Clinical practice guidelines for postoperative pain management in adults (2024 edition)

Xiangdong Chen; Qinjun Chu; Yunshui Peng; Yaolong Chen; Alan D Kaye; Henry Liu; Jianjun Yang; Tianlong Wang; Weifeng Yu; Pain Group of the Chinese Society of Anesthesiology

doi:10.1016/j.jatmed.2025.09.001

Clinical practice guidelines for postoperative pain management in adults (2024 edition)

J Anesth Transl Med. 2025 Sep 19;4(3):161-185. doi: 10.1016/j.jatmed.2025.09.001. eCollection 2025 Sep.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
² Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China.
³ The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Editorial Department of Chinese Journal of Anesthesiology, Shijiazhuang 050071, China.
⁴ Evidence‑Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
⁵ Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Neurosciences, Louisiana State University School of Medicine-Shreveport, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA.
⁶ Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
⁷ Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
⁸ Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
⁹ Department of Anesthesiology and Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
¹⁰ Department of Anesthesiology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China.
¹¹ Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325000, China.

Abstract

Acute pain differs in many aspects from chronic pain states and can arise from various etiologies. Recent years have seen advancements in postoperative acute pain management, which is a critical component of perioperative care. These strategies play a key role in enhancing recovery after surgery (ERAS) with goals of reducing postoperative opioid consumption and shortening hospital stay durations. To further standardize postoperative pain management for adult patients in China，the Guidelines Working Group has developed the Clinical Practice Guideline for Postoperative Pain Management in Adults (2024 Edition). These guidelines were formulated in accordance with World Health Organization handbook for guideline development and the Guidance Principles for Developing/Revising Clinical Guidelines in China (2022 Edition). These guidelines consist of 33 evidence-based recommendations for 17 clinical questions on postoperative pain management. We provide recommendations pertaining to preoperative education, risk assessment, selection of analgesic modalities, and management of adverse effects. We also provide some principles of analgesia strategy including: using preemptive or multimodal analgesia; foundation; regional blocks; patient-controlled intravenous analgesia; and opioid sparing. By enhancing the scientific rigor of postoperative pain management， the guidelines aim to provide healthcare professionals with a clear decision-making framework, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Keywords: Adults; Analgesia; Guideline; Pain; Postoperative.

Publication types

Review