Ch 35 Comfort Flashcards
Addiction
A pattern of compulsive use of additive substances for means other than those prescribed
Acute Pain
Episode of pain that lasts from seconds to less than 6months
Adjuvant
Drugs typically used for other purposes, but also used to enhance the effect of opioids by providing additional pain relief
Analgesic
Pharmaceutical agent used to relieve pain
Breakthrough Pain
Temporary flare up of moderate to severe pain that occurs even when the patient is taking around-the-clock medication for persistent pain
Chronic Pain
Episode of pain that lasts for 6 months or longer; may be intermittent
Cutaneous Pain
Superficial pain is usually involving the skin or subcutaneous tissue
Dynorphin
The endorphin having the most potent analgesic effect
Endorphins
Morphine-like substances released by the body that appear to alter the perception of pain
Enkephalins
Opioids that are widespread throughout the brain and dorsal horn of the spinal cord and are believed to reduce pain sensation by inhibiting the release of substance P
Exacerbation
Period in chronic illness when the symptoms of the disease reappear
Gate Control Theory
Theory that explains that excitatory pain stimuli carried by small-diameter nerve fibers can be blocked by inhibiting signals carried by large-diameter nerve fibers
Intractable
Servere pain that is extremely resistant to relief measure
Modulation
Process by which the sensation of pain is inhibited or modified
Neuromodulators
Endogenous opioid chemical regulators that appear to have analgesic activity and alter pain perception
Neuropathic Pain
Pain that results from an injury to or abnormal functioning of peripheral nerves or the central Nervous system
Neurotransmitters
Substances that either excite or inhibit target nerve cells
Nocieptors
Pain Receptors
Opioid
More correct term for narcotic analgesics, since these drugs act by binding to opiate receptor sites in the central nervous system
Pain threshold
Amount of stimulation required before a person experiences the sensation of pain
Pain Tolerance
Point beyond which a person no longer willing to endure pain
Disturbed sensory perception
A state in which the individual or group experiences or is at risk for change in the amount, pattern, or interpretation of incoming stimuli
Phantom Pain
Sensation of pain without demonstrable physiologic or pathological substances; commonly observed after amputation of a limb
Physical Dependence
Phenomenon in which the body physiologically becomes accustomed to an opioid and suffers withdrawal symptoms of the opioid is suddenly removed or the dose is rapidly decreased
Placebo
Latin word meaning “I Shall please”; an inactive substance that gives satisfaction to the person using it
Psychogenic Pain
Pain for which no physical cause can be identified
Referred pain
Pain in an area removed from that in which stimulation has it origin
Remission
Period in a chronic illness when the disease is present, but the person does not experience symptoms of the disease
Somatic Pain
Pain originating in structures in the body’s external wall
Tolerance
Tendency of the body to become accustomed to a drug overtime; larger doses are required to produce the desired effects
Transduction
Activation of pain receptors
Transmission
Conduction of pain sensations from the site of an injury or inflation along clear and unclear pathways to the spinal cord and then on to higher centers
Visceral Pain
Pain originating in the internal organs in the thorax, cranium, or abdomen
