Chapter 10: Pain assessment and management
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Definition
Epidural analgesia
Epidural analgesia is the administration of medication via a catheter inserted into the epidural space at the thoracic or lumbar level (Macintyre and Schug [99]). Epidural analgesia is an effective method of providing sustained and effective pain relief following surgery, such as thoracic or orthopaedic surgeries, or major abdominal procedures (Argoff [5], Pöpping et al. [142]).
Intrathecal analgesia
Intrathecal (spinal) analgesia is the administration of analgesic drugs via a catheter inserted into the intrathecal space and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (Vayne‐Bossert et al. [188]). This method is most commonly used for cancer pain; see the chapter on pain assessment and management in The Royal Marsden Manual of Cancer Nursing Procedures (Lister et al. [97]) for further information.
