ABSTRACT
Objectives. Over the past few years, there has been an increased reliance on the intrathecal delivery of drugs for patients suffering from intractable pain. We sought to demonstrate the effectiveness of the intrathecal pain pump by examining self-reported pre- and postimplantation pain levels. Methods. Eighty-four patients who had elected to implant a Medtronic SynchroMed 1 or 2 system in order to control their pain were asked to complete a survey. The survey consisted of pain ratings before implantation, pain ratings postimplantation, medications used before and after implantation, and patient satisfaction with the procedure. Results. Perceived success rate for implantation is 68%, when measured by the ability to reduce reliance on oral medication. When measured by willingness to undergo the procedure again, the success rate is 86%. Conclusions. Overall, the implantation of an intrathecal pain pump is an effective way for most people to manage their intractable pain and reduce reliance on oral medications.
ABSTRACT
Ninety-three normal, healthy, community-dwelling African American men and women aged 60 and older completed the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Cognistat (formerly known as Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination). Results indicated significant age and education effects on MMSE and Cognistat performance. The strength of the effects was less than had been noted in earlier work. Cognistat scores were lower than those reported in the original manual for the test as well as in comparison to an older sample in another study. Explanations were offered in terms of differences in cultural and educational exposure to testing as well as inappropriateness of the norms in the original manual. Age- and education-stratified normative data are presented that should be helpful to clinicians who work with and perform cognitive assessment in the population.
