Patient Controlled Analgesia

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an excellent pain management modality which enhances the pain control perception of patients. It is used in patients who are cognitive enough to understand the concept of PCA. Self-administration of analgesics by the patient themselves, as per their requirement, provides better patient satisfaction and enhances recovery. PCA has been successfully used in managing postoperative pain by various routes of analgesic delivery, viz. intravenous (IV), epidural, peripheral nerve/plexus block catheters and transdermal systems. Apart from managing acute postoperative pain in adults, it has been successfully used in managing labour pain, and chronic cancer and non-cancer pain.