title: Expert panel consensus recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of acute pain in the Middle East region.
abstract: The findings of an expert panel convened to review critically how best to apply evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of acute pain in the Middle East region are presented. The panel recommended a three-step treatment protocol. Patients with mild-to-moderate levels of acute pain should be treated with paracetamol (step 1). If analgesia is insufficient after 1-2 days, a selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor or, if gastrointestinal safety and bleeding risk are not an issue, a non-specific nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, should be used (step 2). If analgesia remains inadequate, treatment with tramadol, or paracetamol plus codeine/tramadol is recommended (step 3). Patients reporting severe pain should be referred to a pain clinic or specialist for opioid analgesic treatment. Measures of pain and functioning that have been validated in Arabic, with culturally appropriate and easy to understand descriptors, should be used. Early and aggressive acute pain management is important to reduce the risk of pain becoming chronic, especially in the presence of neuropathic features.
authors: Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors: A E
authors: AE
authors: Ayad
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Ghaly
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Ragab
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Majeed
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Nassar
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Al Jalabi
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Al Shoaibi
authors: S
authors: S
authors: El Noor
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Salti
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Costandi
authors: A Z
authors: AZ
authors: Zeidan
authors: S A
authors: SA
authors: Schug
mesh_terms: D059787:Acute Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008877:Middle East; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal