Acute Pain Service

The Acute Pain service (APS) provides a 24-hour in-patient pain management service for patients presenting with trauma, perioperative pain or acute exacerbation of chronic pain.

The Acute Pain team comprises board-certified anesthesiologists with specialization in pain management, two qualified nurse practitioners, pain medicine fellows and acute pain rotating residents.

Highlights of Acute Pain Service:

Management of in-patient pain consults

APS utilizes medical and interventional pain management for in-patient consults. If deemed indicated, nerve blocks are performed in addition to multimodal pain protocol to alleviate pain.

Follow up on regional anesthesia patients:

The team works in close collaboration with the regional anesthesia team to maintain the continuity of pain management for in-patients after discharge from the postoperative recovery unit.

Designing and Managing Pain Pathways and Protocols:

Specialized pathways are followed for a standardized and effective pain management approach. Some of these include Rib Fracture Pain Pathway, Post-Dural-Puncture Headache (PDPH) pathway, Acute Pain Management protocol for Gender Reassignment Surgery, Pain management protocol for Complex Abdominal Surgery etc. These pathways also contribute to quality improvement initiatives and acute pain research for the department.

Ketamine Infusion Clinic:

APS manages ketamine infusion booster clinic conducted two days a week. This infusion clinic serves outpatients with chronic intractable neuropathic pain managed by the comprehensive chronic pain center. In addition, ketamine infusion is initiated and managed by APS for eligible in-patient consults.

Director