| [ Summary ] |
Pain clinic services have an important role in treating cancer pain. Assessment of the patient's pain, its causes, and the patient's reaction to it are an important function of the pain clinic and essential to successful pain management. A specialized technique for the relief of pain in the pain clinic is nerve blocks. The pain can be interrupted by local anaesthetic agents, neurolytic agents, radio-frequency thermocoagulation etc. Before embarking on a permanent nerve block, we perform a diagnostic local anesthetic block. The anticipated procedure and any potential complications must be discussed with the patient, the referring medical and nursing staff and if possible, the patient's relatives. At our hospital, in the palliative care team, 26.2 % of patients admitted underwent some form of nerve block. Nerve blocks help us to reduce analgesic dosage, and the side-effects of systemic analgesics. It is good for doctors who are treating cancer patients, to establish and maintain close links with a pain clinician. Increasing doctors with special interest in nerve blocks, palliative care will be developed. |