patho exam 3 Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is pain?
-Unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage
-the most reliable method of assessing pain is to have the patient describe his/her experience
-pain is inherently personal and subjective
Pathophysiology of pain
-neurophysiologic basis of painful sensations
-Nociceptive pain vs. neuropathic pain
Nociceptive pain
results from injury to tissues
two forms:
-somatic pain: injury to somatic tissues (bones,joints,muscles)
-visceral pain- injury to visceral organs (small intestines)
Neuropathic pain
-results from injury to peripheral nerves
-responds poorly to opioids
Pain impulses are enhanced by
Prostaglandins, substance P (make the nerve endings more sensitive to pain)
Brain suppresses pain by using
endogenous opioid compounds (endorphins/enkephalins)
The brain receives pain sensations
-the parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex
integrates and interprets pain sensations
“that cinder block that I just dropped elicited
an excruciating pain on my left toe”
Cingulate gyrus- governs the emotional response to pain
“@#!!! that hurts!” (thalmus)
Midbrain and mesolimbic area
-thalamus-relay station (to and from the periphery) “ouch- that’s a 10 on the pain scale!!”
-hippocampus-learning and memory “don’t forget you did that, you idiot…”
-amygdala/nucleus accumbens- treating the excruciating pain with narcotics not only activates the pain control system but also activates the dopaminergic reward system
acute pain
-sudden onset
-usually subsides once treated
chronic pain
-persistent or recurring
-lasts 3 to 6 months
-often difficult to treat
-tolerance
-physical dependence
Classification of Pain
-visceral -location of pain
-superficial –>location assists in
identifying cause
and treatment
-deep
-referred (dermatomes) -localized
-neuropathic -all over
-phantom -referred or
radiated from
origin to different
-cancer site
Dermatomes
-areas of skin that send their sensory information into specific spinal cord segments
-visceral structures share these sensory afferents with skin areas
-maximal intensity of the visceral pain is retrosternal area/precordial area, up the neck, down the inner arm
visceral pain
-arises from internal organs such as the intestine, bladder, and the heart
-tumor involvement or obstruction
analgesics
drugs that relieve pain without causing the loss of consciousness
opioids
are the most effective pain relievers available
non-opioids
-acetaminophen and NSAIDS
-effective for mild to moderate pain
-may be used in conjunction with opioids=opioid-sparing
-most available without a prescription
analgesic ceiling
-increasing the dose beyond the upper limit provides no greater analgesia
-they do not produce tolerance or physical dependence
acetaminophen
-most widely used nonopioid analgesic
-analgesic
-anti-pyretic-lowers febrile body temperatures by acting on hypothalamus, takes 71 mins to lower temperature
acetaminophen contraindications
known allergy and severe liver disease
FDA limits daily dose to no more than 4000mg/24 hours
acetaminophen MOA
blocks peripheral pain impulses by inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis in CNS. Does not suppress platelet aggregation
acetaminophen route, onset of action, peak, etc.
Route: PO
Onset of action: 10-30mins
Peak: 30 minutes to 2 hours
Half-life: 1 to 4 hours
Duration of action: 3-4 hours
Acetaminophen interactions
-Alcohol the most dangerous
-chronic heavy alcohol abusers at risk of liver toxicity
drug interactions:
-phenytoin
-barbiturates
-warfarin
-isoniazid,rifampin
-beta-blockers
-anticholinergic drugs
Acetaminophen interactions
alchohol & warfarin
-alcohol can increase a toxic metabolite
-warfarin may inhibit warfarin metabolism
acetaminophen therapeutic uses
+ action
-analgesic, antipyretic
-does not have any antiinflammatory or antirheumatic actions
action: inhibits prostaglandin synthesis in CNS