Postoperative Pain Management in the Elderly Undergoing Thoracic Surgery (original) (raw)
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Assessment and treatment of postoperative pain in older adults
Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 2004
Hospitals are experiencing an increase in surgical procedures aimed at improving function and quality of life for elders. However, recent reports of pain management practices of elder patients show that pain is underassessed and undertreated. High postoperative pain intensities have been associated with delayed ambulation, postoperative pulmonary complications, increased hospital length of stay, long-term functional impairment, and chronic pain syndromes in this age group. Aggressive pain control is needed, but challenges in assessing and treating pain in older adults make this difficult. The purpose of this article is to review strategies for assessing and treating postoperative pain in older adults. Attention is given to the challenges associated with mental and physical impairments experienced by elders and a review of assessment and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies are included.
Postoperative pain management in elderly patients: an integrative review (Atena Editora)
Postoperative pain management in elderly patients: an integrative review (Atena Editora), 2024
Introduction: Postoperative pain has long been recognized as a critical concern in patient recovery. Effective treatment of postoperative pain is critical not only for the immediate well-being of the patient but also to prevent chronicity of pain and its associated complications. Traditionally, opioids have been the mainstay of postoperative analgesia, despite their adverse effects and risk of addiction. 1Methodology: This study adopts the integrative literature review approach, the research selected studies published between 2019 and 2024, using specific descriptors in databases such as MEDLINE, WPRIM and Google Scholar, of the articles found seven were selected and analyzed, where it was demonstrated that multimodal analgesia is effective in the treatment of postoperative pain and contributes to the reduction of the use of opioids. Discussion: Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of multimodal analgesia in procedures. For a more detailed analysis on the topic in question, we categorized the selected articles into 1- Effectiveness of Multimodal Analgesia Techniques, 2- Challenges and Specific Considerations in Elderly Patients, 3- Recent Developments and Innovations in Analgesia Techniques. Conclusion: Multimodal anesthesia in the postoperative period of the elderly offers an effective and safe method for pain control, promoting faster recovery and minimizing the risks associated with excessive use of opioids. The adoption of these strategies in clinical practice can significantly improve surgical outcomes and the quality of life of elderly patients.
An update on pain management for elderly patients undergoing ambulatory surgery
Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 2016
Purpose of review The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the drugs and techniques used for multimodal postoperative pain management in the older population undergoing surgery in the ambulatory setting. Recent findings Interest has grown in the possibility of adding adjuncts to a single shot nerve block in order to prolong the local anesthetic effect. The rapid and short-acting local anesthetics for spinal anesthesia are potentially beneficial for day-case surgery in the older population because of shorter duration of the motor block, faster recovery, and less transient neurologic symptoms. Another recent advance is the introduction of intravenous acetaminophen, which can rapidly achieve rapid peak plasma concentration (<15 min) following infusion and analgesic effect in 5 min with a duration of action up to 4 h.
Pattern of postoperative pain management among adult surgical patients in a low-resource setting
Journal of Pain Research, 2012
Postoperative pain is one of the most common complications of surgery. The pattern of management varies between centers. The current study aimed to study the prescription pattern and the common drugs used in the management of postoperative pain in adult surgical patients at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH; Zaria, Nigeria). Methods: Following ethical approval, a prospective observational study of consecutive adult patients who had surgery at the ABUTH Zaria was performed from January to December 2005. The data were entered into a proforma and analyzed using the Minitab statistical package. Results: One hundred and thirty-eight patients were included in the study. The age range was 17 to 80 years, with a mean age of 41 years. One hundred and thirty-two (95.7%) of the prescriptions were written solely by the surgeon or surgical resident; passive suggestions were given by the anesthetists for only six patients (4.3%). Intermittent intramuscular injections of opioids/ opiates were prescribed for 126 patients (91.3%), while nine patients (6.5%) received intermittent intramuscular injections with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Oral paracetamol was prescribed for six patients (4.3%), while three patients (2.1%) received no postoperative analgesic. Moderate pain was recorded in 48 patients (34.8%), and 90 patients (65.2%) had mild pain 8 hours after their operation before subsequent doses of analgesics were given. More females (81 patients [58.7%]), than males (42 patients [29.7%]) suffered moderate to severe pain. The reported side effects were nausea (reported by 32.6% of patients), dry mouth (21.7%), vomiting (13.0%), and urinary retention (6.5%), with 32.6% of patients experiencing no side effects. The three patients who received no analgesics experienced vomiting as a side effect. Despite the high incidence of pain and other side effects, 108 patients (78.2%) still reported that the methods of postoperative pain management were satisfactory. Conclusion: Despite recent advances and the development of more effective techniques for postoperative pain control, a high proportion of patients still experience moderate to severe postoperative pain. Intermittent intramuscular injection of analgesic medication remains the mainstay of postoperative pain management at the ABUTH Zaria. Anesthetists should be more involved in postoperative analgesia prescriptions and should include other forms of multimodal pain management in their regimens. With proper application of current knowledge and training, postoperative pain management can be improved.
