Perioperative analgesia in the elderly.

ABSTRACT: The administration of analgesic drugs in elderly patients should take into account age-related physiological changes, loss of efficiency of homeostatic mechanisms, and pharmacological interactions with chronic therapies. Underestimation of pain in patients with impaired cognition is often linked to difficulties in pain assessment. In the preoperative phase, it is essential to assess the physical status, cognitive reserve, and previous chronic pain conditions to plan effective analgesia. Furthermore, an accurate pharmacological history of the patient must be collected to establish any possible interaction with the whole perioperative analgesic plan. The use of analgesic drugs with different mechanisms of action for pain relief in the intraoperative phase is a crucial step to achieve adequat

SUBMITTER: Del Tedesco F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10540995 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature