BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Postoperative pain control started to be more investigated in the last decade, when it has been observed that postoperative analgesia was inadequate. The word preemptive implies a type of analgesia which, induced before pain stimulation, prevents or minimizes subsequent pain. This study is an update on preemptive analgesia and provides new alternatives for postoperative pain relief. CONTENTS: Preemptive analgesia is recommended to prevent pain caused by central nervous system changes during surgery in consequence of the non-suppression of painful stimuli conduction to the brain. Many experimental studies in animals and humans have been performed to show a preemptive effect, but results are still unclear. CONCLUSIONS: Although some clinical evidences of the effects of preemptive analgesia, more studies are needed to determine the real value of this type of analgesia in controlling postoperative pain.
ANALGESIA, Preemptive
