US EPA

1980926 

Journal Article 

Preemptive analgesia: Moving beyond conventional strategies and confusing terminology 

Taylor, BK; Brennan, TJ 

2000 

1 

The Journal of Pain
ISSN: 1526-5900 

1 

2 

77-84 

10.1054/xb.2000.6056 

WOS:000089481200001 

http://://WOS:000089481200001
Exit
 

Trials of preemptive analgesia compare the effect of drugs
administered before injury with the same treatment administered after injury, whereas studies of
perioperative analgesia include comparisons of preinjury administration with no particular
analgesic treatment at all. In contrast to earlier reports, recent animal behavioral studies of
persistent nociception and clinical trials of preemptive analgesia using randomized, controlled
protocols strongly indicate that conventional treatments such as local anesthetics and opioids do
not exhibit significant preemptive analgesic effects for postoperative pain. The direction of
perioperative medicine must be shifted away from conventional preemptive analgesia studies, and
towards (1) preemptive analgesia studies using novel treatment strategies; (2) perioperative
analgesic strategies involving continuous administration of analgesics and anesthetics; and (3) a
focus on clinical outcomes involving hospital stay, cost, and patient satisfaction. 

postoperative pain; perioperative analgesia; central sensitization