Ch 7 Pain Flashcards
How do we deal with pain?
we assess and treat all patients
What is this:
sudden onset
short duration
associated w/ injury?
acute pain
What does acute pain travel on?
a-delta fibers
What fibers send sharp pain info, have quick transmission, large fibers, and are myelinated?
a-delta fibers
What is this:
persistent pain greater than 6 months and associated with long disease processes.
chronic pain
What does chronic pain travel on?
C-polymodal fibers
What fibers send dull pain info, have slow transmission, small fibers and are unmyelinated?
C-fibers
What does bradykinin, substance P, prostaglandins, leukotriens, seritonine, histamine and catecholamines do in terms of pain?
help move pain impulse from pain receptors to dorsal horn up to the anterolateral spinothalamic tract up to the cerebral cortex
Do neonates feel pain?
yes, process pain early in life
In neonates, how does pain travel?
typically on C-fibers w/ short transmission distance and inability to process pain resulting in increased sensitivity to pain stimulus, due to developmental immaturity
Who are more likely to be more sensitive to pain, preterm and full term newborns, or infants and children.
preterm and newborns
Why might pregnant women experience back pain?
lax ligaments, weight gain, anterior tilt of pelvis, hyperlordosis
Why might pregnant women experience epigastric pain?
gravid uterus
What kind of pain might pregnant women feel if their ligaments are stretched due to enlarged uterus?
round ligament pain
What are the causes of labor pain?
dilation of cervix
stretching of uterus
pressure on structures
hypoxia of uterine muscle cells
Do older adults have diminished perception of pain?
no evidence to support this
What kind of pain do elderly feel?
osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, fractures
Why dont the elderly tell people they are hurting?
stigmas
think its normal part of aging, dont want to bother you, dont want to pay for tests, dont want to take meds
If elderly individual is cognitively impaired how do you assess pain?
ask family member, use nonverbal pain indicators, ask them