Use of the ON-Q pain pump management system in the head and neck: Preliminary report

Management of postoperative pain can be critical to the success of a patient's recovery following head and neck surgery. Various medications and delivery methods have been described. They attempt to maximize patients' comfort while minimizing many of the medications' potential side effects. Continuous wound perfusion pain management systems are being used in various surgical specialties. However. this is the first paper to describe the use of one such pain management system (On-Q) in thyroid and parotid surgeries. Statistically significant less levels of pain, use of opioids and nausea/vomiting were noted in patients who used the On-Q system. There were no complications. Use of continuous wound perfusion management systems should be further investigated and highly considered in patients undergoing various head and neck procedures. (C) 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. All rights reserved.