Problemas actuales del tratamiento del dolor posoperatorio

introduction: there is no reason for acute perioperative pain to be a problem, for the knowledge, drugs, technology and infrastructure required for its effective treatment are all available. on the other hand, its causes, finiteness and favorable response to adequate analgesics are well known. objective: identify some current problems affecting the treatment of postoperative pain. methods: a retrospective study was conducted based on information from the medical records of 138 patients undergoing upper abdominal and thoracic surgery at hermanos ameijeiras clinical surgical hospital in a period of one year. data on the frequency of non-optimal pain relieving indications were collected and analyzed, as well as data on the appearance of postoperative complications and their relationship to pain. results: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids) were the analgesics most commonly prescribed. local anesthetics and opioids were the most effective pain relievers. a significant relationship was found between inadequate indications and the high frequency of pain persistence in the postoperative period. the same is true of the appearance of complications and the admission to the intensive care unit (icu). when non-optimal pain relieving indications are made, the frequency of postoperative complications rises by more than 15 %. conclusions: the incidence of postoperative pain exceeds 50 % and affects postoperative morbidity in 15 %. not monitoring the pain scale and on-demand analgesia were the most common non-optimal indications. this had an effect on the frequency in the appearance of pain, on morbidity and on admission to the icu.