comfort & pain management - 35

Question 1

acute pain

Answer 1

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

Question 2

adjuvant

Answer 2

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

Question 3

analgesic

Answer 3

pharmaceutical agent used to relieve pain

Question 4

breath-through pain

Answer 4

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

Question 5

chronic pain

Answer 5

episode of pain that lasts for 6 months or longer

Question 6

dynorphin

Answer 6

the endorphin having the most potent analgesic effect

Question 7

endorphins

Answer 7

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

Question 8

enkephalins

Answer 8

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

Question 9

exacerbation

Answer 9

period in chronic illness when the symptoms of the disease reappear

Question 10

gate control theory

Answer 10

theory that explains the excitatory pain stimuli carried by small diameter nerve fibers can be blocked by inhibiting signals carried by large-diameter nerve fibers

Question 11

intractable

Answer 11

severe pain that is extremely resistant to relief measures

Question 12

modulation

Answer 12

process by which the sensation of pain is inhibited or modified

Question 13

neuromodulators

Answer 13

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

Question 14

neuropathic pain

Answer 14

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

Question 15

nocniceptive pain

Answer 15

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

Question 16

nociceptors

Answer 16

pain receptors

Question 17

opioid

Answer 17

more correct term for narcotic analgesics, since these drugs act by binding to opiate receptor site in the central nervous system

Question 18

physical dependence

Answer 18

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

Question 19

placebo

Answer 19

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

Question 20

referred pain

Answer 20

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

Question 21

remission

Answer 21

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

Question 22

somatic pain

Answer 22

pain originating in structures in the body’s external wall

Question 23

transduction

Answer 23

activation of pain receptors

Question 24

visceral pain

Answer 24

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