Therapeutic or Preventive Procedure
patient-controlled analgesia
[ pay-shunt-kun-trold an-ul-jee-zee-uh ]
Subclass of:
Analgesia
Definitions related to patient-controlled analgesia:
-
A method of pain relief in which the patient controls the amount of pain medicine that is used. When pain relief is needed, the person can receive a preset dose of pain medicine by pressing a button on a computerized pump that is connected to a small tube in the body.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
-
A method that allows a person to control, within limits, the amount and timing of pain medication he or she receives. It is usually done by pressing a button to release the medication from a computerized pump into an IV.Harvard Dictionary of Health TermsHarvard Medical Publishing, 2011
-
(analgesia, patient-controlled) Relief of PAIN, without loss of CONSCIOUSNESS, through ANALGESIC AGENTS administered by the patients. It has been used successfully to control POSTOPERATIVE PAIN, during OBSTETRIC LABOR, after BURNS, and in TERMINAL CARE. The choice of agent, dose, and lockout interval greatly influence effectiveness. The potential for overdose can be minimized by combining small bolus doses with a mandatory interval between successive doses (lockout interval).NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
-
(intravenous patient-controlled analgesia) A method of intravenous narcotic analgesic delivery that uses a pump or similar delivery system that allows the patient, or in the absence of the patient's ability to do so the patient's nurse or family members, to administer predetermined doses of analgesic as needed to maintain adequate pain control. This method allows the patient and/or family to have increased autonomy. Further, research has shown improved pain control and reductions in narcotics necessary to maintain pain control to be associated with this delivery method.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
Return to OpenMD Medical Dictionary
> P
This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.