A&A PracticeSeptember 21, 2020Isaiah T. Crum, VaKara M. Meyer Karre, Alëna A. Balasanova
A 76-year-old woman with chronic noncancer pain and an intrathecal hydromorphone–bupivacaine pump was admitted for acute exacerbation of heart failure. Her pump was unable to be replaced due to medical comorbidities. She was unable to tolerate oral opioids due to ventilatory depression. Tapering hydromorphone resulted in opioid withdrawal due to physiological dependence. Microdosing of...
Buprenorphine is an effective treatment for chronic pain and may reduce opioid-induced hyperalgesia. However, its pharmacological properties make its induction challenging, time-consuming, and can precipitate opioid withdrawal. We present the case of a 66-year-old woman with inadequately controlled postoperative pain despite escalating doses of oxycodone and methadone, who was successfully...