Multimodal postcesarean delivery analgesia

Abstract

Cesarean deliveries can be associated with moderate to severe postoperative pain. Appropriate management of pain is important because it results in better patient satisfaction, earlier mobilization, and improved maternal-infant bonding. There are many individual options for treatment of pain; however, multimodal analgesic therapy has become the mainstay of treatment. In this article, the epidemiology of postcesarean delivery pain, pain mechanisms, and the multiple options available to providers for treatment of postoperative pain are discussed.

Keywords: Acute pain; Cesarean delivery; Chronic pain; Multimodal analgesia; Neuraxial analgesia; Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; Opioid analgesia.