximum morphine concentration (Tmax). Mean Tmax after MSC occurred at 3.6 +/- 2.3 hours. After MSS, it occurred at 1.3 +/- 0.4 hours. In the five patients who received MSC every 8 hours, the findings paralleled those in the principal group, with no significant differences between MSC and MSS in Cmax or Cmin and a highly significant difference between the two in Tmax. However, in this small group of patients, the AUC with MSC was significantly (P = 0.04) greater than that with MSS. All patients had very good pain control throughout the study and both formulations were well tolerated. There were no significant differences between MSC and MSS in pain scores or side effects. Under the conditions of this study there was no clinically significant difference in bioavailability between MSC and oral MSS. When given on a 12-hourly basis in individually titrated doses, the MSC provided therapeutic plasma morphine concentrations throughout the dosing interval.

Administration, Oral↗

Dealing with our losses.

The repeated losses experienced by a clinical oncologist may constitute a significant source of personal stress. Studies documenting high stress levels on oncology services and the prevalence among physicians of alcoholism, cirrhosis, suicide, and marital discord lend urgency to the need to examine etiologic factors, clinical manifestations, and strategies for the management of job-related stress. Significant etiologic factors include death as an existential fact emphasizing our finite nature, the cumulative grief associated with repeated unresolved losses, the pressure of a health care system fueled by the medical information explosion, the inability to achieve the idealistic goals embraced by holistic medical care, stresses inherent in working as a "team," and an undermined context of meaning as an outcome of treatment failures. Clinical manifestations of stress are reviewed as an aid to early diagnosis. Strategies useful in the prevention and management of stress include the encouragement of increased awareness of stress in self and colleagues, the clarification of appropriate goals and priorities, encouragement of appropriate limit setting, the mobilization of collaborative input, the clarification of team roles and organizational patterns, the establishment of team support meetings and favorable working conditions, exercise, and the clarification and working through of previously unresolved personal psychodynamic issues. Differences between the work-related stress involved in clinical oncology as compared with hospice care are examined.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Lymphadenectomy for testicular carcinoma.

Since 50% of patients with testicular tumour have retroperitoneal metastases at the time of presentation, there has been little argument that the area of primary drainage requires further treatment following orchiectomy. Patients with nonseminomatous germ cell tumours in stages A and B are candidates for retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy because this procedure is of therapeutic value and allows accurate staging of the disease. The development of extremely effective modern, cyclic, multidrug chemotherapy for extensive nonseminomatous testicular tumour has led to a rethinking of the role of lymphadenectomy in treating testicular cancer. Clinical staging is still not 100% accurate even with modern techniques. Lymphadenectomy, therefore, continues to be an important step in managing patients with nonseminomatous germ cell tumours. These facts are endorsed by the authors' review of 72 cases of nonseminomatous germ cell tumours managed at McGill University teaching hospitals over a 10-year period. The authors also discuss the indications for retroperitoneal dissection.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Hospice care.

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Hospices↗

The Brompton mixture versus morphine solution given orally: effects on pain.

The Brompton mixture is widely used as an effective method for controlling pain in cancer patients. In a double-blind crossover trial a standard Brompton mixture containing morphine, cocaine, ethyl alcohol, syrup BP and chloroform water was compared with morphine alone in a flavoured aqueous solution; both were administered orally. Pain was measured by means of the pain intensity index of the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Ratings of confusion, nausea and drowsiness were obtained from both the patients and their nurses and relatives. The data showed that there was no significant difference between the Brompton mixture and morphine administered orally for any of the variables. Both relieved pain effectively in about 85% of the patients.

Administration, Oral↗

The management of intractable pain in patients with advanced malignant disease.

The Brompton mixture is a highly effective, flexible, safe and convenient means to control chronic pain of malignant disease. The mixture is a solution containing morphine, the dose of narcotic varying with the need for analgesia, and is given regularly, usually every 4 hours, with a phenothiazine. The main aims of therapy are prevention of pain rather than treatment, an unclouded sensorium and a normal effect. Terminally ill cancer patients were given the Brompton mixture and a phenothiazine in an attempt to control their pain. The mixture was administered to patients in 3 hospital environments: 1) a palliative care unit, 2) general wards and 3) private rooms. Pain was measured in 92 patients with the McGill-Melzack pain questionnaire. The Brompton mixture controlled pain in 90 per cent of patients in the palliative care unit and in 75 to 80 per cent of patients in the wards or private rooms. The differences in pain scores between patients in the palliative care unit and the other groups were significant. The mixture produced substantial decreases in the 3 major dimensions of pain: 1) sensory, 2) affective and 3) evaluative. Comparison of these results with data obtained in an outpatient pain clinic showed that the Brompton mixture was strikingly more effective than the traditional methods of managing cancer pain.

Analgesics, Opioid↗

The management of intractable pain in patients with advanced malignant disease.

The Brompton mixture is a highly effective, flexible, safe and convenient means to control chronic pain of malignant disease. The mixture is a solution containing morphine, the dose of narcotic varying with the need for analgesia, and is given regularly, usually every 4 hours, with a phenothiazine. The main aims of therapy are prevention of pain rather than treatment, an unclouded sensorium and a normal effect. Terminally ill cancer patients were given the Brompton mixture and a phenothiazine in an attempt to control their pain. The mixture was administered to patients in 3 hospital environments: 1) a palliative care unit, 2) general wards and 3) private rooms. Pain was measured in 92 patients with the McGill-Melzack pain questionnaire. The Brompton mixture controlled pain in 90 per cent of patients in the palliative care unit and in 75 to 80 per cent of patients in the wards or private rooms. The differences in pain scores between patients in the palliative care unit and the other groups were significant. The mixture produced substantial decreases in the 3 major dimensions of pain: 1) sensory, 2) affective and 3) evaluative. Comparison of these results with data obtained in an outpatient pain clinic showed that the Brompton mixture was strikingly more effective than the traditional methods of managing cancer pain.

Aged↗