Lao Zhang is very depressed these days! A few days ago, Lao Zhang accidentally injured his thigh, went to the hospital to see the orthopaedic clinic, took an X-ray, diagnosed as “femoral shaft fracture”, and was hospitalized. Finally, surgery will be arranged tomorrow, and Lao Zhang is sleepless and shivering at night! This fracture is painful enough, then the operation to cut, to cut on such a long steel plate, so many steel nails, think of all pain! My God, how can I live like this?
Many patients, like Lao Zhang, worry about the pain of the incision as the anesthetic subsides after the operation, and even some patients cry before they enter the operating room. What should they do?
The anesthesiologist will help you out!
The anesthesiologist will take the following measures to relieve the patient’s postoperative pain: 1. Analgesia pump: When the anesthesiologist visits the patient before the operation, he will give you a detailed introduction of the “postoperative analgesia pump” and let you choose whether to use it or not. If you choose to use the postoperative analgesia pump, the anesthesiologist will prepare a prescription suitable for you according to your physical condition and the surgical site, so as to achieve precise analgesic effect; some patients worry that the use of the analgesia pump will affect the growth of the incision, some patients worry that the use of the analgesia pump will affect the brain function, and some patients worry that the use of the analgesia pump will cause nausea and vomiting. To give you a popular science, the analgesic pump is a device that connects the intravenous indwelling needle and slowly releases drugs. Anesthesiologists will prepare opioid analgesics, non-steroidal analgesics, sedative analgesics in the pump according to the patient’s condition, and will also add drugs to inhibit nausea and vomiting. A variety of drugs are used together to reduce the side effects caused by the use of a large number of drugs, which is safe and effective. It will not affect the growth of the incision, but also reduce the inflammatory reaction after operation, and will not affect the brain function. Studies have confirmed that severe postoperative pain is a risk factor for postoperative delirium and cognitive impairment! Effective postoperative analgesia will reduce the occurrence of this adverse complication. Some patients will have nausea and vomiting after surgery, but doctors will give symptomatic treatment.
2. After the operation, the anesthesiologist will select the nerve innervating the area according to the operation area for corresponding nerve block treatment, which is more targeted and effective in alleviating postoperative pain. Now there are long-acting local anesthetics that can be used in nerve block treatment, which can achieve 72 hours of analgesic effect.
3. After the main steps of the operation, when suturing, the surgeon will also choose to use local anesthetics for multi-point infiltration injection, which will greatly reduce the postoperative pain of patients. If long-acting local anesthetics are chosen for infiltration, the analgesic effect will be better and more long-lasting. The analgesic effect lasts up to 72 hours.
4. Before the operation, the anesthesiologist will give you anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs to reduce your pain threshold, so as to avoid severe pain after the operation, which is called “preemptive analgesia”. Many studies have confirmed that patients with preemptive analgesia have lower pain scores than those without preemptive analgesia, that is to say, patients with preemptive analgesia have less postoperative pain.
4. You can also listen to soothing music to reduce pain. There are many studies that prove that listening to light music is very effective in reducing pain!
5. If you still feel pain after taking the above measures, the healthcare workers will give you anal suppositories and choose oral drugs, such as opioids and non-steroidal drugs, to strengthen analgesia.
In a word, comfortable medical treatment is strongly advocated now. Anesthesiologists and ward nurses will make every effort to let you spend the perioperative period with less pain and no pain! Don’t be afraid anymore!