Age Is Not an Impediment to Effective Use of Patient-controlled Analgesia by Surgical Patients
Anesthesiology, 2000
Obstacles to the use of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) by elderly surgical patients have not been well-documented. Age differences in preoperative psychological factors, postoperative pain and analgesic consumption, treatment satisfaction, and concerns regarding PCA were measured to identify factors important to effective PCA use. Preoperatively, young (mean age +/- SD, 39 +/- 9 yr; n = 45) and older (mean age +/- SD, 67 +/- 8 yr; n = 44) general surgery patients completed measures of attitudes toward and expectations of postoperative pain and PCA, psychological distress, health opinions, self-efficacy, and optimism. On the first 2 postoperative days, pain at rest and with movement and satisfaction with pain control were assessed using visual analog scales. Daily opioid intake was recorded. When PCA was discontinued, satisfaction and concerns about it were assessed. The older patients expected less intense pain (P </= 0.003) and preferred less information about (P </= 0.02) and involvement in (P </= 0.002) health care than young patients. There were no age differences with regard to pain at rest (P </= 0.22) or with movement (P </= 0.68). The older group self-administered less opioid than the young group (P </= 0.0001) and received PCA for more days than the young group (P </= 0.004). The groups did not differ in concerns about pain relief, adverse drug effects, including opioid addiction, and equipment use or malfunction. Satisfaction with PCA was high and did not differ between the groups. Patient-controlled analgesia use was not hindered by age differences in beliefs about postoperative pain and opioids. Younger and older patients attained comparable levels of analgesia and were equally satisfied with their pain control.
Highlights in postoperative pain treatment
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 2007
Acute pain is a symptom that originates from actual ongoing or impending tissue damage. Pain is an individual subjective experience and varies markedly among individuals. For this reason, patient involvement is essential, with the most reliable indicator of severity being patient self-report. The main objective of postoperative pain management is the achievement of fast rehabilitation, recovery of all normal functions and reduction of postoperative morbidity. Sufficient evidence supports the hypothesis that effective analgesia modifies many of the adverse sequelae that accompany acute pain and assists in recovery. Nevertheless, despite the availability of drugs and techniques for its effective management, postoperative pain remains undertreated. It is now accepted that the solution to the problem of inadequate pain relief lies not only in the development of new analgesic drugs or technologies but also in the development of an appropriate organization to utilize existing expertise. Methods used to control postoperative pain are numerous; this review focuses on pharmacological and anesthetic methods.
Cureus, 2022
Chronic postoperative pain (CPOP) is prevalent, with particularly high rates in breast surgery, thoracotomy, and amputation. As the world emerges from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns, it is expected that there will be an increase in surgical procedures, elevating the importance of preventing CPOP in the coming years. Risk factors are emerging to better stratify patients at high risk for CPOP. Perioperative analgesia plays an important role in managing acute postoperative pain and in some cases may limit its transition to CPOP. Acute postoperative pain is adaptive, normal, expected, and has a well-defined trajectory, while CPOP is maladaptive and, as a form of chronic pain, is challenging to treat. Good analgesia, early ambulation, and rehabilitation efforts may be helpful in preventing CPOP following certain surgeries. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols present guidance to help promote recovery and prevent CPOP.
Current concepts and practice in postoperative pain management: need for a change?
Eur Surg Res. 1999;31(2):97-107., 1999
Despite a growing trend in acute pain management, many deficiencies still account for the high incidence of moderate to severe postoperative pain to date. Patients nowadays continue to receive inadequate doses of analgesics, but additionally the identification and treatment of those patients with pain still remains a significant health care problem. Advanced techniques are available including epidural or intrathecal administration of local anaesthetics and opioids, various opioid administration techniques such as patient-controlled analgesia and infusions via sublingual, oral-transmucosal, nasal, intra-articular and rectal routes. Nonopioid analgesics such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and newer nonopioid drugs such as alpha2-adrenergic agonists, calcium channel antagonists and various combinations of the above are possible. However, the solution to the problem of inadequate pain relief lies not so much in the development of new drugs and new techniques, but in the effective strategy of delivering these to patients through the introduction of acute pain management services on surgical wards.
The Journal of Pain, 2016
Most patients who undergo surgical procedures experience acute postoperative pain, but evidence suggests that less than half report adequate postoperative pain relief. Many preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative interventions and management strategies are available for reducing and managing postoperative pain. The American Pain Society, with input from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, commissioned an interdisciplinary expert panel to develop a clinical practice guideline to promote evidence-based, effective, and safer postoperative pain management in children and adults. The guideline was subsequently approved by the American Society for Regional Anesthesia. As part of the guideline development process, a systematic review was commissioned on various aspects related to various interventions and management strategies for postoperative pain. After a review of the evidence, the expert panel formulated recommendations that addressed various aspects of postoperative pain management, including preoperative education, perioperative pain management planning, use of different pharmacological and nonpharmacological modalities, organizational policies, and transition to outpatient care. The recommendations are based on the underlying premise that optimal management begins in the preoperative period with an assessment of the patient and development of a plan of care tailored to the individual and the surgical procedure involved. The panel found that evidence supports the use of multimodal regimens in many situations, although the exact components of effective multimodal care will vary depending on the patient, setting, and surgical procedure. Although these guidelines are based on a systematic review of the evidence on management of postoperative pain, the panel identified numerous research gaps. Of 32 recommendations, 4 were assessed as being supported by high-quality evidence, and 11 (in the areas of patient education and perioperative planning, patient assessment, organizational structures and policies, and transitioning to outpatient care) were made on the basis of low-quality evidence. Perspective: This guideline, on the basis of a systematic review of the evidence on postoperative pain management, provides recommendations developed by a multidisciplinary expert panel. Safe and effective postoperative pain management should be on the basis of a plan of care tailored to the individual and the surgical procedure involved, and multimodal regimens are recommended in many situations.