The patient's family is concerned that the patient may get too much pain medication after surgery and become addicted to the medication if he is placed on a PCA pump. They also voice concern about the effectiveness of the PCA

Question

The nurse should instruct the family and the patient that:
a. pain relief with the PCA pump is not as good as when the nurse provides it, but it does save on nursing time.
b. pain relief is good when the medication peaks, but less so when the levels drop, and that is when the patient will know that he needs more.
c. because the device provides medication as soon as the patient needs it, he will probably use less of the medication.
d. the patient will be kept in bed for several days after surgery to make sure it is safe to ambulate.

Answer 1

C
Because the device provides medication on demand as soon as the patient feels the need, the total amount of opioid use is reduced. Because the blood level stays within a narrow range of the minimum effective analgesia concentration for the individual, pain relief is enhanced, and the incidence of side effects, such as sedation and respiratory depression, is decreased. The PCA has several advantages. It allows more constant serum levels of the opioid and, as a result, avoids the peaks and troughs of a large bolus. An advantage of PCA is that when used postoperatively, fewer complications arise because earlier and easier ambulation occurs as a result of effective pain relief.