AN INCREASED UNDERSTANDING of the transmission and perception of pain is leading to new, more effective, but unfortunately more complex, management strategies for postoperative pain. With increased complexity comes the potential for unanticipated errors and complications. It is imperative that the perianesthesia clinician understands the therapeutic and toxic effects associated with these new modalities of pain management. Patients will increasingly be exposed to multiple boluses and infusions of medications, delivered through intravenous (TV), perineural, and wound infusion catheters. Opioid analgesics are increasingly supplemented and even supplanted by nonopioid analgesic medications, antihyperalgesic regimens, and continuous peripheral nerve blockade.
展开▼
