Biomedical subjects

Meltem Uyar

Publications and source records attributed to Meltem Uyar.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

[Complementary therapies in palliative cancer care].

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown in popularity both among the general population and among the cancer patients. Cancer patients often use CAM, which is a treatment that is not commonly used in the conventional setting. However, the prevalence of CAM use appears to vary substantially, with reported frequency of use of at least one CAM therapy ranging from 20% to 83.3%. Complementary medicine has become an important aspect of palliative cancer care. Acupuncture, aromatherapy, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, massage, reflexology, relaxation techniques, and spiritual healing are frequently used forms of treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide information about some complementary therapies that are commonly used by cancer patients in the palliative care.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMed2006

[Addition of ketamine infusion to patient controlled analgesia with intravenous morphine after abdominal hysterectomy].

In our study we aimed to reduce postoperative morphine consumption, prevent adverse effects of morphine, and improve analgesic quality via adding analgesic doses of ketamine infusion to intravenous morphine-patient controlled analgesia (PCA). After local ethics committee approval, 45 patients scheduled for total abdominal hysterectomy were included in the study. In the postoperative period the patients were separated into two groups randomly. After starting morphine-PCA in both groups, one group received ketamine infusion (Group K: n= 22), while the other group received saline infusion (Group S: n= 23) for 24 hours. There was no significant difference between the postoperative systolic and diastolic arterial pressures, heart rate and respiratory rate values. Visual Analogue Scale and Verbal Rating Scale measures was significantly lower in Group K (p<0.01). Total morphine consumption was higher in Group S (p<0.05). Sedation scores were significantly lower in Group K (p<0.05). When adverse effects were evaluated we found that nausea was higher in Group S (p<0.05), while there was no difference in the other side effects (p>0.05). Patient satisfaction was better in the 24th and 48th hours in Group K and was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). Our results suggest that ketamine infusion added to opioids for postoperative analgesia, reduces total opioid requirement and prevents side effects.

Analgesia, Patient-Controlled↗

PubMed2006

[Barriers to effective cancer pain management].

Pain is one of the most feared consequences of cancer experienced by patients. Despite numerious education programs, intervention strategies and multidiciplinary pain societies, approximately 60% of patients with cancer are experiencing pain. Cancer-related pain may affect patient's life in every way, and therefore it has a great influence on the overall quality of life. Barriers to adequate pain management exist, including those related to health-care professionals, the health-care system, and the patients. The most common barriers to pain management include knowledge deficits, misconceptions about opioids and their side effects, inadequate assessment, and organizational issues. The purpose of this article is to provide information about barriers to effective cancer pain management.

Communication Barriers↗

PubMed2005

Bipolar electrodissection tonsillectomy in children.

The purpose of this study was to compare bipolar electrodissection tonsillectomy with traditional cold dissection tonsillectomy in the pediatric population. Forty children with recurrent tonsillitis and/or obstructive symptoms were included in the study. The study population was randomly divided into two groups, and the two techniques were compared with regard to operative time, intraoperative and postoperative bleeding and postoperative pain. There were 23 children in the bipolar electrodissection tonsillectomy group (mean age, 8.1 years; range, 5-12 years), and 17 children in the cold dissection tonsillectomy group (mean age, 6.7 years; range, 5-12 years). The average operative times were 15.2+/-8.5 min for bipolar electrodissection tonsillectomy and 29.06+/-13.5 min for cold dissection tonsillectomy (P < 0.05). The blood loss in bipolar electrodissection tonsillectomy and cold dissection tonsillectomy was 5.0+/-4.2 ml and 32.1+/-11.3 ml, respectively (P < 0.05). Postoperative hemorrhage was not observed. Bipolar electrodissection tonsillectomy was less painful the first 30 min postoperatively (P < 0.05). Bipolar electrodissection tonsillectomy in children is a useful technique, with results comparable to traditional cold dissection tonsillectomy.

Airway Obstruction↗

PubMed2005

[Cancer and palliative care].

Palliative care is the active, total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatments. The term "palliative care" refers to those aspects of medical care concerned with the physical, psychosocial and spiritual issues faced by persons with cancer, their families, their communities, and their healthcare providers. At its core, palliative care is concerned with providing the maximum quality of life to the patient/family unit. This growing area of medicine is often practiced in inpatients units, with a transitional approach that involves sending some patients home with home hospice care. This is a very patient-centered, multidisciplinary method of caring for dying patient.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

[Cancer pain and its influence on quality of life].

Pain is an important problem for patients with cancer, occurring in half of all cancer patients and more than 90% of patients with advanced disease. Pain related to cancer is a complex, multidimensional phenomenon composed of sensory, affective, cognitive, and behavioural components. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified cancer pain as a major international problem and pain control has become a critical element in the comprehensive care of many cancer patients. Pain and quality of life are phenomena that share several fundamental characteristics. Pain control plays a key role in determining health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Pain, when it is ongoing and uncontrolled, has a detrimental, deteriorating effect on virtually every aspect of a patient's life. It produces anxiety and emotional distress; undermines well-being; interferes with functional capacity; and hinders the ability to fulfill familial, social, and vocational roles. With such broad-based effects, it is apparent that pain would have the effect of diminishing quality of life. In patients with moderate or severe pain, interference with sleep, daily life activities, enjoyment of life, work ability, and social interactions have been reported.

