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Analgesia for general anaesthesia

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Analgesia has a key role in general anaesthesia:

  • pre-operatively:
    • to reduce apprehension
    • to relieve pain and discomfort
    • to provide amnesia in some cases
  • peri-operatively:
    • to obtund the body's response to surgical tissue damage, e.g. lacrimation, hypertension, tachycardia
    • to enhance the effect of general anaesthetics; reduction of the minimum alveolar concentration required
    • to prevent the "awareness" of nocioceptive stimuli associated with unconsciousness
    • to decrease the need for post-operative analgesia

Non-steroidal agents can be used, but more commonly opioids are given for induction and maintenance.

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