Anaesthetics of Pain

Question 1

What is patient controlled anaelgesia (PCA)?

Answer 1

• patient controlled
• self administration of pain relief
• usually opioids

Question 2

What are benefits of patient controlled anaelgesia (PCA)?

Answer 2

• faster alleviation of pain- as patient can directly address the pain
• dosage monitored by staff
• preserves patient autonomy + self control
• generally patient uses less medication, so less side effect
• safety mechanism to prevent over-administration

Question 3

What are the drawback of patient controlled anaelgesia (PCA)?

Answer 3

• equiptment malfunction
• operator error
• not appropriate for all patient
• side effects from medication
• patient may over-administor for the ‘euphoric’ side effects, rather than pain relief

Question 4

What is the WHO pain ladder?

Answer 4

1. mild pain
   - non-opioid
   - adjuvent therapy
2. mild to moderate pain
   - ‘weak’ opioid
   - non-opioid
   - adjuvent therapy
3. moderate to severe pain
   - ‘strong’ opioid
   - non-opioid
   - adjuvent therapy