Acute Pain

 

Anaesthetists aim to control the pain after surgery by the use of various drugs and other techniques commenced before or at the time of surgery.

Pain after surgery is called “acute” pain and can be expected after most operations.

 

The management of pain has changed over recent years and now includes the use of “multimodal analgesia” which means using low doses of several drugs to produce the best pain relief with minimal side effects. Some of these drugs may be given as a local or regional “nerve block”. Some may be given through a pump which is controlled by the patient themselves. This is called a “PCA”. Most anaesthetists are very experienced with which of these drugs are best in certain situations.

 

Some pain control situations are particularly challenging and require the involvement of a pain management specialist. Several of the anaesthetists in Sydney anaesthetics are subspecialists in this field.