A Gynecological Treatment Found in Qubbet el-Hawa and Described in Different Papyri

SummaryThe present paper discusses the finding of an hemispherical drinking cup between the heads of the femurs of a lady identified as Sattjeni A in a Late 12th Dynasty tomb in Qubbet el-Hawa, which has been catalogued as 34aa. The woman suffered a traumatic injury in her pelvis, which provoked her pain, sterility and iatrogenic pain. The presence of the ceramic with remains of organic material with evident signs of combustion is compared to similar treatments recorded in different papyri, one of them (P. Kahun) almost contemporary to the burial. The analysis of the textual sources has allowed us to relate this find to the medical treatments prescribed by the ancient specialists in the 12th Dynasty.

Eutectic mixture of Prilocaine and Lignocaine (2.5%) versus 5% Lignocaine versus placebo for pain relief in new-borns undergoing venipuncture: a hospital based, double blind randomised case control study

Background: Venipuncture is one of the most common cause of iatrogenic pain in neonates which is equally stressful to the parents as well as to the personnel performing the procedure. Despite an abundance of data that demonstrate the efficacy of local anesthetics for reducing venipuncture pain in neonates their use in day to day practice is not used widely used. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of EMLA cream and 5% Lignocaine cream versus placebo for pain relief in newborns undergoing venipuncture.Methods: Present study was a hospital based, double blind randomised, case control study. A 240 eligible new-borns were randomised into EMLA, 5%lignocaine and placebo groups after randomization. The respective creams were applied 1 hour before the procedure and pain scores were assessed using NIPS scoring during venepunture. Data was analysed using SPSS ver. 20.0 statistical package. Student’s unpaired t-test and paired t tests was used to compare continuous data, and to compare pain scores one-way ANOVA was used to compare categorical data. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Paired t-tests revealed significant lower NIPS scores in EMLA and 5% lignocaine group than the placebo group (p value=0.001).Conclusions: From present study it can be concluded that both EMLA and 5% lignocaine are equally efficacious and cost effective in reducing the pain of venepuncture in neonates.

It’s agony for us as well

Background: Improved techniques and life sustaining technology in the neonatal intensive care unit have resulted in an increased probability of survival for extremely premature babies. The by-product of the aggressive treatment is iatrogenic pain, and this infliction of pain can be a cause of suffering and distress for both baby and nurse. Research question: The research sought to explore the caregiving dilemmas of neonatal nurses when caring for extremely premature babies. This article aims to explore the issues arising for neonatal nurses when they inflict iatrogenic pain on the most vulnerable of human beings – babies ≤24 weeks gestation. Participants: Data were collected via a questionnaire to Australian neonatal nurses and semi-structured interviews with 24 neonatal nurses in New South Wales, Australia. Ethical consideration: Ethical processes and procedures set out by the ethics committee have been adhered to by the researchers. Findings: A qualitative approach was used to analyse the data. The theme ‘inflicting pain’ comprised three sub-themes: ‘when caring and torture are the same thing’, ‘why are we doing this!’ and ‘comfort for baby and nurse’. The results show that the neonatal nurses were passionate about the need for appropriate pain relief for extremely premature babies. Conclusion: The neonatal nurses experienced a profound sense of distress manifested as existential suffering when they inflicted pain on extremely premature babies. Inflicting pain rather than relieving it can leave the nurses questioning their role as compassionate healthcare professionals.

Multiple Sclerosis and Pain: A Medical Focus

About 65% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience a broad range of both acute and subacute painful syndromes. Acute conditions (eg, trigeminal neuralgia and Lhermitte's syndrome) cause intense, unrelenting pain that may worsen with age and disease progression. Chronic pain (eg, joint pain) is also a component of MS. Pain syndromes, including optic neuritis, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and other less well-known syndromes, may respond to a variety of pharmacologic, surgical, or alternative interventions. MS patients may also experience iatrogenic pain. Some successful drug treatments for pain that are used in combination or alone include anticonvulsants, tricyclics, methylprednisolone, and narcotics. Surgical interventions, percutaneous compression-balloons, and radiofrequency ablation are other viable options for some pain syndromes.