Postoperative pain management: new, convenient analgesic therapies.

Despite the potential benefits to patient health that can result from effective pain management, survey results continue to indicate that acute postoperative pain remains inadequately managed worldwide. The development of novel analgesics and advanced analgesic delivery techniques has the potential to improve current strategies for postoperative pain management. This article outlines the pharmacological principles and clinical utility of recently developed agents and a novel drug delivery device indicated for the management of moderate-to-severe acute postoperative pain.