| One of the goals of anesthesia is the control of pain. For
far too many years the veterinary profession has considered pain
management to be of little consequence, with practitioners citing such
outdated aphorisms as “animals feel less pain than humans”, “pain is
beneficial because it limits activity” and “analgesia hides clinical
deterioration” All of these reasons for not providing adequate analgesia
are now known to be false; in fact, the beneficial effects of pain control
far outweigh the few adverse effects that may arise from using analgesic
drugs.
Pain takes a tremendous toll on our patients. Some of the negative
conditions associated with pain include V/Q (ventilation/perfusion)
abnormalities, increased metabolic demand, tissue catabolism, impaired
immune function, increased risk of sepsis, delayed wound healing,
prolonged convalescence and cardiovascular stress. Additionally, studies
in humans suggest that improperly controlled acute pain may precipitate a
chronic pain syndrome that can be very difficult to control. Above all
else, we have an ethical obligation to provide humane care to our
patients.
Pain management doesn’t have to be difficult, time consuming or
overly complicated. Many analgesic drugs are available to veterinarians
that are safe, easy to use and very cost effective. Providing good
analgesia makes practice more enjoyable (and profitable) for us, and
definitely improves the quality of our patients’ lives.
Dave
Thompson
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