Post-operative pain management
If you are going to stay in the hospital overnight, or up to
several days, we offer three methods of pain management:
-
IVPCA (intravenous patient controlled analgesia):
Commonly called PCA this is a morphine infusion connected
to your IV that runs continuously through a pump at a
specific rate. You will also be given a button to push if
you need more pain medicine. The pump that controls the
infusion has several safety mechanisms and there is no
danger of overdose.
-
 EPIDURAL:
This is a tiny soft catheter we place in the small of your back and connect to
a pump that continuously infuses a combination of a weak local anesthetic and
potent opioid narcotic. We set the rate of infusion to provide you pain relief.
-
ORAL:
If you are able to or when you are able to take pain
medicine by mouth we offer this prior to being discharged
to go home.
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