Chap. 18 Pain management, comfort, rest, sleep – Flashcards
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Acute pain
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intense and of short duration, usually lasting less than 6 months. Provides warning to individual of actual or potential tissue damage
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Chronic pain
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generally characterized as pain lasting longer than 6 months. Does not serve as warning of tissue damage in process; rather, it signals that such damage has occurred
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Endorphins
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potent polypeptides composed of many amino acids, found in pituitary gland & other areas of CNS. Stress & pain activate endorphins
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Gate control theory
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suggests that pain impulses are regulated & even blocked by gating mechanisms located along the central nervous system. Proposed location of the gates is in the dorsal horn of spinal cord
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Noxious
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stimulation of the sensory nerve endings
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Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)
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allows patients to self administer analgesics whenever needed. Portable, computerized pump w/ a chamber for a syringe
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Referred pain
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felt at site other than injured or diseased organ or part of the body
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Syngersitic
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the actions of two or more substances or organs achieve an effect that cannot be achieved by an individual substance or organ
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Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS)
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entails use of pocket sized, battery-operated device that provides continuous, mild electric current to skin via electrodes that are attached to stimulator by flexible wires
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Visual analog scale
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patient marks spot on horizontal line to indicate pain intensity. Intensity increases as line moves from left to right
