title: Prediction of postoperative pain by preoperative nociceptive responses to heat stimulation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite major advances in the understanding of the neurobiologic mechanisms of pain, the wide variation in acute pain experience has not been well explained. Therefore, the authors investigated the potential of a preoperatively induced heat injury to predict subsequent postoperative pain ratings in patients undergoing knee surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients were studied. The burn injury was induced 6 days before surgery with a contact thermode (12.5 cm2, 47 degrees C for 7 min). The sensory testing, before and 1 h after the injury, included pain score during induction of the burn, secondary hyperalgesia area, thermal and mechanical pain perception, and pain thresholds. Postoperative analgesia consisted of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pain ratings (visual analog scale) at rest and during limb movement were followed for 10 days after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The burn injury was associated with development of significant hyperalgesia. There was a significant correlation between preoperative pain ratings during the burn injury and early (0-2 days, area under the curve) and late (3-10 days, area under the curve) postoperative dynamic pain ratings during limb movement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study suggest that the pain response to a preoperative heat injury may be useful in research in predicting the intensity of postoperative pain. These findings may have important implications to identify patients at risk for development of chronic pain and to stratify individuals for investigations of new analgesics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Hvidore University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. madswerner@medscape.com
authors.forename: Mads U
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: Preben
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duun
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kehlet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery; D001182:Arthroscopy; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011300:Preoperative Care