Management of Pain in The Intensive Care Unit

Alhawaj, Fatimah Abdulwahab; Alghazal, ZohairRadi; Alonazi, Mohammed Saleh; Alahmadi, Nura Nasser; Abdulmajed, Almutari; Alhijab, Ali Mohammed; Malawi, Imtinan Abdulrahman; Baarimah, Sohaib Osama; Towairqi, Abdulhadi Salem

doi:10.12816/0041536

Management of Pain in The Intensive Care Unit

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University

² Imam Muhammad Bin Saud University

³ Taibah University

⁴ Semmelwies University

⁵ Batterjee Medical College

⁶ Umm Al-Qura University

⁷ University of Jeddah

10.12816/0041536

Abstract

Background: Pain assessment in ICU patients turns out to be a daily challenge for the attending teams, particularly in those patients who are intubated endotracheally; on mechanical ventilation or analgosedated as such patients are unable to self-assess existence and intensity of pain. Guidelines to identify pain in these patients are crucial for physicians for effective management.
Methodology: We conducted this review using a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE, January 1994, through March 2017. The following search terms were used: pain management in ICU, pain in ICU, pain assessment by behavior, pain assessment in intubated patients.
Aim: Our aim in this study was to understand how to assess and manage pain in an intensive care unit patient, particularly those patients who are unable to self-report or assess.
Conclusion: Physical clues given by comatose or intubated patients in critical care unit must be used as a method to identify existence of pain, and must be managed effectively to decrease discomfort and prevent short and long term adverse effects.

Keywords