Tramadol to control pain after a hip fracture in an older patient ...

As people age, their bones grow more fragile. This is a more severe problem in women following the menopause where loss of density can produce osteoporosis. Over the age of 75, men are also affected at a ratio of 1:3 as against women. Along with fragility in the bones, there?s also a loss of coordination and balance. This can lead to falls. Hence, hip fractures are relatively common among women who have been through menopause and men over the age of 75. Since Boomers are reaching retirement age, they will represent an increasing percentage of the population of seniors. This creates a real need to address pain management issues when dealing with hip fractures. A further feature making this more urgent is the increasing percentage of patients who have some degree of cognitive impairment, making it difficult to get reliable assessments of the pain from the patient.

Pain relief should be the primary focus of the medical services. Movement of a patient with a hip fracture inevitably means pain. This complicates the general approach to treatment. Since giving the strongest painkillers can mask the onset of symptoms of a heart attack or worsen psychological disorders, many hospitals are reluctant to give painkillers on admission. Yet there?s equally clear evidence of post-operative problems if the initial pain relief is inadequate. The result is a need for hospitals to review their approach to pain management.

There?s no evidence older people feel less pain than younger people. Seniors deserve to be treated with respect. This means a more widespread use of Tramadol. Since there have been well-documented problems in the use of the opiate painkillers, this throws more weight on to the anti-inflammatories and the opioids. Although there?s no guarantee you will be given Tramadol, you should do your best to insist on being given the best level of pain relief without masking the onset of other more serious, life-threatening symptoms. If you can negotiate with the hospital authorities and prove you are in command of your mental faculties, you will likely receive a better level of treatment. Indeed, the evidence shows that patients who receive adequate pain relief from the time they arrive in ER leave the hospital four days more quickly than other patients. Better treatment at a lower price.

Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://www.calvinalexanderamsey.org/302-tramadol-to-control-pain-after-a-hip-fracture-in-an-older-patient.html

masters winner instagram facebook mike wallace mike wallace chicago cubs split pea soup recipe the client list