Case Report
Efficacy of Continuous Brachial Plexus Block for Intractable Cancer Pain in a Terminal Patient
Tatsuya Hashimoto1, Toshihiko Nakatani1,2*, Ichiro Sutou1 and Yoji Saito1
1Palliative Care Center, Shimane University Hospital, Japan
2Department of Palliative Care, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Japan
- *Corresponding Author:
- Toshihiko Nakatani M.D, PhD
Department of Palliative Care, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University
89-1, Enya-cho, Izumo city, 693-8501, Japan
Tel: +81-853-20-2237
Fax: +81-853-20-2347
E-mail: tnktn@med.shimane-u.ac.jp
Received date: July 12, 2016; Accepted date: July 21, 2016; Published date: July 25, 2016
Citation: Hashimoto T, Nakatani T, Sutou I, Saito Y (2016) Efficacy of Continuous Brachial Plexus Block for Intractable Cancer Pain in a Terminal Patient. J Palliat Care Med 6:274. doi:10.4172/2165-7386.1000274
Copyright: © 2016 Hashimoto T, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
We report a case of terminal cancer in which continuous peripheral nerve block provided effective relief for cancer-related pain that was difficult to control with pharmacotherapy. A 70-year-old woman with thyroid cancer, paraplegia due to multiple bone metastases, and cauliflower-like proliferation of skin metastasis on the left upper arm was receiving inpatient palliative care. Intractable pain during treatment of the tumor and when changing body position due to metastatic tumor and pathological fracture of the left humerus was difficult to control with pharmacotherapy. Continuous interscalene brachial plexus block was therefore performed, resulting in effective pain relief over the subsequent 38 days before death. Ultrasound-guided continuous peripheral nerve block can be performed at the bedside in patients in poor general condition who cannot tolerate neuraxial block, and should be considered in cases of terminal cancer patient suffering from intractable pain despite pharmacotherapy.
