Regional anesthesia and chronification of acute postoperative pain

Abstract

Chronification of acute postoperative pain is the consequence of a number of factors; the article mentions different preemptive strategies that may put a limit to its development. Certain anesthetic and analgesic techniques have been assessed over the last years, and most articles highlight the usefulness of carrying out regional anesthesia techniques from the intraoperative period through several days into the postoperative period. Preventing the patients from suffering acute postoperative pain is one of the most appropriate tools for stopping the activation of the mechanisms involved in pain chronification. None of the regional techniques are equally valid and applicable to all surgical procedures.