Chronic pain is highly prevalent among Veterans and contributes to poor surgical recovery. This pilot quality improvement project evaluated a structured postoperative ketamine infusion program at a Veterans Affairs medical center. Veterans with chronic pain undergoing complex surgery received low-dose ketamine infusions (0.2 mg/kg/hr) for 24-72 hours postoperatively. The Quality of Recovery-15...
This integrative review describes using mindfulness to reduce pain and anxiety during the perioperative period in surgical patients. As an exploratory aim, the relationship between mindfulness and opioid use after surgery was also explored. CINAHL, PubMed and EMBASE databases were queried to identify articles examining the relationship between mindfulness, postoperative pain and opioid...
Chronic pain management includes treatment with the use of opioids, electrical stimulation and acupuncture. However, traditional understanding of chronic pain has recently been challenged in light of evidence supporting a key role of psycho-social factors and central sensitization in this population. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), focuses on increasing awareness and acceptance of...