Pain therapy
The treatment of postoperative pain starts in the recovery room and is continued at the orthopaedic ward. Patients being operated under nerve block anaesthesia are normally given a pain catheter when being anaesthetised for the operation already. The catheter is connected to a pump which can continue to give the patient a solvent analgesic after surgery (PCRA). As long as the catheter is applied, the medical and nursing staff check the proper operability of the catheter several times a day.
Another method of treating acute postoperative pain is patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) by means of an analgesics pump. This pain therapy method allows patients to consume a previously set volume of a powerful analgesic (opioid) through a vein catheter which is connected to an analgesics pump. To ensure efficient alleviation of the pain while avoiding overdosing the analgesic, every pump is accurately adjusted to the individual patient's needs. This method is used whenever the application of a pain catheter proves to be impossible.
Our ward not only treats patients with acute post-surgery pain but is also consulted by patients suffering from chronic pain. The treatment of these patients mainly consists of finding a new pain control regime or to review the efficacy of an existing regime and to appropriately modify it as necessary.