Chronic Pain After Surgery
Abstract Most people will require surgery during their lifetime, and, for a significant proportion, this will lead to chronic postsurgical pain. The incidence of chronic pain after surgery varies significantly…
Tension-Type Headache, Chronic Tension-Type Headache, and Other Chronic Headache Types
Abstract 90% or more of the population is affected by headaches at one time or another. Most of these are mild to moderate in intensity, with vague associated symptoms, and…
Migraine Headache and the Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias
Abstract Migraines are among the most common headache disorders. They are now considered to be of neuronal, rather than vascular, origin. Because they can vary widely in their presentation, intensity,…
Intrathecal Opioids for Postoperative Pain
Abstract Intrathecal opioids are widely accepted and efficacious method for providing postoperative analgesia. We review the mechanism of action as well as the clinical use of intrathecal opioids. The side…
Pediatric Postoperative Pain
Abstract Children present unique challenges in the management of postoperative pain. Differences in brain development and drug metabolism influence dosing regimens. Assessment of pain is affected by a child’s ability…
Continuous Peripheral Nerve Blocks
Abstract Providing continuous peripheral nerve blocks (CPNB)—also called “perineural local anesthetic infusion”—involves the percutaneous insertion of a catheter directly adjacent to the peripheral nerve(s) supplying the surgical site, as opposed…
Epidural Opioids for Postoperative Pain
Abstract Epidural opioids provide effective analgesia for postoperative pain. We discuss the use of both single-dose and continuous infusion for analgesia. In addition, the side effects of epidural opioids are…
Patient-Controlled Analgesia
Abstract Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is a common, effective method for achieving postoperative pain control. Classically, opioids are self-administered intravenously using a programmable infusion pump. However, other agents and modes of…
Perioperative Nonopioid Infusions for Postoperative Pain Management
Abstract Opioids are the most commonly used medications for perioperative pain control. Many studies have evaluated the efficacy of several nonopioid infusions to decrease postoperative pain and minimize the use…
Preventive Analgesia
Abstract Postoperative pain remains a significant problem for patients and a challenge for anesthesiologists and acute pain medicine specialists. Despite advancements in the last two decades with increased use of…
