Postoperative pain control in the parturient: new challenges in the new millennium

Abstract

In the new millennium, the horizons of modern anesthesia practice continue to expand beyond the provision of surgical anesthesia to encompass areas outside of the operating room, including preoperative evaluation, labor analgesia, postanesthesia care, critical care and acute and chronic pain management. Adequate postoperative analgesia following caesarean delivery hastens ambulation, decreases maternal morbidity, improves patient outcome, and facilitates care of the newborn. There is currently no “gold standard” for post-cesarean pain management. The number of options is large and the choice of the method of pain control is determined by drug availability, institutional protocols, individual preferences, available resources, and financial considerations. This article provides an overview of the currently available methods of post-cesarean analgesia.

Keywords:

• Pregnancy
• obstetric anesthesia
• cesarean section
• postoperative pain control
• pain management
• acute pain management

Acknowledgements

“Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad.” – Proverb. This work is dedicated to the loving (and newer fading) memory of my Father Marian Kuczkowski who lost a battle with cancer in Lodz, Poland on April 30, 1985.