Abstract

CANOVAS MARTINEZ, L. et al. Treatment of breakthrough pain. Rev. Soc. Esp. Dolor [online]. 2012, vol.19, n.6, pp.318-324. ISSN 1134-8046.

Breakthrough pain is defined as an exacerbation of the pain of sudden and transient, high intensity (VAS > 7) and short duration (usually less than 20-30 minutes), which appears on the basis of a stable persistent pain, when this is reduced to a tolerable level (VAS < 5) by using strong opioids. The classification most used is the classification based on the following: Incident (predictable, unpredictable), idiopathic and end-of-dose. Proper management of breakthrough pain is based on three aspects: prevention, early and appropriate medication use. There are formulations of opioids rapid onset and short duration of action (ROOS) that better fit the profile and treatment of this type of pain. Everyone has an early onset of effect, between 5-15 minutes after dosing and a duration of 2-4 h and a bioavailability which may vary according to the filing. Fentanyl buccal tablets, sublingual fentanyl and intranasal nasal fentanyl have a faster onset of action and greater bioavailability of fentanyl transmucosal oral. Although most published controlled studies on this question, the use of de ROOs in the breakthrough pain, indicate the need for dose titration (especially fentanyl OTFC and oral), the choice of an effective dose is still difficult.

Keywords : Breakthrough pain; Opioid; Fentanyl; Rapid onset opioid (ROOs).

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