Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Maintenance”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Prolonging remission with rituximab maintenance therapy.

Maintenance therapy using rituximab is currently under consideration as a means of prolonging remission in patients with indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A phase II trial using rituximab as first-line therapy followed by maintenance treatment was carried out in patients with previously untreated indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The overall response rate improved from 47% (7% complete response) after initial treatment to 73% (37% complete response) after maintenance treatment; median progression-free survival was 37 months. A similar study in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) also showed some improvement in response rates after maintenance therapy and a median progression-free survival of 19 months. The improved remission duration suggested in these phase II trials has been confirmed in a randomized, phase III trial performed by the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research. Patients with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who had objective response or stable disease after a standard 4-week course of rituximab were randomized to either observation or further maintenance rituximab treatment. Median event-free survival was longer in patients who received maintenance therapy (23 v 12 months; P =.02). The toxicity of maintenance rituximab has been minimal in all trials to date. Although prolongation of progression-free survival has been shown in all completed trials, multiple other questions regarding maintenance rituximab are being addressed in ongoing trials. These include optimum schedule/duration, use after initial chemotherapy/rituximab combinations, efficacy versus retreatment at progression, and efficacy in other B-cell neoplasms.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Description of a computerized health maintenance tracking system for primary care practice.

This article describes the development of a computerized health maintenance tracking system for primary care practice and its features. Research has shown existing computerized health maintenance tracking systems are unsatisfactory for the average practitioner for these reasons: (1) Data entry is slow or requires duplication of entries for billing purposes; (2) the system is linked to a totally computerized medical record that is expensive and complex to maintain; (3) health maintenance status options are limited to "YES/NO" and do not inform the practitioner of the full range of possible situations; (4) physician reminders are created only for patients with an appointment; (5) patient reminders are not generated on a regular basis regardless of appointment status; (6) it is difficult to change individual and global health maintenance schedules. The system described here downloads demographic and health maintenance data from the practice's billing system. Six health maintenance status options are available: D = done and normal, X = done but abnormal, N = not indicated, R = patient refused, E = done elsewhere, I = abnormal but inactive. A health maintenance status report is created for both the patient and provider once a year, in the month of the patient's birth unless an alternate month has been designated, regardless of the patient's appointment status. Patients are encouraged to make an appointment for overdue health maintenance procedures, unless already scheduled.

Appointments and Schedules↗
PubMed1996

Effects of methadone or buprenorphine maintenance on the subjective and reinforcing effects of intravenous cocaine in humans.

The effects of p.o. methadone or sublingual buprenorphine maintenance on i.v. cocaine self-administration and the response to experimenter-administered cocaine were evaluated in 12 methadone-maintained individuals. Participants lived in a clinical research center during the 4- to 5-week protocol. After stabilization on 80 mg/day methadone, half the participants were first tested during buprenorphine maintenance (8 mg/day with p.o. placebo) and half were first tested during methadone maintenance (60 mg/day with sublingual placebo). After testing on the alternate medication, all participants were returned to their entry level of methadone. Testing consisted of three daily sessions of fixed cocaine dosing (four injections; 0, 16 and 48 mg/70 kg) and three daily sessions of cocaine self-administration with a choice procedure (16, 32 and 48 mg/70 kg vs. $5). The transition from methadone to buprenorphine engendered moderate withdrawal symptoms (score of 12 on the subjective opiate withdrawal scale), which returned to base-line levels (score of 4 on the subjective opiate withdrawal scale) before testing during buprenorphine maintenance. Buprenorphine maintenance significantly reduced "I want cocaine" scores by 15% during fixed-dosing sessions. Subjective effects of fixed cocaine doses, including increased ratings of "high," "stimulated" and "good drug effect," were not affected by the maintenance medication. Heart rate was consistently 9 beats/min less, regardless of cocaine dose, during methadone maintenance. In comparison with methadone, buprenorphine maintenance decreased cocaine self-administration when 16- or 32-mg doses were available, but not when 48 mg was available. Thus, buprenorphine may have greater efficacy than methadone for controlling cocaine abuse among individuals dependent on opioids.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Treatment of polycythemia vera: use of 32P alone or in combination with maintenance therapy using hydroxyurea in 461 patients greater than 65 years of age. The French Polycythemia Study Group.

