Management of perioperative pain

Abstract

Pain has always been linked with surgical intervention. Pain may occur because of the preexisting disease that led to the need for an operation, the surgical procedure itself (with the associated tissue trauma, instrumentation, or complications), or a combination of both the disease process and the intervention. Optimal management of acute pain during the perioperative period is increasingly recognized as reducing the risk of adverse perioperative events, in addition to providing comfort, relieving suffering, and aiding in return to normal function. © 2008 Springer New York.