Analgesia: Basics Flashcards
Definition of Analgesia
Absence of awareness of pain
Definition of Pain
an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage
What are the historically believed things about pain in animals? (2)
- It was thought that animals didn’t feel pain
2. Pain was thought to be beneficial because it limited animal movement after injury
What is believed now about pain in animals? (2)
- Animals and humans have similar neural pathways for the development, conduction, and modulation of pain
- animals experience pain in a way that is similar to humans
What can untreated pain lead to? (2)
- patient suffering
2. prolonged recovery from surgery, illness, or injury
What are the physiological consequences of pain? (4)
- Stress hormone release → catabolic state → muscle wasting
- Immunosuppression
- Increased inflammation
- Delayed wound healing
Definition of Somatic Pain (2)
- arising from skin, SC tissue, muscle, bones, or joints
2. A-Delta fibers
Definition of Visceral Pain
arising from internal organs
Definition of Neuropathic Pain
pain arising from direct damage to peripheral nerves or the spinal cord
Definition of Acute Pain (2)
- Sudden onset
2. Short duration
Definition of Chronic Pain (2)
- Slow onset
2. Long-lasting
What are the signs of pain in animals? (2)
- Animals cannot express pain verbally
2. identifying the physiologic and behavioral changes caused by pain
What are the physiologic changes when pain is present? (3)
- cardiovascular
- respiratory
- ocular
What are the observable changes when pain is present? (4)
- posture
- movement
- vocalization
- behavior
How is a pain assessment performed? (2)
- performed frequently during the first few hours after an animal undergoes major surgery
- descriptive or numerical scales to characterize the pain
