Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa.

Dr. Eugene Viscusi on Pain Research at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Pa.

ByABC News
December 21, 2007, 5:07 PM

— -- At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital., we take postoperative pain management very seriously. We employ a wide variety of techniques to control postoperative pain, utilizing a wide variety of drugs. We dedicate many resources, physicians, around-the-clock pain nurses to carefully follow and manage pain control and side effects.

We are pioneers in the development of technologies to improve pain control, working closely with industry. We have worked to develop the extended release morphine preparation for epidural use, a transdermal needle-free patient controlled iontophoretic device. And we're currently working with companies, working with compounds such as capsaicin, an inhaled opioid, and other techniques that specifically target the opioid effects on the bowel that are likely to cause constipation and GI distress.

The future of postoperative pain management is likely to be less invasive, less cumbersome, involve a number of agents that specifically treat pain and improve the side effect profile.