Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) Definition

Patient Controlled Analgesia is a pain medicine system in which a patient self-administers pain medication through the use of a programmable pump. A patient is connected to a pain pump that runs through an IV and the patient can dispense medication by pressing a button. The medication is limited on how much is dispensed at a given time. Morphine is the typical opioid used in PCA pumps. Patient Controlled Analgesia is an available pain management treatment for spine surgery post-operative care.

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