Chronic Post Surgical Pain

Abstract

Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is a recognised adverse consequence of surgery; surgery is common, therefore the population at risk is considerable.Putative risk factors for CPSP include genetic predisposition, demographic, clinical (pain history, type of surgery, anaesthesia, acute pain severity), and psychological factors (vulnerability vs resilience).Evidence of prevention is limited: long-term benefit from pre-emptive/perioperative analgesia has not been demonstrated consistently.Large scale prospective studies with detailed pre, intra and postoperative multifactorial assessments are required to refine understanding of the aetiology and prognosis of CPSP.