Humans↗

PubMed2003

A preliminary open-label study of moclobemide treatment of pain disorder.

Antidepressants appear to be useful in the treatment of pain disorders, although the exact underlying mechanisms are unknown. In this preliminary study, we examined the utility of moclobemide, a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase, in the treatment of 14 patients with pain disorder. The drug was administered in doses up to 450 mg/day for 8 weeks. Assessments of perceived pain and psychological evaluations of patients were carried out weekly using visual assessment scores of pain, depression, anxiety, sleep, difficulty in concentration, dry mouth, sweating, and fatigue. The therapeutic effects of moclobemide on the sense of pain, depression, anxiety, sleepless, difficulty in concentration, dry mouth, sweating, and fatigue were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance. Our findings suggest that moclobemide therapy may be an effective, useful option in the management of perceived pain, in addition to its beneficial effects on depression, somatization, and anxiety.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy in childhood.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy is characterized by constant burning pain and hyperesthesia in an extremity. Lower extremities are usually affected. Pain is accompanied by swelling, sweating, vasomotor instability and sometimes trophic changes. There may be a history of minor injury or not. Muscle spasms, myoclonus or focal dystonia may occur. Diffuse pain, loss of function and autonomic dysfunction are three main criteria suggested for diagnosis. Symptoms can last a few days to as long as a year. In this report we present a girl with multiple limb involvement of stage I RSD. The sympathetic skin responses were tested during a remission period. She had milder attacks with a recurrence rate of 4 per year in the following three years from onset.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Sodium valproate prophylaxis in childhood migraine.

UNLABELLED: Migraine is a cause of recurrent headache in childhood. The efficacy of sodium valproate is well known in the prophylactic treatment of adult migraine, but there are few studies involving the drug's effect in pediatric migraine. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of sodium valproate in the prophylactic treatment of childhood migraine. METHODS: Fifteen children with migraine according to International Headache Society criteria were included in the study. Headache severity was measured and assessed by Algology unit by a using visual analog scale and a numerical rating scale. All of the subjects were asked to keep a headache diary for 8 weeks. Three subjects who had no headache attacks during the baseline period and two cases who were lost to follow up were excluded. Thus, sodium valproate was initiated in 10 subjects (six boys, four girls), 500 mg/night, and the daily dose was increased up to 1000 mg according to blood levels. Their ages ranged from 9 to 17 (mean age 13.6 +/- 3.2 years). Therapy continued for at least 12 weeks. RESULTS: Headache severity as measured via the mean visual analog score was 6.8 +/- 1.8 at baseline and was 0.7 +/- 1.2 at the end of the treatment period (P = 0.000). Mean headache attacks per month were 6 +/- 4.2 at baseline and were 0.8 +/- 1.9 at the end of the treatment period (P = 0.002). The duration of headache was significantly decreased from a mean of 5.5 +/- 3.9 hours to 1.1 +/- 2.5 hours with treatment (P = 0.001). The observed side effects were dizziness, drowsiness, and increase in appetite; none required drug withdrawal. In two cases, headache attacks recurred after the cessation of valproate, and therapy was restarted. Headache control lasted for six months following cessation of the drug in the remainder of the subjects. CONCLUSION: Sodium valproate appears to be effective and safe in selected patients with childhood migraine.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intrathecal morphine: effects on perioperative hemodynamics, postoperative analgesia, and stress response for total abdominal hysterectomy.

Intrathecal opioids provide postoperative analgesia and hemodynamic stability by depressing the neuroendocrine response during the perioperative period. The effects of preoperative intrathecal morphine on perioperative hemodynamics, stress response, and postoperative analgesia were evaluated in patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy with general anesthesia. A total of 24 patients were randomly assigned to the morphine group (n=12) or the control group (n=12). Patients in the morphine group were given intrathecal 5 microg/kg(-1) morphine before surgery. In all patients, general anesthesia was induced with 1 g/kg(-1) remifentanil, 2 mg/kg(-1) propofol, and 0.1 mg/kg(-1) vecuronium and was maintained with 1% to 2% sevoflurane-35% oxygen in N2O and remifentanil infusion. All patients received intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia after surgery. Postoperative pain was evaluated by means of a visual analogue scale. Blood samples were taken at 4 time points before and up to 4 hours after the start of surgery for assessment of plasma epinephrine, norepinephrine, and glucose. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and adverse effects were recorded. Intraoperative hemodynamics was similar in both groups, but postoperative HR and MAP values at 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, and 20 h were significantly lower in the morphine group (P<.05). Postoperative VAS scores, total morphine consumption, and plasma epinephrine, norepinephrine, and glucose levels were significantly lower in the morphine group than in the control group (P<.05). Preoperative intrathecal morphine enhanced the quality of postoperative analgesia, decreased morphine consumption, and depressed the systemic stress response in patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy with general anesthesia.

Adult↗