THE USE OF DRUGS IN POSTOPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT

For the treatment of postoperative pain, numerous techniques that have been adequately tested and found to be effective and safe are available. To ensure that they can be utilized for all patients, suitable organisational forms have to be put in place in the hospital. The present article represents a summary of three papers dealing with the pharmacological background of systemic pharmacotherapy (antipyretic/anti-inflammatory analgesics, opioids) and postoperative local and conduction analgesia, strategies for establishing the proper dose, and dose maintenance, as well as, finally, a discussion of problems associated with the practical implementation of the techniques.