Overly Sensitive to Pain? Your Choice of Hospital for Surgery Can Reduce Your Pain

Right Choice Index

Page Contents

Who is likely to
need pain management

Benefits

How is surgical
pain managed

Management

Questions to ask

Site Contents

Patients & visitors

Medical professionals

Yale-New Haven
Children's Hospital

General information

Calendar

Online resource

Press information

Phone Numbers

Directory assistance
(203) 688-4242

Patient Information
(203) 688-4177

Adult emergency
(203) 688-2222

Children's emergency
(203) 688-3333

Admitting
(203) 688-2221

Children's admitting
(203) 688-3331

Psychiatric admitting
(203) 688-9907

Mailing address:

Yale-New Haven Hospital
20 York Street
New Haven, CT 06504

Overly Sensitive to Pain? Your Choice of Hospital for Surgery Can Reduce Your Pain

Pain is the body's way of saying something is wrong. There are two basic kinds of pain. Somatic pain includes injury to tissue, bone or hollow organs. It can feel crampy, dull or sharp. Neuropathic pain is the result of damage to a nerve or the central nervous system. It usually causes burning or shock-like sensations.

Genetic variations may cause different reactions to pain. Tests, surgery or just being in a hospital or doctor's office can evoke totally different reactions among patients. The same procedure may be painless for one patient and be upsetting to another. Patients who do not or cannot speak up for themselves sometimes unnecessarily suffer from pain in many hospitals. In addition, side effects from pain medication are more likely in older patients because of changes in metabolism.

Who Is likely to need the most advanced pain management for surgery?

Patients who have low pain thresholds
Cancer patients who receive pain management
Patients already suffering from chronic pain
Women who have a sharper sense of pain

Benefits of reducing pain

Better pain control may reduce the likelihood of nausea or vomiting after surgery and speed recovery by reducing stress on the immune system.
Pain management reduces the likelihood of an unexpected hospital readmission.
Fewer visits are required for physical therapy.
Blocking pain before it becomes overwhelming helps manage subsequent pain intensity and reduces the use of pain medications.

How is surgical pain managed?

Pain is managed using a variety of methods, often in combination.
Patients cope better with advance information about surgery and pain expectations.
Regional anesthesia and nerve blocks with local anesthetic result in faster recovery, healthier outcomes, less postoperative pain and quicker return to work, but fewer than 20 percent of patients receive these treatments.
Nerve blocks, trigger point injections, implantable pumps and oral medications are other ways to treat pain.
Pain killing pumps are often used to numb surgical sites for 48 hours after surgery.
Complementary pain management techniques can include biofeedback, music, relaxation, guided imagery, massage, physical therapy and counseling.
For the most painful surgeries, pain medication may be injected into the epidural space by an anesthesiologist.

What you should know about pain management

Patients need to know severe pain is not normal. It can be managed.
Some patients respond better to some drugs than others.
Pain management can now be tailored for each patient.
Pain management has become a medical specialty.
Choosing the right hospital can dramatically improve your pain management.
Hospitals that provide a 24-hour dedicated pain service offer the greatest advantage as highly trained pain specialists can respond quickly to your needs.
Anesthesiologists and pharmacists are crucial links on the pain management team.
Careful dose adjustment can minimize side effects.

Questions to ask prior to surgery

Ask about your doctor's and the hospital's philosophy of pain management.
What kind of pain relief plan is the doctor recommending? Has the doctor written the plan in the hospital admission instructions?
Does the hospital have patient guidelines for the surgery that address pain management? Can the pain be blocked by using medication before the surgery or procedure?
Are there clear written instructions on how to take medicine before pain occurs?
Does the hospital have a full-time pain service and director of pain management?

Yale-New Haven Hospital's pain management benefits patients
Yale-New Haven Hospital has a dedicated post-surgery pain service staffed by three anesthesiologists to respond to each patientís unique pain management needs.

Call (203) 688-2000 or toll free (888) 700-6543 to speak with a health information coordinator or request an appointment. You can also get physician information or request an appointment on this web site.

Last revised: March 8, 2004 (cfs)