Question | Answer |
What is the nature of pain | subjective/individualized, physiological mechanism, warning sign of tissue damage |
What is transduction | conversion of stimuli into pain impulse.
Cellular damage casued by thermal/mechanical/chemical/electrical stimuli, releases histamines,bradykinin, K, cause action potential on nociceptors |
What are bradykinins? | nerotransmitters |
What are nociceptors? | receptors that respond to harmful stimuli. It's conversion is called transduction |
Transmission of pain | pain produces nerve impulses, travel along afferent(to brain) peripheral nerve fibers. Two types: fast, myelinated A-delta(sharp,local), slow,unmyelinated C fibers(visceral, inside body)
efferent: from brain |
Perception of Pain | Impulse ascends to brain, processed by thalamus. Thalamus sends msg to other areas of brain:cerebral cortex, hyptothalamus, limbic system |
Common misconceptions about pain | drug seekers, no reason for pain if not physical cause, amt of tissue damage indicates pain, pain tolerance same for all, aging means pain, use physical signs for pain, pxt who falls asleep really do not have pain |
What are excitatory neurotransmitters? | Substance P,Serotonin, prostaglandins |
what are inhibitory neurotransmitters? | endorphins (body's natural morphine), bradykinin (released from plasma that leaks from surrounding blood vessels at injury site) incr pain stimuli |
What is the gate control theory? | Pain impulses pass through when gate is open and not when closed. Perceive pain, Lamaze can alter perception...then Reaction: pull hand back, emotional/psych |
What is the SNS response to pain?
sympathetic nervous system | Fight or flight for low/mod pain, incr resp,HR,vasoconstrict,dilate bronchials, incr BP, incr Glucose, dilate pupil, decr gastric b/c nausea/vomiting |
What is the PNS response to pain? parasympathetic nervous system | severe/deep pain
muscle tension, decr HR,BP, rapid breathing, nausea, vomiting becuase body trying to recover |
Critical thinking of pxt with pain | Knowledge, experience, attitude, essential to describe pxt pain |
What is the tolerance of pain? | point at which there is an unwillingness to accept pain of greater severity or duration: High/Low |
Pain is most common reason seek health care. Three major categories: | Acute, Chronic cancer, chronic non-cancer |
Describe acute pain | rapid onset, self limiting, threatens recovery, exhaustion, sleep depro, move to chronic pain if not treated and can cause complications |
Describe chronic pain | prolonged, remissions/exacerbations, fatigue, insomnia, anorexia, wt. loss, depression, anger
Intractible pain: uncontrolled cancer, diabetic neuropathy, phantom limb
Non-Cancer Pain: no id cause |
What is the AHCPR? | Agency for Health Care Policy and Research and they regulate pain assessment |
Who is at risk for inadequate pain medication>? | people of color, women, older pxts, children |
What does the concept of PCA, pxt controlled analgesia mean? | Internal loci have less severe pain: ask ?'s, desire info, control over env.
External loci: other factors (nurses) responsible for outcome of events, listen to dir., less demanding, anxious if too much info |
What does the assessment of pain entail? | Aims to find cause, determine effect of pain on ind. Use PQRSTU as intervention tool |
What is the PQRSTU tool of intervention? | more for acute pain
Precipitating/aggravating factors: avoid activities that make pain
Quality: change drugs
Relief measures:
Region (location)
Severity
Timing (onset,dur,pattern)
U (effect of pain on pxt) |
Assessment tool to approach to pain | A ask
B believe
C choose pain control options
D deliver interventions timely
E Empower pxt/families and Enable them to control outcome |
Errors in pain assessment | bias, vague ?'s, invalid assessment tools, family estimates not accurate |
Describe expression as pain assessment | nurse believes pxt will report pain, need to ask
watch for change in behavior
use words stating, telling, reporting, not complaining |
What is the single most reliable factor of the existence and intensity of pain | Patient self report |
What are classifications of pain | Somatic: sharp,aching,throbbing,well localized
Ex: osteoarthritis, myofascial pain |
What is visceral classification of pain | dull, crampy, colicky, poorly localized
Ex: mycardial infarction, obstructed bowel |
What is teh neuropathic classification of pain? | shooting, burning, electric like
Ex: trigeminal neuralgia, postherpetic neuropathy |
What are concomitant symptoms | occur with pain and usually incr in intensity: nausea, headache, dizziness, urge to urinate, constipation, depression restlessness, |
Pharmacological pain therapy includes: | nonopiod, opioid, adjuvant analgesics, adjuvants:sedatives, steroids, antidepressants.
