Anaesthetics - Pain Management Flashcards
1
Q
Benefits of pain management
A
- Physical → improvement of sleep, appetite and fewer complications
- Psychological → reduced suffering, depression. and anxiety
- Family → improved functioning as a family and ability to work
- Social → lower health costs, shorter hospital stays
2
Q
How can pain be classified
A
- Acute or chronic pain
- Causes → cancer or non-cancerous
- Mechanism → nociceptive or neuropathic
3
Q
Acute vs chronic pain
A
- Acute → pain of recent onset and probable limited duration
- Chronic
- Pain longer than 3 months
- Pain lasting after normal healing
- No identifiable cause
4
Q
Define nociceptive pain
A
- Obvious tissue injury/ illness
- AKA physiological/ inflammatory pain
- Protective function
- Sharp or dull → well localised
5
Q
Define neuropathic pain
A
- Nervous system damage or abnormality
- No protective function
- Burning, shoot, numbness, pins and needles, poorly localised
6
Q
4 steps of pain transmission
A
Peripheries → spinal cord → brain → modulation
7
Q
4 steps of pain transmission
A
Peripheries → spinal cord → brain → modulation
8
Q
What is the function of pain modulation
A
- Descending pathway from the brain to the dorsal horn
- Usually decreases pain signalling
9
Q
Why does neuropathic pain need to be treated differently
A
- Abnormal processing of pain signal
- Damage to the nervous system
- Conventional analgesics don’t work
10
Q
Examples of neuropathic pain
A
- Nerve trauma
- Neuropathic pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic tension headache
11
Q
2 main types of analgesics
A
- Simple analgesics → NSAIDS, paracetamol
- Opioids → codeine, morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl
12
Q
Management of pain localised to peripheries
A
- Non-drug -→ Rest, ice, compression, elevation
- NSAIDS and local anaesthetics
13
Q
Management of spinal cord localised pain
A
- Non-drug → acupuncture, massage, TENS
- Local anaesthetic
- Opioid
- Ketamine
14
Q
Management of pain localised to the brain
A
- Psychological therapies
- Drug → paracetamol, opioids, amitryptiline and clonidine
15
Q
How can pain be assessed
A
- Verbal rating score
- Numerical rating score
- Visual analogue scale
- Smiling faces
- Abbey pain scale → confused patients
