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Understanding Pain in Alzheimer's Disease in Anesthesia
Cindi Dabney1, Todd Monroe2, Ronald Cowan3
1is Assistant Professor, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee.
AANA Journal
|May 25, 2023
Summary
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) will increasingly care for patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This article offers guidance on pain assessment and anesthetic management for these patients.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Geriatric Medicine
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
- Increasing age is the primary risk factor for AD.
- CRNAs will encounter patients with AD more frequently.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide CRNAs with guidance on anesthetic management for patients with AD.
- To highlight challenges in pain assessment and management in AD patients.
- To incorporate new research on pain processing in the AD brain.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on AD and anesthesia.
- Analysis of challenges in patient self-reporting and pain perception in AD.
- Synthesis of recommendations for pain assessment and anesthetic planning.
Main Results:
- Patients with AD present unique challenges for anesthetic care due to impaired communication and altered pain responses.
- New research offers insights into how the AD brain processes pain.
- Specific anesthetic plans tailored to individual patient circumstances are scarce.
Conclusions:
- CRNAs require specific considerations for pain assessment and management in patients with AD.
- An individualized anesthetic plan is crucial for safe and effective care.
- Further research and case reports are needed to refine anesthetic protocols for AD patients.
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