2: Central Nervous System (CNS) Flashcards
What is the Central Nervous System (CNS) comprised of? What does it do?
comprised of the brain and spinal cord
Contains afferent/sensory neurons and Efferent/motor neurons
Regulates the physical and mental processes
CNS Depressants function? What are 3 examples of CNS depressants?
Function to slow the CNS. Includes:
Anti-psychotics
Opioid Analgesics
Sedative-Hypnotices
CNS Stimulants function? Example
Function to stimulate the CNS, but are less useful therapeutically
Ex: caffeine
Pain is…
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with either actual or potential tissue damage.
It is a personal and individual (subjective) experience
Pain threshold
The level of stimulus that results in the perception of pain
Pain tolerance
The level of pain endured without interfering with normal function
Analgesic (AKA painkillers)
A drug that relieves pain without causing loss of consciousness
Acute pain
Sudden pain that usually subsides when treated
Ex: postoperative pain
Chronic pain
AKA persistant or long-term pain
Recurring pain that lasts over 3-6 months. It is more difficult to treat due to changes in the nervous system that often requires increasing drug dosages
Somatic pain
Pain felt in the muscles, bones, or soft tissue
Ex: bone fractures, strained muscles, cuts and scrapes
Visceral pain
Pain originating from the internal organs or smooth muscle
Ex: stomachache, menstrual cramps
Feels like a deep squeeze, pressure, or aching
Superficial pain
Pain that originates from receptors in the skin and mucous membranes
It is a type of somatic pain
Vascular pain
Pain that originates from the vascular and perivascular tissues
Thought to account for a lrge percentage of migraine headaches
Referred pain
Pain occurring in an area away from the organ of origin
Ex: cholecystitis pain is often referred to the back and scapular areas
Neuropathic pain
Pain that results from a disturbance of function or pathological change in a nerve
Phantom pain
Pain experienced in an area of the body part that has been surgically or traumatically removed
Cancer pain
Pain resulting from any of a variety of causes resulting from cancer or the metastasis of cancer (tumour mass against nerves, organs, or tissues, hypoxia due to the blockage of blood supply to organs, adverse effects of cancer treatments, etc)
Can be acute, chronic or both
Very hard to describe
Psychogenic pain
Physical pain that ios caused, increased or prolonged by. mental, emotional, or behavioural factors
Ex: headache, back pain, abdominal pain
Central pain
Pain resulting from any disorder that causes CNS damage
-tumours
-trauma
-inflammation
- diseases: cancer, diabetes, stroke, MS
What client education should we be providing when administering drugs that affect the CNS?
Encourage keeping a log for evaluating therapeutic effect
Caution the use of other CNS depressants or stimulants (alcohol, herbals, cough meds)
Take only as directed and no sudden d/c