Local anesth, (placebo-unethical), topical, transdermal |
Pain of 4 means? 7? | 4 or higher is unacceptable, unless short term
7 = medical emerg, immediate action |
What is cutaneous stimulation?
transcutaneous electrical stimulation TENS | stimulate skin, massage, cold/heat applications, through electrodes |
Transduction | Damaged cells release substances that initiate pain signals sent via afferent nerve endings to spinal cord |
Transmission | Impulse proceeds to brain |
Preception | Sensory process through which individual interprets the pain |
Modulation | Sensation of pain is regulated of changed by neuromodulators |
Psychogenic pain | No organic structures
Mechanism is emotional
Little or no physical evidence of organic disease |
Algesia | Sensitivity to pain |
Breakthrough pain | Transitory increase in pain to a level greater than the client's well-controlled baseline level |
Chronic malignant pain | Pain that results from progressive tissue injury such as from cancer; resolves when tissue injury is resolved |
Hyperalgesia | Excessive sensitivity to pain |
Idiopathic pain | Chronic pain for which there is no identifiable psychological or physical cause |
Intractable pain | Pain that is highly resistant to relief, such as an in advanced cancer |
Pain threshold: | Amount of pain required before individual feels the pain. The lower the threshold, the less pain they can endure; the higher the threshold, the more pain they can endure |
Pain tolerance: | Maximum amount and duration of pain a person is able to endure. Tolerance varies widely among people and is influenced by emotions and cultural background |
Pain syndrome | A group of symptoms of which pain is the critical element, such as headaches and post-herpetic neuralgia |
Phantom limb pain: | Pain that occurs in a limb after it is removed or as a result of severe damage to the affected nerve plexus due to perceptual disruption in the brain |
Psychogenic pain | Chronic pain with no identified organic explanation |
Radiating pain: | Pain that begins at its source and extends to nearby tissues |
Referred pain: | Pain that is felt at a different location than where tissue was damaged |
Non-Pharmacologic Pain Management Interventions | Cutaneous Stimulation
Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions
Therapeutic Touch
Distraction
Prayer
Music Therapy
Homeopathy |
Therapeutic Touch | An alternative therapy that involves using ones
hands to direct an energy exchange consciously
from practitioner to patient to facilitate healing
or pain relief |
Biofeedback | Technique that uses a machine to monitor physiologic responses through electrode sensors
Upon seeing painful stimuli the person is taught how to regulate physiologic responses to control pain |
Cutaneous Stimulation | TENS: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator
Battery operated device worn externally.
Stimulates A-delta sensory fibers |
Cutaneous Stimulation | PENS: Percutaneuos Nerve Stimulation
Form of acupuncture combines electroacupuncture and TENS
Consists of needle probes into soft tissue |
Hypnosis | Technique that produces a subconscious state accomplished by suggestion made by hypnotist
Person’s state of consciousness is altered by suggestion so that pain is not perceived as usual |
Pharmacologic Interventions for Pain Management | Analgesics
Previous exposure to medications
Availability
Patient disease/Illness
Patient’s preferences
Renal/liver functions
Cost/insurance |
The three classes of analgesics are: | Non Opioids
Adjuvent
Opioids |
Non-opioid | Tx of mild to moderate pain
Medications in this classification of analgesics include:
(NSAIDs) with analgesic properties:
Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin)
Ibuprofen (Motrin)
Analgesic properties only:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Has no anti-inflamm |
Adjuvant | Tx for neuropathic pain and enhance effects of non-opioids, help alleviate other symptoms that aggravate pain |
Opioids | Tx of moderate to severe pain
work at the level of the central nervous system
decrease the perception of pain
onset, peak, duration depend on which medication administered and route used
dosage dependent on patient condition and age |
Adjuvant drugs | Antidepressants: Tricyclics - sleep, enhances mood and analgesic effects
Anti-Convulsant drugs:
Neuralgic and neuropathic pain(sharp, shooting pain)
Antihistamine: Vistaril – pain or nausea |
Adjuvant drugs | Anxiolytic drugs: Benzodiazepines, buspirone, venlafaxine
Anxiety and sedation
Lidocaine:
Neuralgic pain and diabetic neuropathic pain
Steroids:
Inflammatory and chronic pain of cancer, malignant cord compression, headaches, and arthritis |
Opioid Analgesics Intervention strategies: | Used for persistent pain around the clock w/long acting agents
breakthrough pain w/short acting agents
Titrate dosages to achieve maximum desired level of pain relief
Use least invasive ROA first (oral) Anticipate & treat opioid-induced side effects |
Three Primary Types of Opioids | Full agonist
Mixed Agonist-Antagonists
Partial Agonists |
The gate-control theory | suggests that cutaneous stimulation activates larger, faster-transmitting A-beta sensory nerve fibers. This decreases pain transmission through small-diameter A-delta and C fibers. |
A common complication of epidural anesthesia is___ | hypotension. |
Having the client rate his or her pain on a pain scale is a method of measuring the___ | intensity of pain |