Dolor postoperatorio

Abstract

Postoperative pain is the prototype of acute pain. Even nowadays it still represents an important nursing problem and up to 50% of surgical patients present moderate to insupportable pain during the first 24-48 hours after an operation. The origin and types of pain are no different from pain produced by other causes, nevertheless this pain is associated with repercussions on the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and genitourinary apparatus, the metabolic and immune system, as well as other associated psychological disorders. The factors determining the severity of the pain include: surgical and anaesthetic procedures as well as patient related aspects such as age, sex and social and cultural level. The possibilities for treatment include: NSAID's, systemic opiates, regional blocks, epidural and spinal analgesia and preventive analgesia. The election of the most suitable method is based on: expected severity of the pain, age and previous condition of the patient, and finally the possibility of anaesthesia in critical patients.