Patterns of patient-controlled analgesia and intramuscular analgesia

Effects of immediate post-operative pain medication on length of hospital stay: does it make a difference?

“…However, the authors did show that patients on PCA used significantly more medication than patients on a non-PCA (16). Conversely, in another study identifying the use of PCA and intramuscular (IM) analgesia, Conner et al demonstrated that patients that used PCA had a shorter LOS compared to patients who received their analgesia via IM (17). In a retrospective study of 50 consecutive patients who underwent posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion, Van Boerum et al found that patients who received their analgesia via epidural were discharged earlier than patients who were on PCA (18).…”

Patient-controlled analgesia: Finding a balance between cost and comfort

“…access severely limits patient mobility. 3 Clinician-controlled i.v. analgesia is usually administered by bolus injection.…”

“…3 However, such systems present challenges, including an often underrecognized source of analgesic gaps (i.e., issues inherent in the technology). Following is a discussion of these issues and a look at new pain management technologies on the horizon.…”