Anesthesiology Journal's podcast Featured Author Podcast: Ketamine for Acute Pain after Breast Surgery
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Oct 29, 2025 Join Kristin L. Schreiber, a leader in regional anesthesia and expert in pain management, alongside Eric S. Schwenk, a professor focused on individualized care in perioperative medicine. They dive into a groundbreaking trial exploring ketamine’s role in managing acute pain after breast surgery. Discover how patient traits influence pain responses, the surprising prevalence of chronic pain post-surgery, and the complexities of balancing standardized care with individual patient needs. Their insights on central sensitization and the nuances of ketamine's efficacy are both illuminating and essential for future pain management strategies.
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Use Portable Pinprick Probes For Testing
- Use standardized pinprick probes with a floating weight to deliver consistent noxious stimuli at bedside.
- These probes are portable and suitable for clinic preoperative quantitative sensory testing.
Pain Phenotype Is Multidimensional
- Multiple biopsychosocial and psychophysical factors independently predict postoperative pain, forming a patient's pain phenotype.
- Factors include sleep disturbance, somatization, catastrophizing, anxiety, depression, and pressure pain thresholds.
Ketamine's Mixed But Favorable Profile
- Ketamine generally reduces acute perioperative pain and opioid consumption across many studies.
- Evidence for preventing chronic post-surgical pain is mixed and may depend on patient and surgical factors.