Pain Management
Cleveland Clinic Florida offers a full spectrum of treatment options for patients suffering chronic and acute pain from disease, surgery or trauma. The department is directed by anesthesiologists who are board-certified in pain management. The staff is closely linked with the departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida for consultation and collaboration in all aspects of chronic and acute pain.
Patients will benefit from the Cleveland Clinic's group practice approach to care, with more than 170 physicians in multiple specialties and subspecialties available for consultation, if needed.
Pain services:
Outpatient Pain Management Clinic: Utilizing the latest equipment and innovative procedures, the Outpatient Pain Management Clinic at Cleveland Clinic Florida diagnoses and treats acute and chronic pain. Our staff works to determine a patient’s needs and thus providing a full spectrum of treatment options including:
- Back and neck pain, including herniated discs, spinal stenosis, tumors and radiculopathy.
- Chronic abdominal pain and pelvic pain
- Complex regional pain syndrome (RSD)
- Muscle and joint pain
- Disorders of the nervous system including shingles and trigeminal neuralgia
- Cancer Pain
- Intractable spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injuries
- Pain associated with osteoporosis and vertebral compression fractures
Acute IP Pain
At the forefront of post-operative pain control, offering a wide range of services including:
- PCA
- Epidural and continuous nerve blocks
- Ultrasound guided blocks
- Regional Nerve Catheter Placement
Education
Cleveland Clinic Florida provides allied health education to advance the science of pain management to the following schools:
- Nova Southeastern University - Anesthesia Assistants Programs (AA)
- University of Miami – School of Nursing – CRNA Program
Learn More
General Anesthesiology
Comprehensive anesthesia services for all non-cardiothoracic subspecialties and outpatient surgery including preoperative anesthesia assessments, perioperative acute care and continuing critical care services, with the latest technology to prevent awareness under Anesthesia.
Regional Anesthesia
High expertise in regional anesthesia and providing “pain-free” joint replacement.
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Open Heart Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Off-Pump CABG, Aortic and Mitral valve repair/replacement
Electrophysiology (EP) Lab, Cath Lab
TEE (Transesophageal Echocardiography)
Cardioversions
Pulmonary Vein Ablations for Atrial Fibrillations
Endoscopy
EGD
Colonoscopy
ERCP
EUAs
EUS
Double-Balloon Studies
Radiology
MRIs
Radiofrequency ablations liver/kidney
Interventional radiological procedures
IVC filters
Port-a-Caths
Pulmonary
Bronchoscopy
Pain Management
See pain management tab
Q: What about keeping me free of pain after the surgery?
A: There are enormous variations in the amount of pain a patient will experience after surgery. Some surgical procedures like those involving spreading of the ribs in thoracic procedures can be very painful. Other procedures like cataract surgery can be relatively painless. Another kind of surgery that tends to be painful is orthopedic surgery - for example, repairing broken bones by internal fixation (plates and screws). Pain management in the recovery room area is usually taken care of by small doses of intravenous medications. The following options of pain relief exist:
- Patient controlled analgesia
In PCA, the patient is able to control the amount of pain medication by themselves merely by pushing a button whenever they experience pain.
When the button is pushed, if the computer inside decides that it is safe to do so you get a small dose of narcotic analgesic. Following the administration of a dose, you are "locked out" from getting any more medication for a particular period, (i.e. 5-10 minutes).
After that, you can get more medication simply by pushing the button if the computer decides that it is safe and the lockout period is complete.
- Epidural analgesia
Very effective for many big surgical procedures, such as thoracic surgery
A needle is placed in your back and through the needle a catheter is placed so that medication can be put in every few hours.
- Continuous catheter
Another method of pain relief is administration of a nerve block or placement of a continuous catheter, like the one used in some Orthopaedic surgeries, with continuous infusion of pain medicine for a few hours.
Once you are eating and drinking well, the need for intravenous medications is reduced, and oral medications is helpful.
- Other options
Intra-thecal injection of a narcotic (what does intra-thecal mean?).
No matter what the method of post-operative pain control is chosen, every effort will be made to make your surgical experience as smooth and pain-free as possible.
Q: What is an anesthesiologist?
A: An anesthesiologist has completed medical school and also has additional training at the post-graduate level in anesthesiology and in resuscitation. This usually involves a four-year training period after the completion of an internship program (or its modern equivalent). Following the residency training, there is a national training post-certification ("fellowship" training) to become specialized in a subspecialty.
Q: Will I be intubated?
A: For many surgical procedures a breathing tube, known as the endotracheal tube, is introduced using an instrument called the laryngoscope. This tube goes through the vocal cords into the windpipe and is sealed into position using a special cuff inflated with air.
