What is the Medical Pain Service?

For most of the patients admitted every year to Cincinnati Children’s, the primary physician can take care of discomfort related to the illness, injury or treatment.. However, a number of conditions and procedures require expert care for associated acute pain.

The Medical Pain Service cares for children or who have come to the hospital with painful illnesses. The medial Pain Service also cares for children who have been on pain and sedative medications for prolonged periods of severe illness, and help them wean off of those medications safely. We specialize in taking care of pain in infants, children and young adults. Our goal is to keep them safe and comfortable.

We design a pain treatment plan to fit the overall care plan that the surgeon or pediatrician has for your child. Although eliminating pain would seem ideal, it is frequently not a desirable goal; the side effects of pain medications and the associated complications can interfere with recovery. Good pain care reduces the pain to a level that allows the patient to sleep reasonably at night, be alert during the day and participate in recovery activities to the greatest possible extent. For chronic pain condition, pain medications are often not as effective as one would want. Therefore, pain management focuses on improving the level of function so that the child can engage in normal activities.

What is procedural pain management?

The Medical Pain Staff provides anesthesia and sedation for whirlpool debridement treatments for epidermolysis bullosa, Our staff also provide anesthesia and sedation at the Barrett Radiation Oncology Center at the University of Cincinnati. While not painful, radiation treatment can be scary for little kids and it is crucial that they hold still during treatment, to ensure accuracy of the radiation beams. We provide sedation and a consistent, friendly face to help the kids get through the radiation process as smoothly and comfortably as possible.

If your child has a medical condition that requires extra attention to pain control, your surgeon or doctor can contact a member of the Medical Pain Service to help.