Pain Management Flashcards
What are the four reasons why effective pain management is important?
- physical: decreased functional capability, diminished strength/endurance, loss of appetite and poor sleep
- social: diminished social relationships, decreased affection, altered appearance and increased caregiver burden
- psychological: diminished leisure and enjoyment, anxiety, fear, depression, difficulty concentrating and loss of control
- spiritual: increase suffering, altered meaning and re-evaluation of religious beliefs
What is pain?
Both a physiologic and psychological response
What is the difference between acute and chronic pain?
Acute pain is generally time-limited and resolves over days to weeks.
Chronic pain is generally not time-limited, and can last from weeks to months.
What is nociceptive pain?
Discomfort you feel in response to tissue damage
What are the two types of nociceptive pain?
Somatic pain and visceral pain
What is somatic pain?
- arises from damage to body tissues
- due to noxious mechanical, thermal or chemical stimuli which trigger nociceptors
- signals carried by myelinated A-delta fibers and C fibres
- site is tender and pain is localized to site of injury
- pain is constant and sometimes throbbing or aching
What is visceral pain?
- arises from viscera, mediated by stretch receptors
- visceral pain is poorly localized and often referred to a distant cutaneous site which may be tender
- described as deep, dull and cramping eg appendicitis
What is neuropathic pain caused by?
caused by injury to the nerves
How is neuropathic pain described?
prolonged, severe, burning, lancinating, squeezing, pins and needles
Why is neuropathic pain challenging to treat?
Neuropathic pain is relatively resistant to opioids
What is referred pain?
- pain located away from its point of origin
- occurs bc signals from diff parts of the body travel along the same pathways going to the spinal cord and the brain
What is ischemic pain?
- caused by loss of blood flow to tissue -> tissue hypoxia and damage -> release of inflammatory mediators and chemicals that stimulate nociceptors
- eg angina pain
What is the origin of somatic pain?
Skin, muscle and bone
Description of somatic pain?
Aching, stabbing, throbbing
What is the origin of visceral pain?
Organ or viscera
Description of visceral pain?
Gnawing, cramping, aching, dull
What is the origin of neuropathic pain?
Nerve damage
Description of neuropathic pain?
Burning, tingling, shooting or electric/shocking pain
What pain is liver metastasis associated with?
Enlargement of liver -> stretch viscera -> visceral pain
What pain is bone metastasis associated with?
Neuropathic pain bc bone has a lot of terminal nerve endings
What is the SOCRATES framework for “tell me more about your pain”?
S - site - where is the pain?
O - onset - when did it start? how did it start?
C - character - how does the pain feel like?
R - radiation - does the pain run anywhere else?
A - association - any other symptoms?
T - time course - how long have you had it?
E - exacerbating/relieving factors?
S - severity - how bad is it?
How do we characterize and quantify pain?
Characterize into somatic/visceral/neuropathic.
Quantify using scales.
What does the WHO recommend for treatment of cancer pain?
- Oral administration of analgesics as much as possible
- Analgesics should be given at regular intervals bc cancer pain is chronic in nature. Goal is to prevent pain rather than to treat pain later.
- Dosing of pain medication should be adapted to the individual (allow adequate relief of pain).
- Analgesics should be prescribed according to pain intensity as evaluated by a scale of intensity of pain.
- Analgesics should be prescribed with a constant concern for detail -> have a written personal program for the patient to manage pain
How does the speed of titration differ?
Rapid titration for severe pain
Slower titration for moderate pain
Even slower titration for mild pain
What analgesic should we use for cancer pain?
Mild pain (1-3) -> non-opioid eg paracetamol and NSAIDs Moderate pain (4-6) -> weak opioid agonists Severe pain (7-10) -> strong opioid agonists
What is the usual dose of paracetamol for cancer pain?
500mg-1g Q6-8H, max 4g/day for normal liver function
For chronic administration of paracetamol, what is the cap?
Cap of 3g/day due to concerns of liver toxicity
Should NSAIDs be used chronically?
No, has a lot of SEs and may increase adverse effects of chemotherapy eg thrombocytopenia.
What is the usual choice of NSAID?
Ibuprofen
What are some adjuvants that can be co administered to improve analgesia?
Gabapentin, pregabalin, antidepressants, antiepileptics, topical lidocaine -> neuropathic pain
Corticosteroids -> bone pain, neuropathic pain, raised intracranial pressure, liver capsule stretch pain
NSAIDs, bisphosphonates -> bone pain
Muscle relaxants -> cramps, muscle spasms
Hyoscine -> intestinal colic
What are opioids?
Any compound that works at opioid receptors
What are opioids synergistic with?
Synergistic with non opioids
What are the weak opioids?
Tramadol and codeine
What are the strong opioids?
Morphine, fentanyl, methadone, oxycodone and pethidine.
What is the metabolism of codeine?
Metabolized in the liver to morphine (active metabolite) -> require this for efficacy as analgesic, hence avoid when pt has severe liver impairment
How is codeine excreted?
Via the urine