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Abstract Management of anesthesia begins with preoperative psychological preparation of the patient and administration of drugs selected to elicit specific pharmacologic response. This initial psychological and pharmacologic component of anesthetic management is referred to as premedication.(1-2) Pain is defined by the International Association for the study of pain (IASP) as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience in association with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage.(3) Although postoperative pain is arguably the most common clinical problem in hospitals, patients are often dismissed with an order for intermittent intramuscular analgesic injections to be given at the discretion of an overworked nursing staff. This generally results in patients waiting for pain relief, then a period of relief and perhaps drowsiness, and then the cycle is repeated. With this method, pain relief is only satisfactory (i.e. adequate relief without unwanted sedation) for about one-third of the time.(4) Surgical trauma induces nociceptive sensitization leading to amplification and prolongation of postoperative pain. In many studies, pre-injury neural blockade using local anesthetics or opioids has been shown to prevent or to reduce post injury sensitization of the central nervous system, while similar techniques applied after the injury had less or no effect.(5) Good postoperative analgesic management probably carries benefits other than increased patient comfort. The magnitude of the neuro-endocrine stress response, postoperative pulmonary complications and the incidence of myocardial ischemia can be decreased. |