Room for improvement: unmet needs in postoperative pain management

Abstract

Postoperative pain treatment is an important healthcare issue. However, the management of pain in patients after surgery remains insufficient. In the present review, several key areas important for postoperative pain management are discussed. New findings about efficacy and side effects of nonopioid analgesics, such as paracetamol, NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors, are presented and discussed in light of acute, short-term application in the perioperative period. Second, new findings about postoperative pain management in patients with preoperative pain and chronic opioid consumption are reported. Third, feasibility of the transversus abdominal plane block as a new and promising regional anesthesia technique is discussed. Finally, potential predictors, mechanisms and preventive treatment strategies of persistent chronic pain after surgery are presented.

Keywords::

• nonopioid analgesics
• persistent chronic postoperative pain
• transversus abdominal plane block
• update on postoperative pain

Financial & competing interests disclosure

E Pogatzki-Zahn received honoraries for lectures and/or served on the advisory boards from Mundipharma, Pfizer, Janssen-Cilag, MSD, Merck, B Braun and Gruenenthal. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.