Post-surgery acute pain Unit
Casuistry of the Hospital de Clínicas
Abstract
Prevalence of post-surgery acute pain rates is high; Acute Pain Units have proved to manage it efficiently.
The paper analyzes the first Pain Unit in the country, in the Anesthetic Department in the Hospital de Clínicas.
A population of 617 surgical patients was prospectively analyzed to evaluate the incidence and intensity of pain according to an analogous numeral scale (ENA).
Pharmacological protocols were used to measure intensity of pain: mild pain: non steroids anti-inflammatory (AINEs); moderate pain: AINEs plus weak opiod; severe pain: strong opiod. Thoracic or back peridural catheter was considered for major toracic or abdominal surgery.
At recovering ward the pain incidence was 44%: mild pain = 11%, moderate = 15% and severe = 18%.
After individualized adjustment of painkillers, incidence and severity of pain significantly decreased: 21%, 20.7% = mild pain – 0.3% = moderate pain).
At 24-hour stay-in ward, incidence grew as follow: mild = 27%, moderate = 11% and severe = 3%).
Patients were discharged from the Acute Pain Unit as follow: after 24 hours, 555 (90%), after 48 hours, 41 (7%) and after 72 hours, 21 (3%).
The Acute Pain Unit had better managed post-surgical pain, an influent aspect of recovering.
References
2) Battro-Silva IT, Gutiérrez-Piquinela SE, Bacelar-Martínez N, Saralegui-Coli JA, Ozonas MM, Taramasco MY, et al. Calidad asistencial en el área de la recuperación posanestésica. Anest Analg Reanim 1996; 13: 28-39.
3) Rando K, Solla-Santos G, Gonzalo A, Sálice-González L, Lambrosquini N, Basignani-Corbo NP, et al. Evaluación de la calidad y la satisfacción de la recuperación posanestésica de los pacientes operados en el Hospital de Clínicas. Anest Analg Reanim 2003; 18: 11-8.
4) Oates JD, Snowdon SL, Jayson DW. Failure of pain relief after surgery. Attitudes of ward staff and patients to postoperative analgesia. Anaesthesia 1994; 49(9): 755-8.
5) Colvin LA, Power I. Pain management and quality in health care. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol 2001; 15(4): 633-53.
6) Ready LB, Oden R, Chadwick HS, Benedetti C, Rooke GA, Caplan R, et al. Development of anesthesiology based postoperative pain management service. Anesthesiology 1988; 68(1): 100-6.
7) Breivik H. How to implement an acute pain service. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol 2002; 16(4): 527-47.
8) Rawal N, Berggren L. Organization of acute pain services: a low cost model. Pain 1994; 57(1): 117-23.
9) Chabas-Bergon E. Más retos para los anestesiólogos: ¿conseguirán las unidades de dolor agudo postoperatorio crear "hospitales sin dolor"?. Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim 2002; 49(7): 343-5.
10) Rock P. The future of anesthesiology is perioperative medicine. Anesthesiol Clin North Am 2000; 18(3): 495-513.
11) Katz J, Melzack R. Measurement of pain. Surg Clin North Am 1999; 79(2): 231-52.
12) Katz J, McCartney CJL. Update on pre-emptive analgesia. Curr Opin Anesthesiol 2002; 15(4): 435-41.
13) Joshi GP, White PF. Management of acute and postoperative pain. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol 2001; 14(4):417-21.
14) Curatolo M, Sveticic G. Drug combinations in pain treatment: a review of published evidence and a method for finding the optimal combination. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol 2002; 16(4): 507-19.
15) Breivik H. High tech versus low tech approaches to postoperative pain management. In: M Devor M, Rowbohtham MC, Wiesenfelld- Hallin Z., eds. Proceedings of the 9th World Congress of Pain Progress in Pain Research and Management. Seattle: IASP Press, 2000.
16) Asteggiante-Blanco CD, Edelman-Tuchman MB, Saralegui-Coli JA. Evaluación del dolor postoperatorio en el área de recuperación postanestésica. Anest Analg Reanim 1996; 13(1-2): 54-61.
17) Moraca RJ, Sheldon DG, Thirlby C. The role of epidural anesthesia and analgesia in surgical practice. Ann Surg 2003; 238(5): 663-73.
18) López-Locanto GS, Lejbusiewicz-Liberman GM, Papa-De-la-Rosa MP, Balverde-Fazzio MR, Veija R, Barla-Muniz J, et al. Ketoprofeno en el control del dolor posoperatorio. Anest Analg Reanim 1996; 13(1-2): 6-11.
19) Balverde-Fazzio MR, García J, Solla-Santos GA, Escudero-De-León MC, Pastorino-Santurio MP, Gutiérrez-Piquinela SE, et al. Comparación del uso de ketoprofeno y dextropropoxifeno/dipirona para el control del dolor posoperatorio. Anest Analg Reanim 2001; 17(2): 61-6.
20) Macario A, Vasanawala A. Improving quality of anesthesia care: opportunities for the new decade. Can J Anaesth 2001; 48(1): 6-11.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.