This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

A Double-blind Placebo Study

Robert A. Caplan, MD; L. Brian Ready, MD; Rollin V. Oden, MD; Frederick A. Matsen III, MD; Michael L. Nessly; Gayle L. Olsson, RN, MN

JAMA. 1989;261(7):1036-1039.

Abstract
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized design was used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transdermal fentanyl citrate for postoperative pain management in 42 healthy adult patients undergoing major shoulder surgery. Transdermal systems rated to deliver fentanyl citrate at a rate of 75 µg/h were applied to the skin immediately prior to surgery and worn for 24 hours. Patients in the active group required significantly less morphine than the placebo group during the 24-hour period that systems were in place (0.8 ±0.61 vs 1.3 ±0.64 mg/h) and for the first 12 hours after removal (0.3 ± 0.36 vs 0.5 ± 0.32 mg/h). The incidence of vomiting was more frequent in the active group than in the placebo group (73% vs 30%), and respiratory rate in the active group was lower than in the placebo group during the 13- to 24-hour interval of system application (14±3 vs 16±2 breaths per minute). Nevertheless, transdermal fentanyl appears to be safe and effective after orthopedic surgery in healthy adult patients.

(JAMA 1989;260:1036-1039)

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Anesthesiology, RN-10, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Virginia Mason Medical Center, Anesthesiology Department, (B2-AN), PO Box 900, Seattle, WA 98111 (Dr Caplan).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

The management of pain in terminally ill cancer patients with difficulty swallowing
Coluzzi and Fairbairn
AM J HOSP PALLIAT CARE 1999;16:731-737.
 

Review: Medication Delivery in the Short-Bowel Syndrome
McFadden et al.
JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 1993;17:180-186.
ABSTRACT  

Review articles : Transdermal and inhalatory routes of opioid administration: the potential application in cancer pain
Ripamonti and Bruera
Palliat Med 1992;6:98-104.
ABSTRACT  

Management of Pain in the Critically Ill
Stevens and Edwards
J Intensive Care Med 1990;5:258-291.
ABSTRACT  

TRANSDERMAL ANALGESIA
JWatch General 1989;1989:3-3.
FULL TEXT