Skin & Sun Safety
Understanding Healthcare
Patient Controlled Analgesia
Patient Controlled Analgesia“I was what they call bone on bone. And because I’ve always had one hip higher than the other, the thoughtwas that I completely wore out the joint compensating.”-Mary Jo, PatientMary Jo Wright’s got a new knee and new energy to go with it after recovering from her recent surgery. While she’snot big on taking a lot of medications, she found the intense pain of total knee replacement was not something shecould handle alone.“They put in a pain block at the joint site that lasts for quite a long time. In addition, pain medication was put inan IV for a period of time, and I requested anti-nausea medication because I became very sick with anesthesia.”-Mary Jo, PatientIV pain medication in the hospital following surgery is often delivered directly into a vein in your arm or back througha patient-controlled analgesia pump, or PCA. This pump allows you to press a button when your pain gets toointense.Then, in most cases, this computerized machine supplies an opioid, such as morphine, fentanyl, or hydromorphoneto help control your pain.“There are narcotics and opioids which are fantastic at that intense, acute, post-operative pain.”-Dr. JulieFreed, Anesthesiologist“What they’re very good at is that kind of throbbing pain that can last for hours or days.”-Matthew Hearing,PhD, Assistant Professor, Biomedical ScienceEven though the pump is delivering opioid pain medication, which can be addicting, there’s no chance of takingmore than you should. Your health care provider will program the pump, to limit the dose of the pain-relievingmedication available to you; the pump will not give you the medication if it is not time.Remember, the purpose of the PCA pump is to give you control over managing your pain. No one else should pressthe button on the pump.Now, there can be side effects with the medication provided by the pump. These might include extreme tiredness orlow blood pressure, trouble breathing, nausea, confusion, itching or hives, or constipation.You may also find that the medication from the pump is just not working to handle your pain. For that, formerpatient Mary Jo has some great advice.Page 1 of 2This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG5321198 EN PatientControlledAnalgesia.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPatient Controlled Analgesia“It’s very important to let your nursing staff know where you’re at.”-Mary Jo, PatientOn the plus side, there are benefits to using a PCA pump:People who use the pumps often use less pain medication and find themselves less tired. If you’re less tired, youtend to move around more, which can help prevent blood clots after surgery. Also, you should be able to relaxand be less anxious, knowing by controlling your pain you’re helping the healing process.As your body heals, your healthcare provider will remove the PCA pump, usually after a day or two. You maystill need an oral pain medication to continue the healing process, but the pump will have done its job helpingyou on that path to recovery.Page 2 of 2This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG5321198 EN PatientControlledAnalgesia.pdf© The Wellness Network
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