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O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
Set realistic pain goals
This starts with the surgeon during pre-op visits and continues
throughout the perioperative encounter, says Dr. Mundey. "The nurses
and the anesthesiologist continue to drive home the point that surgery
hurts, but if patients comply with their multimodal pain management
protocol, which may include nerve blocks and multiple different types
of pain meds, their pain can be manageable," says Dr. Mundey, who
stresses to patients that manageable does not mean the absence of
pain and varies from patient to patient.
— Dan O'Connor
T
o help reduce the side effects of narcotics,
Unasource Surgery Center in Troy, Mich.,
regularly performs femoral nerve blocks for
surgeries like ACL reconstructions and adductor
nerve blocks for routine knee arthroscopies, says
orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine special-
ist Joseph Guettler, MD.
Dr. Guettler is a proponent of non-narcotic pain
relief pumps that reduce post-surgical pain for up
to 2 to 5 days by delivering an automatic and
continuous regulated flow of local anesthetic through a specially
designed catheter inserted near the surgical site or in close proximity to
nerves. "My patients experience fewer narcotic-related side effects and
a faster early recovery when compared to narcotics alone," says Dr.
Guettler. "I truly believe — as I tell my patients — that these nerve
blocks have revolutionized early post-operative pain control."
— Dan O'Connor
OPIOID-SPARING
Pain Pumps for Up to 5 Days of 'Ahh'
l NON-OPIOID PAIN MANAGEMENT
Orthopedic surgeon Joseph Guettler,
MD, says it's imperative that physi-
cians and patients explore alternatives
to narcotics for pain management.
Joseph
Guettler,
MD
