外伤后疼痛往往徘徊一年或更长时间
Trauma Pain Often Lingers a Year or More After Injury

More than 60% of trauma patients report potentially severe pain one year after they sustained their injuries, according to a recent study which suggests that earlier and more interventions to address pain in these patients could be warranted. The findings come from a study of major trauma patients treated at 69 U.S. hospitals in 14 states. Of the 3,047 patients included in the analysis, 62.7% said they were still in pain a year after suffering their injuries. The mean pain severity score was 5.5 on a 10-point scale—considered significant enough to adversely affect the ability to perform routine activities.

Women, patients with fewer years of education and those with untreated depression prior to their traumatic event were more likely to report chronic pain, as were those who reported pain three months after their injury and patients with multiple injuries and injuries to their lower extremities, the researchers found. Patients over the age of 64 years, and those who said they had been treated for depression, were less likely to experience prolonged pain. “The findings of this study suggest that interventions to decrease chronic pain in trauma patients are needed,” wrote the researchers, led by Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH, of the University of Washington in Seattle. “This may consist of interventions during the acute phase of hospitalization to aggressively treat early pain and better manage neuropathic pain.” The researchers published the studies in the Archives of Surgery (2008;143:282-287).