Preemptive analgesia

Preemptive analgesia has recently been the subject of much discussion in the literature including a recent editorial which describes some of the difficulties surrounding the subject. The concept of preemptive analgesia is frequently misunderstood by anesthesia providers especially relative to the use of regional anesthesia. This confusion hampers anesthetists in their practice when they seek to provide optimal pain care for their patients, and especially when regional block is not an option in their particular practice or is inappropriate either for the individual patient or for the surgery being undertaken. This article attempts to differentiate preemptive analgesia from regional anesthetic blockade, and discusses other interventions which may also play a role in producing some measure of preemptive effect.