Patient-controlled analgesia

This patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) regimen is a multimodal postoperative pain management protocol utilized by the Medical College of Wisconsin for patients undergoing robot-assisted anatomic lung resection. The regimen consists of a combination of oral medications, including the non-opioid analgesic acetaminophen (Tylenol), the skeletal muscle relaxant methocarbamol (Robaxin), and the opioid analgesic tramadol. In the context of clinical trials at Froedtert Hospital, this protocol serves as the standard-of-care control arm. While PCA traditionally refers to intravenous delivery systems, this specific protocol emphasizes a transition to oral analgesics supplemented by a baseline intercostal nerve block (bupivacaine with epinephrine) provided to all surgical patients to optimize recovery and minimize opioid consumption.

Other names

PCAPatient-controlled analgesiaStandard PCA (Froedtert Hospital)