Despite myelosuppression, polycythemic (PV) patients greater than 65 years of age have a high risk of vascular complications, and the leukemic risk exceeds 15% after 12 years. Is the addition of low-dose maintenance treatment with hydroxyurea (HU) after radiophosphorus (32P) myelosuppression able to decrease these complications? Since the end of 1979, 461 patients were randomized to receive (or not) low-dose HU (5 to 10 mg/kg/d), after the first 32P-induced remission, and were observed until death or June 1996. Maintenance treatment very significantly prolonged the duration of 32P-induced remissions and reduced the annual mean dose received to one-third. However, despite this maintenance, 25% of the patients had an excessive platelet count and the rate of serious vascular complications was not decreased, except in the most severe cases with short-term relapse of polycythemia. Furthermore, the leukemia rate was significantly increased beyond 8 years and a significant excess of carcinomas was also observed. The continuous use of HU did not decrease the risk of progression to myelofibrosis (incidence of 20% after 15 years). Life expectancy was shorter (a median of 9.3 years v 10.9 years with 32P alone), except in the most severe cases (initial 32P-induced remission lasting <2 years) in which maintenance treatment moderately prolonged the survival by reducing the vascular risk. In most cases of PV, in which the duration of the first 32P-induced remission exceeded 2 years, the introduction of HU maintenance did not reduce the vascular risk. Although it considerably decreased the mean dose of 32P received, HU maintenance therapy significantly increased the leukemia and cancer risks and reduced the mean life expectancy by 15%. However, in cases with more rapid recurrence, the introduction of maintenance treatment reduced the vascular risks and moderately prolonged survival. The use of HU as a maintenance therapy is therefore only justified in this situation.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1995

Vibration syndrome in railway track maintenance workers.

An inquiry was sent to all railway maintenance workers in three railway districts in Finland and hand-arm vibration was measured on the handlebars of tools used by maintenance workers. The study group included 252 (82%) subjects, whose mean age was 41 years and who had worked in track maintenance for 14 years (SD 9). In Finland there are over 600 railway maintenance workers who use vibrating tools. The frequency-weighted acceleration of hand-arm vibration was calculated according to the ISO 5349 standard. Hand-held tamping machines had caused most of the vibration exposure, and aw4h was 10.6 m/s2 measured on the handlebar of tamping machine, but many workers also used other vibrating tools. The annual vibration level was 2.5 m/s2 when the use of all vibrating tools and the exposure time was taken into account. In the questionnaire the prevalence of vibration-induced white finger (VWF) was 14% in the entire material, and the prevalence of VWF increased significantly with the total duration of the maintenance work. In addition, 39% of the subjects had suffered numbness of the hands, and the prevalence of hand numbness also increased significantly with the total duration of maintenance work. According to the measurements of vibration and the prevalence of hand symptoms the present investigation indicates vibration syndrome as being related to railway track maintenance work. In the exposure group, where tamping machines mainly were used and exposure to other vibration was small, the prevalence of VWF was also significantly higher, but the prevalence of hand numbness insignificant compared with the control group. In this study vascular and nerve hand symptoms were considered to cause serious trouble in work by 4-11% of the maintenance workers.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Risk-based maintenance of ethylene oxide production facilities.

This paper discusses a methodology for the design of an optimum inspection and maintenance program. The methodology, called risk-based maintenance (RBM) is based on integrating a reliability approach and a risk assessment strategy to obtain an optimum maintenance schedule. First, the likely equipment failure scenarios are formulated. Out of many likely failure scenarios, the ones, which are most probable, are subjected to a detailed study. Detailed consequence analysis is done for the selected scenarios. Subsequently, these failure scenarios are subjected to a fault tree analysis to determine their probabilities. Finally, risk is computed by combining the results of the consequence and the probability analyses. The calculated risk is compared against known acceptable criteria. The frequencies of the maintenance tasks are obtained by minimizing the estimated risk. A case study involving an ethylene oxide production facility is presented. Out of the five most hazardous units considered, the pipeline used for the transportation of the ethylene is found to have the highest risk. Using available failure data and a lognormal reliability distribution function human health risk factors are calculated. Both societal risk factors and individual risk factors exceeded the acceptable risk criteria. To determine an optimal maintenance interval, a reverse fault tree analysis was used. The maintenance interval was determined such that the original high risk is brought down to an acceptable level. A sensitivity analysis is also undertaken to study the impact of changing the distribution of the reliability model as well as the error in the distribution parameters on the maintenance interval.

