Adverse events in pain treatment in 2015 and 2016: a report on adverse events from the Committee on Safety of the Japan Society of Pain Clinicians

Abstract

In January 2016 and 2017, the Committee on Safety of the Japan Society of Pain Clinicians distributed questionnaires on pain management-related adverse events (AEs) in 2015 and 2016 to all board-certified training facilities in Japan. Responses were received from 162 facilities (response rate, 46％) in 2016 and 197 facilities (response rate, 57％) in 2017. Most AEs were reported to result from analgesics, analgesic adjuvants, and nerve blocks. The most frequent drugs to cause AEs were pregabalin, tricyclic antidepressants, and tramadol/acetaminophen. Complications of nerve blocks included infections induced by epidural nerve blocks, loss of consciousness or central nervous system excitation induced by intravascular injections of local anesthetics for stellate ganglion blocks, and development of pneumothorax after intercostal nerve blocks or trigger point injections. Information on these AEs should be shared to ensure safety during pain treatment.