Advances in Pain Management: Palliative Care Applications

Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2019 May;49(3):445-461. doi: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2019.01.011.

Abstract

One of the most important goals of palliative medicine and hospice care is pain relief. Although great strides have been made in veterinary analgesia, severe pain, especially at home, is still difficult to control. Pain control in the context of palliative medicine and hospice care is far more advanced in human medicine. Many modalities used in chronically or terminally ill humans might be adapted to animals to better manage severe pain. This article discusses drugs and procedures used to control pain in humans that are relatively nascent or unavailable in veterinary medicine and deserve further attention.

Keywords: Analgesia; Epidural; Interventional; Intrathecal; Locoregional; Neuromodulation; Pain; Radiofrequency.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Analgesics, Opioid / administration & dosage
  • Animals
  • Infusions, Intravenous / veterinary
  • Injections, Epidural / veterinary
  • Pain / prevention & control
  • Pain / veterinary*
  • Pain Management / veterinary*
  • Palliative Care*
  • Veterinary Medicine / trends*

Substances

  • Analgesics, Opioid