CH #36: Comfort & Pain Management

Question 1

episode of pain that lasts from seconds to less than 6 months

Answer 1

acute pain

Question 2

a pattern of compulsive use of addictive substances for means other than those prescribed

Answer 2

addiction

Question 3

drugs typically used for other purposes, but also used to enhance the effect of opioids by providing additional pain relief

Answer 3

adjuvant

Question 4

pharmaceutical agent used to relieve pain

Answer 4

analgesic

Question 5

temporary flare-up of moderate to severe pain that occurs even when the patient is taking around-the-clock medication for persistent pain

Answer 5

breakthrough pain

Question 6

episode of pain that lasts for 6 months or longer; may be intermittent or continuous

Answer 6

chronic pain

Question 7

superficial pain usually involving the skin or subcutaneous tissue

Answer 7

cutaneous pain

Question 8

morphine-like substances released by the body that appear to alter the perception of pain

Answer 8

endorphins

Question 9

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

Answer 9

enkephalins

Question 10

period in chronic illness when the symptoms of the disease reappear

Answer 10

exacerbation

Question 11

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

Answer 11

gate control theory

Question 12

severe pain that is extremely resistant to relief measures

Answer 12

intractable

Question 13

process by which the sensation of pain is inhibited or modified

Answer 13

modulation

Question 14

endogenous opioid chemical regulators that appear to have analgesic activity and alter pain reception

Answer 14

neuromodulators

Question 15

pain that results as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting abnormal functioning of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) or central nervous system (CNS)

Answer 15

neuropathic pain

Question 16

substances that either excite or inhibit target nerve cells

Answer 16

neurotransmitters

Question 17

pain from a normal process that results in noxious stimuli being perceived as painful

Answer 17

nociceptive pain

Question 18

pain receptors

Answer 18

nociceptors

Question 19

more correct term for narcotic analgesics, since these drugs act by binding to opiate receptor sites in the CNS

Answer 19

opioid

Question 20

amount of stimulation required before a person experiences the sensation of pain

Answer 20

pain threshold

Question 21

point beyond which a person is no longer willing to endure pain (i.e., pain of greater duration or intensity)

Answer 21

pain tolerance

Question 22

conscious process of organizing and interpreting data from the senses into meaningful info

Answer 22

perception

Question 23

sensation of pain without demonstratable physiologic or pathologic substance; commonly observed after the amputation of a limb

Answer 23

phantom pain

Question 24

phenomenon in which the body physiologically becomes accustomed to an opioid and suffers withdrawal symptoms if the opioid is suddenly removed or the dose is rapidly decreased

Answer 24

physical dependence

Question 25

Latin word meaning, “I shall please”; an inactive substance that gives satisfaction to the person using it

Answer 25

placebo

Question 26

pain in an area removed from that in which stimulation has its origin

Answer 26

referred pain

Question 27

period in a chronic illness when the disease is present, but the person does not experience symptoms of the disease

Answer 27

remission

Question 28

pain originating in structures in the body’s external wall

Answer 28

somatic pain

Question 29

occurrence of the body’s becoming accustomed to an opioid and needing a larger dose each time for pain relief

Answer 29

tolerance

Question 30

activation of pain receptors

Answer 30

transduction

Question 31

conduction of pain sensations from the site of an injury or inflammation along clear and unclear pathways to the spinal cord and then on to higher centers

Answer 31

transmission

Question 32

pain originating in the internal organs in the thorax, cranium, or abdomen

Answer 32

visceral pain