Chemical Industry↗
PubMed2006

Risk-based maintenance--techniques and applications.

Plant and equipment, however well designed, will not remain safe or reliable if it is not maintained. The general objective of the maintenance process is to make use of the knowledge of failures and accidents to achieve the possible safety with the lowest possible cost. The concept of risk-based maintenance was developed to inspect the high-risk components usually with greater frequency and thoroughness and to maintain in a greater manner, to achieve tolerable risk criteria. Risk-based maintenance methodology provides a tool for maintenance planning and decision making to reduce the probability of failure of equipment and the consequences of failure. In this paper, the risk analysis and risk-based maintenance methodologies were identified and classified into suitable classes. The factors affecting the quality of risk analysis were identified and analyzed. The applications, input data and output data were studied to understand their functioning and efficiency. The review showed that there is no unique way to perform risk analysis and risk-based maintenance. The use of suitable techniques and methodologies, careful investigation during the risk analysis phase, and its detailed and structured results are necessary to make proper risk-based maintenance decisions.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2000

Competency-based on-the-job training for aviation maintenance and inspection--a human factors approach.

More than 90% of the critical skills that an aviation maintenance technician uses are acquired through on-the-job training (OJT). Yet many aviation maintenance technicians rely on a 'degenerating buddy system', 'follow Joe around', or unstructured approach to OJT. Many aspects of the aviation maintenance environment point to the need for a structured OJT program, but perhaps the most significant is the practice of job bidding which can create rapid turnover of technicians. The task analytic training system (TATS), a model for developing team-driven structured OJT was developed by the author, and first introduced in Boeing Commercial Airplane Group to provide competency-based OJT for aviation maintenance and inspection personnel. The goal of the model was not only to provide a comprehensive, highly structured training system that could be applied to any maintenance and inspection task, but also to improve team coordination, attitude and morale. The first goal was accomplished by following the systems eight-step process, the latter through incorporating human factors principles such as decision making, communication, team building and conflict resolution into the process itself. In general, the process helps to instill mutual respect and trust, enhance goal-directed behavior, strengthen technicians' self-esteem and responsiveness to new ideas and encourage technicians to make worthwhile contributions. The theoretical background of the model is addressed by illustrating how the proven training methodologies of job task analysis and job instruction training are blended with human factors principles resulting in a unique team-driven approach to training. The paper discusses major elements of the model including needs identification, outlining targeted jobs, writing and verifying training procedures, an approval system, sequencing of training, certifying trainers, implementing, employing tracking mechanisms, evaluating, and establishing a maintenance/audit plan. Relevance to industry. TATS has been successfully installed in several maintenance and inspection areas of The Boeing Company. Four major U.S. airlines--United Airlines, TransWorld Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and USAirways have participated in two years of development and field testing in their maintenance operations (assisted by the author and Dr. Barbara Kanki of NASA Ames Research Center).

