January 2013
This study, published in CMAJ Open, explores opioid use to treat advanced COPD and dyspnea. After a baseline assessment, patients were given a slow-release morphine syrup, the dosage of which was adjusted according to their symptoms. Of the 32 participants who completed the trial, 27 reported the opioid treatment as very or somewhat helpful. Many of the patients found sustained benefits of the opioid treatment over several months.
The authors of the study are Graeme Rocker, A. Catherine Simpson, Joanne Young, Robert Horton, Tansim Sinuff, Jillian Demmons, Margaret Donahue, Paul Hernandez and Darcy Marciniuk.
View this article via CMAJ Open website