Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Analgesia controlada por el paciente
Patient-controlled analgesia (PAY-shun-kun-TROLD AN-ul-JEE-zee-uh)
A method of pain relief in which the patient controls the amount of pain medicine that is used. When pain relief is needed, the person can receive a preset dose of pain medicine by pressing a button on a computerized pump that is connected to a small tube in the body. Also called PCA.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.