Principles & Practice of Pain Medicine > Part V. Pain Syndromes > E. Pediatric and Geriatric Pain > Chapter 53. Acute Pain Management in Infants and Children Christine D. Greco, Moris M. Aner, and Alyssa LeBel

Acute Pain Management in Infants and Children: Introduction

"Pain in children has been historically undertreated. This was in part the result of misguided assumptions, such as children's inability to experience pain because of an immature nervous system and the innocuous effects of untreated pain in children. In addition, limited knowledge of pediatric drug metabolism prevented a clear understanding of how to dose analgesics in children. Over the past two decades, there has been significant progress in the understanding of neuroanatomy, physiology, and pharmacology of analgesics in children, which has led to considerable advancements in pain management. This chapter discusses developmental anatomy and neurochemistry, pain assessment, pharmacologic treatment of pain, and regional techniques in pediatric patients...."