ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Integrative therapies such as massage have gained support as interventions that improve the overall patient experience during hospitalization. Thoracic surgery patients undergo long procedures and commonly have postoperative back, neck, and shoulder pain. PURPOSE: Given the promising effects of massage therapy for alleviation of pain, we studied the effectiveness and feasibility of massage therapy delivered in the postoperative thoracic surgery setting. METHODS: Patients who received massage in the postoperative setting had pain scores evaluated pre and post massage on a rating scale of 0 to 10 (0 = no pain, 10 = worst possible pain). RESULTS: In total, 160 patients completed the pilot study and received massage therapy that was individualized. Patients receiving massage therapy had significantly decreased pain scores after massage (p ≤ .001), and patients' comments were very favorable. Patients and staff were highly satisfied with having massage therapy available, and no major barriers to implementing massage therapy were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Massage therapy may be an important additional pain management component of the healing experience for patients after thoracic surgery.
ABSTRACT
This column describes the etiology, diagnosis, and management of pleural effusions.
Subject(s)
Pleural Effusion , Chest Tubes , Diagnosis, Differential , Exudates and Transudates , Humans , Paracentesis , Pleural Effusion/diagnosis , Pleural Effusion/etiology , Pleural Effusion/therapy , Pleurodesis , Risk Factors , ThoracostomyABSTRACT
Patients with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM) experience multiple symptoms from their disease and treatment, which can affect all aspects of their lives. Dyspnea, cough, pain, fatigue, depression, weight loss, anorexia, and cachexia are the most common symptoms. Early, ongoing assessment and management of these symptoms are imperative to maximize quality of life for patients with DMPM.
Subject(s)
Mesothelioma/complications , Pleural Neoplasms/complications , Algorithms , Anorexia/etiology , Anorexia/prevention & control , Cachexia/etiology , Cachexia/prevention & control , Cough/etiology , Cough/prevention & control , Decision Trees , Depression/etiology , Depression/prevention & control , Dyspnea/etiology , Dyspnea/prevention & control , Fatigue/etiology , Fatigue/prevention & control , Hospice Care/methods , Humans , Mesothelioma/nursing , Mesothelioma/psychology , Nursing Assessment , Pain/etiology , Pain/prevention & control , Pleural Neoplasms/nursing , Pleural Neoplasms/psychology , Quality of Life , Weight LossABSTRACT
Diffuse malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon, aggressive malignancy that occurs most often in the pleura of the lung. This article reviews the risk factors, incidence, signs, symptoms, diagnosis, staging, treatment options, and follow-up care of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM). Curative approaches for treating DMPM are limited, and survival rates rarely exceed two years. Treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have shown limited benefit in improving survival. Extrapleural pneumonectomy combined with multimodal treatments provides a potentially curative approach, and newer efforts in multimodality therapy are promising. Clinical trials utilizing intrapleural chemo-photodynamic, gene, and immunotherapies currently are under way.