Aviation↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of tazarotene and minocycline maintenance therapies in acne vulgaris: a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of 3 maintenance regimens (topical tazarotene, oral minocycline hydrochloride, or both) in sustaining improvement in acne. DESIGN: Multicenter, open-label treatment phase followed by double-blind, randomized, parallel-group maintenance phase. SETTING: Ambulatory patients in research or referral centers. PATIENTS: Volunteer sample of 189 patients with moderately severe to severe acne vulgaris (110 entered maintenance phase, 90 completed, and 2 discontinued because of adverse events). INTERVENTIONS: All patients were treated with 0.1% tazarotene gel (each evening) and a 100-mg capsule (twice daily) of minocycline hydrochloride for up to 12 weeks. Patients with 75% or greater global improvement at week 12 were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of maintenance therapy with tazarotene gel plus placebo capsules, vehicle gel plus minocycline capsules, or tazarotene gel plus minocycline capsules. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall disease severity, global improvement, and lesion counts. RESULTS: All regimens were effective in sustaining improvements in acne. After 12 weeks of maintenance therapy, the mean reductions from baseline in noninflammatory and inflammatory lesion count, respectively, were 60% and 54% with tazarotene, 52% and 66% with minocycline, and 64% and 66% with tazarotene plus minocycline. At week 24, more than 80% of patients in each group had maintained a 50% or greater global improvement from baseline, and more than 50% had maintained a 75% or greater global improvement. CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of patients with moderately severe to severe acne can maintain improvement in their condition with topical retinoid monotherapy. Maintenance with combination tazarotene and minocycline therapy showed a trend for greater efficacy but no statistical significance vs tazarotene alone. Topical retinoid monotherapy should be considered for maintenance to help minimize antibiotic exposure.

Acne Vulgaris↗
PubMedDate not supplied

After the grant runs out. Long-term provider health maintenance compliance using a computer-based tracking system.

OBJECTIVE: To measure long-term provider (physicians and physician's assistants) health maintenance compliance 4 years after the completion of a grant-funded project to improve provider compliance by using a computer-based health maintenance tracking system. DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparison of provider health maintenance compliance for patients receiving computer-based health maintenance tracking in 1992 and 1996. SETTING: Rural, multiple-office, nonprofit, fee-for-service family practice. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall provider compliance with the common elements of the health maintenance protocols in 1992 and 1996. Provider compliance with specific, individual preventive interventions was compared. RESULTS: Overall provider compliance was 83% in 1996, compared with 80% in 1992. This difference was statistically significant (P = .05) but not clinically significant. Provider compliance was significantly higher in 1996 for 3 procedures: blood pressure determination, tetanus-diphtheria immunization, and weight. It was unchanged for 5 procedures: clinical breast examination, mammography, Papanicolaou smears, cholesterol determination, and fecal occult blood testing for colon cancer. Provider compliance with obtaining a history of tobacco use declined. CONCLUSION: Improvements in provider health maintenance compliance associated with installation of a computer-based health maintenance tracking system were maintained 4 years after cessation of the formal research intervention.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1996

A controlled trial comparing buprenorphine and methadone maintenance in opioid dependence.

BACKGROUND: Buprenorphine is a partial agonist at the mu-opioid receptor that has been proposed as an alternative to traditional full agonist maintenance therapy for the treatment of opioid addiction. We report on a clinical trial in which the relative safety and efficacy of long-term fixed-dose buprenorphine maintenance was examined in comparison to low- and high-dose methadone maintenance. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-five treatment-seeking opioid addicts (46 women, 179 men) were randomly assigned to receive, in a double-blind manner, either 8 mg/d of buprenorphine, 30 mg/d of methadone, or 80 mg/d of methadone maintenance over a 1-year period. Objective and subjective measures of efficacy (urine toxicology, retention, craving, and withdrawal symptoms) were examined at the study midpoint and at termination, and safety data were tabulated over the entire 52-week study period. RESULTS: Patients assigned to high-dose methadone maintenance performed significantly better on measures of retention, opioid use, and opioid craving than either the low-dose methadone or the buprenorphine group at both 26-week and 52-week time points. Performance on these measures was virtually identical between the latter two groups. No serious adverse health effects attributable to buprenorphine were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Buprenorphine maintenance at 8 mg/d appears to be less than optimally efficacious under the conditions of the present study. Continued research is needed to reconcile these findings with the more positive results reported by other investigative groups. There are no apparent health risks associated with long-term buprenorphine maintenance at this dosage.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Maintenance therapy for chronic depression. A controlled clinical trial of desipramine.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown the efficacy of antidepressants in the treatment of chronic depression. We report the results of a long-term study comparing desipramine hydrochloride and placebo for maintenance therapy of remitted patients with chronic depression. METHODS: Outpatients who met DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for "pure" dysthymia (n = 51), dysthymia with current major depression ("double depression") (n = 64), or chronic major depression (n = 14) were treated on an open basis with desipramine. Full and partial remitters after 10 weeks entered a continuation phase of open treatment with desipramine for 16 weeks. Remitted patients then were randomized to continue desipramine treatment or tapered to placebo treatment for a maintenance phase of up to 2 years. Relapse rates and time to relapse during maintenance therapy were compared between the two treatment groups. RESULTS: Acute-phase treatment results did not differ significantly according to chronic depression subtype. Remission persisted with a high degree of stability during the continuation phase. Relapse rates during the maintenance phase were 52% for the placebo group and 11% for the active desipramine group (chi 2 = 8.1, P = .004). Most placebo relapses occurred during the first 6 months of maintenance therapy. Active medication was significantly more effective than placebo in that subgroup entering the maintenance phase in full remission and in those patients who fulfilled criteria for a diagnosis of pure dysthymia or double depression on entry to the study. CONCLUSION: Long-term maintenance treatment with desipramine appeared to be effective in the prevention or postponement of relapse of depression in patients who responded to desipramine during the acute and continuation phases.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The role of timing of high-dose cytosine arabinoside intensification and of maintenance therapy in the treatment of children with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.

