Nurse 111 - Chapter 31 - Pain Management

Front 1

analgesics

Back 1

A drug that relieves pain

Front 2

cutaneous stimulation

Back 2

The stimulation of a person’s skin to prevent or reduce pain perception. A massage, warm bath, hot and cold therapies, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are some ways to reduce pain.

Front 3

endorphins

Back 3

The hormones that act on the mind like morphine and opiates, producing a sense of well-being and reducing pain.

Front 4

epidural infusion

Back 4

The administration of local anesthetic by way of a catheter into epidural space of the spinal column, which is designed to produce anesthesia of the pelvic, abdominal, or genital areas.

Front 5

exacerbations

Back 5

An increase in the seriousness of a disease or disorder as marked by a greater intensity in signs of symptons.

Front 6

guided imagery

Back 6

A method of pain control in which the patient creates a mental image, concentrates on that image, and gradually becomes less aware of pain.

Front 7

local anesthesia

Back 7

A loss of sensation at the desired site of action.

Front 8

neurotransmitters

Back 8

Chemicals that transfer an electrical impulse from the nerve fiber to the muscle fiber.

Front 9

nociceptors

Back 9

The somatic and visceral free nerve endings of thinly myelinated and unmyelinated fibers. These fibers usually react to tissue injury, but may also be excited by endogenous chemical substances.

Front 10

opioid

Back 10

A drug substance, derived from opium or produced synthetically, that alters perception of pain and that with repeated use may result in physical and psychological dependence (narcotic).

Front 11

pain

Back 11

An unpleasant, subjective sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.

Front 12

patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)

Back 12

drug delivery system that allows patients to self administer small, continuous doses of intravenous or subcutaneous opioids as they feel the need.

Front 13

perception

Back 13

A person’s mental image or concept of elements in the environment, including information gained through the senses.

Front 14

placebos

Back 14

An inert substance with no active ingredient.

Front 15

prostaglandins

Back 15

Potent hormonelike substances that act in exceedingly low doses on target organs. They can be used to treat asthma and gastric hyperacidity.

Front 16

reaction

Back 16

A component of the pain experience that may include both physiological responses, such as in the general adaptation syndrome, and behavioral responses.

Front 17

reception

Back 17

The neurophysiological components of the pain experience, in which nervous systems receptors receive painful stimuli and transmit them through peripheral nerves to the spinal cord and brain.

Front 18

relaxation

Back 18

The relief from work or stress that leaves one feeling relaxed of less tense. A cognitive strategy that provides mental and physical pain relief or reduces pain.

Front 19

remissions

Back 19

The partial or complete disappearance of the clinical and subjective characteristics of chronic or malignant disease. Remission may be spontaneous or the result of therapy.

Front 20

synapse

Back 20

The region surrounding the point of contact between two neurons or between a neuron and an effector organ.

Front 21

threshold

Back 21

The point at which a person first perceives a painful stimulus as being painful.

Front 22

tolerance

Back 22

(1) A phenomenon by which the body becomes increasingly resistant to a drug or other substance through continued exposure to the substance. (2) The point at which a person is not willing to accept pain of greater severity or duration.

Front 23

transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Back 23

A technique in which a battery-powered device blocks pain impulses from reaching the spinal cord by delivering weak electrical pulses directly to the skin’s surface.