[Pharmacotherapy of postoperative pain]

In recent years there has been much progress in the understanding of the pathophysiology of acute pain and analgesic pharmacology. The most important role in postoperative pain management is still played by opioids administered through various modes, including spinal and local ones. However, non-opioid analgesics, i.e. non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and paracetamol are more and more frequently used in the management of postoperative pain, which is the result of, among other factors, the appearance on the market of intravenous forms of those drugs. Paracetamol, owing to its safe therapeutical profile, should be the primary postoperative pain management tool in a majority of surgical procedures. A combination of opioids, NSAIDs and paracetamol in order to relieve pain allows both for a significant reduction in the dosage of respective drugs, fewer side effects and an improved pain relief.