The Children's Cancer Study Group instituted a pilot study to investigate the use of high doses of cytosine arabinoside (AraC) in the intensification phase of treatment for acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). Patients achieving remission and not eligible for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation were treated with four doses of high-dose AraC and L-asparaginase. These drugs were repeated either on or after 28 days (q28 days), after recovery of hematologic parameters (for the first 49 patients entered onto this trial); or after 7 days (q7 days), despite dropping blood counts (for the last 53 patients enrolled). After completing an additional 3 months of intensification therapy, patients were then allocated by physician choice to either discontinue therapy or receive 18 28-day cycles of maintenance therapy, including the daily administration of 6-thioguanine. Despite three deaths associated with the toxicity of the aggressive (q7 days) AraC timing, patients receiving this approach demonstrated equal or better disease-free survival from the end of induction (55% versus 42% actuarially at 3 years [P = 0.52]). Maintenance therapy appeared to play no role in improving outcome for people who received the aggressive timing of AraC cycles. Fifty-nine percent were alive disease free actuarially at 3 years from the decision to not give maintenance therapy (n = 27) compared with 62% for those receiving maintenance therapy (n = 16; P = 0.49). On the other hand, patients who received the less aggressive AraC intensification timing (q28 days) had an improved survival rate if maintenance therapy was administered (n = 17) (65% versus 39% for patients not receiving maintenance therapy [n = 24] at 3 years [P = 0.07]). Maintenance therapy therefore may not improve outcome in patients receiving aggressive timing of high-dose AraC but may be important in less intensive postremission regimens in childhood ANLL.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1995

5-Fluorouracil/leucovorin/interferon alpha-2a in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Effects of maintenance therapy on remission duration.

BACKGROUND: A Phase II study of combination treatment with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin (LV), and interferon alpha-2a (IFN) in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer was previously reported by the authors. Therapy was on an outpatient basis and consisted of LV 60 mg orally every 8 hours days 1-3, IFN 18 x 10(6) IU subcutaneously days 1-3, and bolus 5-FU 750 mg/m2 intravenously days 2-3. Treatment was repeated every 14 days, until a maximum of 8 courses was administered. A response rate of 54% [95% confidence interval (CI), 34-72%] was observed. However, remission duration after cessation of therapy was short, with a median duration of 5 months (range, 2 to 13+ months). METHODS: Subsequent to the above study, patients on this induction treatment who achieved remission received maintenance therapy: the above described 3-day regimen every 6 weeks until progression, for a maximum of 2 years. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were enrolled in the induction regimen and 18 out of 29 patients who achieved remission received maintenance treatment. In 50 assessable patients 3 complete recoveries and 26 partial recoveries were observed for a response rate of 58% (CI, 43-72%). Median remission duration of patients receiving maintenance therapy was 9.4 months (CI, 8.4-10.3 months) compared with 4.7 months (CI, 3.2-6.2 months) for patients without maintenance therapy. Median overall survival of all patients was 16.6 months. Toxicity of maintenance therapy was confined to WHO grade 2. CONCLUSIONS: The high response rate of this 5-FU/LV/IFN regimen holds true in a larger group of patients. The group that received maintenance treatment had a remission duration of just over 9 months, the maintenance regimen added little toxicity.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Maintenance of gene expression patterns.

