A review of the acute pain service in Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

This study is a review of the Acute Pain Service in Hospital Kuala Lumpur for the years 1998 to 2001. 5042 records from post-operative patients were analysed. The majority of patients (81.8%) had satisfactory pain control. Eighty-two percent of patients experienced only mild pain at rest on the first post-operative day. The highest pain score occurred on the first day in 68.3% of patients. Nausea or vomiting occurred in 23.2% of the patients. Eight patients had respiratory depression. The low pain scores recorded by most patients and the low incidence of side effects reflect the efficiency of the service provided.