Acute Pain Team
The Alder Hey acute pain and sedation team is led by a consultant anaesthetist and supported by clinical nurse specialists. We use a multidisciplinary team approach that combines the knowledge and expertise of anesthetists, psychologists, clinical nurse specialists, and pharmacists to provide pain management for children with severe pain. The pain team works in conjunction with the ward staff in a clinical, advisory and supportive role, offering teaching and updates.
The children are generally seen after operations or tests when their pain is most acute; they are seen on a ward round on a daily basis and are evaluated by an anaesthetist and/or a clinical nurse specialist. We value the involvement of parents and family members. Other disciplines including physiotherapy or psychology are arranged as required by the individual child.
The clinical nurse specialists work between 8am and 6pm from Monday to Friday. Outside these hours and on bank holidays any pain management problems are referred to the anaesthetist registrar on call.
Click here to find about more about the history of the Pain service at Alder Hey.
We see children who are experiencing pain due to;
- operations
- injury
- illness or treatment (e.g., cancer, sickle cell anemia)
- tests or investigations
We also see children who require special pain relief including;
- Patient controlled analgesia (PCA) – nurse controlled analgesia (NCA)
- Epidural analgesia
- Local anaesthetic nerve blocks
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA)
Patient controlled analgesia is a way of giving strong pain medicine via a special pump into a vein through a small narrow tube. The pump has a computer inside that we set so that the child receives a safe amount of pain killer. The child can also “press a button” to give themselves more pain medicine if they are sore. This is explained to children who need this type of pain medicine.
Nurse Controlled Analgesia (NCA)
Nurse controlled analgesia is the same as PCA (above) but used for younger children or those who are unable to press the button themselves for extra pain medicine themselves. For these children it is the nurse who will press the button and give extra pain medicine if a child is sore.
PCA / NCA pump
An epidural is a way of giving pain medicine via a special pump through a small, narrow tube which is put into a small space near the spine. The tube is put into place after the child is asleep in the operating theatre. Pain medicine is given all the time via the pump even when the child is sleeping.
Epidural / Local anaesthetic pump
Local anaesthetic blocks
Local anaesthetic blocks are like epidurals (described above) except the tube is placed by a nerve close to the area being operated on e.g. tube is place in the groin for lower leg operations.
The type of pain medicine you / your child needs will be discussed with you by the anaesthetist.
Entonox
Entonox or “laughing gas” which you may have heard of is a medical gas that is breathed in via mask or a mouth piece. Entonox is a pain killer than also helps children to relax and feel less worried. It works after about 6-10 breathes and wears off quickly once the Entonox is stopped. Entonox is very useful for children during a test or investigation which may be painful e.g. a change of dressing or insertion of a drip.
Entonox cylinder
Contact Details
You can contact the pain team by:
Telephone: 0151 252 5223 – direct line
Email: pain.service@alderhey.nhs.uk
Or Address:
The Jackson Reece Department of Anaesthesia
Pain Service
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
Eaton Road
Liverpool
L12 2AP
We welcome any comments you may have.
IMPORTANT
Out of the hours identified above there will not be anyone available to answer any queries.
If you / your child has a pain problem – please do not wait for a reply from the pain team but consult your GP, attend a walk-in centre or visit your local hospital.
Thank you
