In case you missed it, RecoveryRx Case Report I
Post# of 7790
In 2022 Dr Brian Ilfeld, a well respected researcher at UCSD, did a Case Report with 11 other UCSD researchers, and technical assistance from Sree Koneru with Meraqui Medical and Ken McLeod of Binghampton University, on Post Surgical Pain using the RecoveryRx Medical Device.
This Case Report was funded by UCSD Department of Anaesthesiology .
INTRODUCTION Pain following outpatient surgery is often difficult to control without opioids, which are frequently associated with undesired side effects and a risk of misuse, dependence, and diversion. Peripheral nerve blocks deliver site-specific analgesia with few side effects, but surgical pain often outlasts their duration of action. A possible alternative is the use of nonthermal, pulsed shortwave (radiofrequency) fields which have been used to treat acute and chronic pain, decrease inflammation and edema, and hasten wound healing and bone regeneration.
Conclusions: These cases demonstrate that the ambulatory use of pulsed shortwave devices is feasible and may be an effective analgesic, possibly obviating opioid requirements following outpatient herniorrhaphy and breast surgery. Considering the lack of any side effects, adverse events, and misuse/dependence/diversion potential, further study with a randomized, controlled trial appears warranted.
Average daily pain at rest was a median of 0 as measured using a 0–10 numeric rating scale for the entire period of follow-up (Figure1). Average pain with movement was a median of 3 and 1.5 on postoperative days 1 and 2, respectively, but subsequently fell to zero for the remaining time points (Figure1). Similarly, maximum pain each day was a median of 4.0 and 4.5 for the first 2 days, respectively, 1.0 the following 2 days, and 0 there-after (Figure1). Six patients avoided opioid use entirely, while the remaining individual required 5 mg of oxycodone during the first postoperative day (Figure1). After 30 days, the devices were removed at home and discarded. No patient contacted a healthcare provider with a question or concern during the follow-up period, and no device- related localized irritation, side effects, or com-plications were identified during the telephone follow-up
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