Why does the complex pain patient need 'perioperative pain medicine' to optimize outcomes of surgery? This piece faces the realities behind a perioperative approach which tries to prevent or manage cases of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) during surgery and the postoperative period. Should chronic pain be seen as a nervous system disorder? How do we deal with patients who catastrophise their pain? Should we pledge to use a regional analgesia technique wherever possible? Can atypical opioids provide another way?

Lecture slides: http://www.anzca.edu.au/documents/04-stephan-schug_the-complex-pain-patient.pdf

Presented by Stephan A Schug, Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Western Australia and Royal Perth Hospital.

--

Brought to you by the Perioperative Medicine Special Interest Group (SIG) in association with the Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine and the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand at the 7th annual Australasian Symposium of Perioperative Medicine.

The Perioperative Medicine Special Interest Group (SIG) has three aims; improve patient safety and outcomes, share knowledge and collaborate with specialty groups, develop the specialty of perioperative medicine with various craft groups.

For more information follow this link here: http://www.anzca.edu.au/fellows/special-interest-groups/perioperative-medicine