This textbook provides an overview of pain management useful to specialists as well as non-specialists, surgeons, and nursing staff.

Part I. Pain Physiology and Pharmacology: 1. Pain pathways and acute pain processing; 2. The pathophysiology of acute pain; 3. Patient variables influencing acute pain management; 4. Acute pain: a psychosocial perspective; 5. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen: pharmacology for the future; 6. Local anesthetics in regional anesthesia and acute pain management; 7. Pharmacology of novel non-NSAID analgesics (Ketamine, Clonidine, Gabapentin); 8. Pharmacokinetics of epidural opioids; 9. Transitions from acute to chronic pain; 10. Molecular basis and clinical implications of opioid tolerance and opioid-induced hyperalgesia; Part II. Clinical Analgesia: 11. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of pain; 12. The role of preventive analgesia and impact on patient outcome; 13. Opioid oral and parenteral opioid analgesics for acute pain management; 14. IV-PCA (history, technical aspects, agents, dosing, risk vs. benefits, effects on pain, satisfaction, effect on outcome); 15. Clinical application of epidural analgesia; 16. Neuraxial analgesia with hydromorphone morphine and fentanyl: dosing and safety guidelines; 17. Regional anesthesia for acute pain in the in-patient setting; 18. Regional anesthesia for acute pain management in the outpatient setting; 19. Patient controlled analgesia devices and analgesic infusion pumps; 20. Novel analgesic drug delivery systems for acute pain management; 21. Non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (COX-2Is), and acetaminophen in acute perioperative pain; 22. Perioperative ketamine for better postoperative pain outcome; 23. Clinical application of glucocorticoids, anti-neuropathics and other analgesic adjuvants for acute pain management; 24. Non-pharmacological approaches for acute pain management; 25. Adverse events associated with opioid therapy and their treatment (incidence of adversity, nausea, vomiting respiratory depression, ileus, etc.); 26. Respiratory depression: incidence, diagnosis, and treatment; Part III. Acute Pain Management in Special Patient Populations: 27. Acute pain management services: organization and implementation issues; 28. Acute pain management in the community hospital setting; 29. Ambulatory surgical pain: economic aspects and optimal analgesic management; 30. Pediatric acute pain management (oral, parenteral, neuraxial); 31. Acute pain management for elderly 'high risk' and cognitively impaired patients: rationale for regional analgesia; 32. Post-cesarean analgesia; 33. Acute pain management in Sickle Cell Disease patients; 34. Acute pain management in patients with opioid dependency and substance abuse (including buprenorphine); Part IV. Specialist Managed Pain: 35. Pain management following colectomy: a surgeon's perspective (balancing analgesia vs. side effects); 36. Acute pain management in the emergency department (medical and trauma related pain); 37. The nurse's role in acute pain management; 38. The role of the pharmacist in acute pain management; Part V. Pain Management and Patient Outcomes: 39. Economics and costs: a primer for acute pain management specialists; 40. Evidence based medicine (does optimal analgesia improve outcome/satisfaction in post-surgical settings); 41. Effect of epidural analgesia on postoperative outcomes; 42. Research in acute pain management; 43. Quality improvement approaches in acute pain management; 44. The future of acute pain management (where we are heading?).