The Division of Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine is staffed by a multidisciplinary team with a holistic approach to patient care. Under their tutelage, residents are educated on the principles and practice of acute, chronic, and cancer pain management. Pain medicine training begins early in the CA-1 year and continues throughout residency. Residents have structured rotations in acute pain management, regional anesthesia and chronic pain management.
The rotation in acute pain management emphasizes the analgesic care of teen-aged and adult patients undergoing surgical procedures as well as non-operative patients. The resident assigned to this rotation rounds with the faculty to complete consultation for acute analgesic needs of patients in the perioperative and other inpatient settings. Multimodal techniques, including nerve blocks and neuraxial techniques as well as medical management are utilized to effect the best in evidence-based care. Residents learn to use both ultrasound and nerve stimulation for placing peripheral nerve blocks.
The rotation in chronic pain management provides the resident with the opportunity to actively participate in evaluating patients, formulating differential diagnoses and treatment plans, performing diagnostic and therapeutic nerve blocks, and interacting with referring physicians in the role of a consultant. A dedicated procedure room, equipped with fluoroscopy, is reserved for use by the pain service. More involved procedures are performed in this room, while simpler procedures may be performed in one of the treatment rooms located within the pain clinic.
The regional anesthesia rotation focuses on the perioperative management of pain beginning in the pre-operative setting and continuing to the post-operative period. This resident is assigned to operating rooms that require peripheral nerve blocks and/or neuraxial techniques for post-operative analgesia or anesthesia. The resident assesses the patient preoperatively, provides regional anesthesia as necessary, and continues the anesthetic management in the operating room. Residents gain exposure to regional anesthesia in the management of pediatric patients during their pediatric anesthesiology rotations at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.