Tailoring Postoperative Pain Management With a Procedure-specific Approach: How to Best Apply this Concept to Cesarean Deliveries

Abstract

(Anaesthesia. 2021;76:587–589. doi: 10.1111/anae.15251. Epub October 14, 2020) To mitigate pain in postoperative patients, procedure-specific pain management (PROSPECT) surgeons and anesthetists have been performing systematic reviews and meta-analyses to make evidence-based and practical perioperative recommendations with a procedure-specific approach. The PROSPECT approach is now being applied to caesarean deliveries (CD) as new pain management studies and strategies have emerged. These clinical recommendations will ideally help clinicians improve maternal care, decrease hospital length of stay, reduce opioid exposure and intake, and lead to improved maternal outcomes. There is concern, however, the PROSPECT methodology is adequately patient-specific and outcome-specific for patients undergoing CD.