ASA Monitor November 2023, Vol. 87, 36.
Specialty’s expertise in treating chronic pain patients featured in the news
In June, OR Manager interviewed David Dickerson, MD, chair of ASA’s Committee on Pain Medicine, about median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS), a condition that causes chronic abdominal pain, typically after eating. “Many patients with MALS are not aware they have it,” he said. “They have pain with meals, but unless someone is working with them to diagnose and treat that, they may never find out that there’s a vascular or neurovascular disorder driving their symptoms.”
Later in June, FOX News Digital interviewed Dr. Dickerson about the guiding principles developed by ASA and 15 medical organizations to improve surgical pain management in overlooked patients with chronic pain, substance use disorder, or opioid tolerance. “Patients with these complex issues may require additional care after surgery,” he said. “When someone undergoes a surgical procedure and they have a substance use disorder, chronic pain, or preoperative opioid tolerance, their nervous system is different.”