‘Regent Suit’ Training Improves Recovery of Motor and Daily Living Activities in Subjects With Subacute Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

‘Regent Suit’ training improves recovery of motor and daily living activities in subjects with subacute stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

Clin Rehabil. 2013 Mar 15;
Monticone M, Ambrosini E, Ferrante S, Colombo R

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of an elastic element-based suit, called ‘Regent Suit’, in improving the recovery of motor and daily living activities in patients experiencing a subacute stroke.Design:Randomized controlled trial.Setting:Neurorehabilitation unit.Subjects:Sixty patients with subacute stroke who were capable of walking without direct assistance were randomized to an experimental and control group.Interventions:The experimental group attended 20 sessions of neuromotor exercises (e.g. sit-to-stand, balance, gait training) wearing the ‘Regent Suit’; the control group performed the same exercises without the ‘Regent Suit’.Outcome measures:6-minute walking test, Berg Balance Scale, the Functional Independence Measure, and the Barthel Index. The participants were evaluated before and after training, and after a further six months.Results:There were no significant between-group differences at baseline. A repeated measure linear mixed model revealed a significant effect of time (p < 0.001), group (p = 0.019), and time-by-group interaction (p < 0.001) in the gait speed in favour of the experimental group. The Berg Balance Scale indicated a significant effect of time (p < 0.001) and time-by-group interaction (p < 0.001). The experimental group also showed greater improvement in Functional Independence Measure and Barthel Index.Discussion:The study findings showed that an intervention using the 'Regent Suit' is more effective than usual care in improving locomotion and daily living activities in patients with subacute stroke. Further studies might investigate the efficacy of this type of training in chronic stroke patients and the possibility of combining the suit with body weight-supported treadmill training. HubMed – rehab

Considerations in selecting rapid-onset opioids for the management of breakthrough pain.

J Pain Res. 2013; 6: 189-200
Smith HS

Breakthrough pain (BTP) is a transitory pain that occurs despite the use of long-term, around-the-clock analgesia. It is highly prevalent in certain populations and places a significant burden on patients, their families, caregivers, and health-care systems. Despite its prevalence and impact, BTP is sometimes unrecognized and often undertreated. Various formulations of fentanyl – a rapid-onset opioid with short duration of action – are available for the management of BTP. The efficacy of formulations using transmucosal, transbuccal, sublingual, and intranasal administration routes has been demonstrated for BTP treatment in clinical trials. However, a lack of head-to-head trials evaluating their relative efficacy makes it challenging for physicians to reach informed decisions on the most efficacious intervention for individual patients. In the absence of clear data on the relative efficacy of fentanyl formulations, prescribing decisions need to be based on physician understanding and experience and product cost and availability, taking into account the individual patient’s needs, the ability of the patient or caregivers to administer medication, and the patient’s wishes. This review evaluates current pharmacologic methods of alleviating BTP and discusses factors that should be considered when selecting the most appropriate formulation for individual patients. With the range of fentanyl formulations available, it is now possible to successfully address BTP in the majority of patients. HubMed – rehab

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