In development, cells pass on established gene expression patterns to daughter cells over multiple rounds of cell division. The cellular memory of the gene expression state is termed maintenance, and the proteins required for this process are termed maintenance proteins. The best characterized are proteins of the Polycomb and trithorax Groups that are required for silencing and maintenance of activation of target loci, respectively. These proteins act through DNA elements termed maintenance elements. Here, we re-examine the genetics and molecular biology of maintenance proteins. We discuss molecular models for the maintenance of activation and silencing, and the establishment of epigenetic marks, and suggest that maintenance proteins may play a role in propagating the mark through DNA synthesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Behavioral effects of naloxone and nalorphine preceding and following morphine maintenance in the rhesus monkey.

The effects of morphine, naloxone, and nalorphine on responding maintained under a variable-interval schedule of food presentation were assessed in rhesus monkeys before and after successive periods of daily morphine maintenance (15.0 mg/kg/day SC). Withdrawal from morphine dependence was accomplished gradually following the first two maintenance periods and abruptly following the third period. Schedule-controlled responding was disrupted when morphine maintenance was abruptly discontinued but not when the maintenance dosage was gradually reduced to zero. Tolerance to the acute effects of IV morphine on responding developed during morphine maintenance and dissipated after daily injections were discontinued. The effects of IV naloxone and IV nalorphine following each period of morphine maintenance were generally similar to their effects in initial determinations. These data indicate that tolerance-producing regimens of repeated daily injections with morphine do not necessarily produce enduring changes in the effects of opiate antagonists on schedule-controlled behavior. Additionally, gradual withdrawal from morphine maintenance can minimize the behavioral disruptions that attend abrupt abstinence.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

The costs and benefits of boundary maintenance: stress, religion and culture among Jews in Britain.

This paper examines stress among two groups of orthodox Jews suggested to differ in the strength of the boundary of their religious group. Comparisons were made between the two groups, and with urban and rural groups studied by other researchers. Proportions of boundary-maintenance events (events whose threat had been caused or exacerbated by Jewishness) and of severe events, and proportions and rates of regular, irregular and disruptive events were examined. Boundary-maintenance events were higher among the more religiously orthodox affiliated group, and among whom religious observance was indeed reported to be higher. It was suggested that conditions of higher boundary maintenance would be associated with higher rates and proportions of regular events and with lower rates and proportions of irregular and disruptive events. Generally, the analyses supported this expectation. Boundary-maintenance events themselves were somewhat less severe, though not less likely to be irregular or disruptive than other events. Depression was shown to be unrelated to boundary-maintenance events and (surprisingly) unrelated to contextual threat when the effects of irregularity-disruption were controlled. Depression was, however, strongly related to irregular and disruptive events. The results are compared with those of related work, and suggest that the general lowering effect of affiliation to a religious group may be partly explained by the effects of boundary maintenance, which involves stress, but of a less depressogenic kind than the disruptive stress associated with conditions of low/no boundary maintenance. The findings have implications for understanding the relations between culture and mental disorder.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed2007

[Maintenance treatment of opiate addicts].

Maintenance treatment is now the most common treatment of opiate addicts in Germany. The principle of maintenance treatment is the administration of an opioid in order to suppress withdrawal symptoms and heroin craving. In this manner, maintenance treatment successfully reduces heroin abuse and directly associated risk behaviour. Only a minority of maintenance patients became opiate abstinent (including the maintenance drug). Racemic methadone is the most extensively evaluated maintenance drug. A differential indication between medical opioids has not been scientifically established. According to the German regulations psychosocial support is an obligatory part of maintenance treatment. Most opiate addicts suffer from comorbid mental and somatic diseases. Therefore psychiatric and somatic treatment is indicated and of proven value.

Germany↗