Preface

The 2020 revised definition of the International Association for the Study of Pain states that pain is "An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage". The definition is expanded by other keynotes for further valuable context. Such notes are, for example, that pain is a personal experience, and that pain differs from nociception. Yet, pain management has always been a quest for humankind. In fact, the world's oldest recorded list of medical prescriptions from a Sumerian clay tablet dating to about 2100 BC is about pain.

Medicine has made tremendous progress in the field of algology. However, the personal and societal burden of pain, either acute or chronic, remains extremely high. The incorporation of genetic testing and artificial intelligence in daily practice is expected to change our understanding about the pathophysiology of pain, facilitating assessment and monitoring and boosting the development of innovative models of personalized care.

Within this framework, this book provides an overview of pain in two areas. The first section of the book is dedicated to pain management in different conditions and various populations, including in the emergency department and the intensive care unit. It also discusses multimodal analgesia and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols for vestibular migraine, nociplastic pain in gynecology, interdisciplinary rehabilitation programs to palliative, and end-of-life care. The second section highlights the pharmacology of analgesics, with a focus on aspirin, as well as discusses topics in pain research and genetics.

The diversity of the subjects presented makes this book a valuable resource, opening pathways for future researchers.

> **Theodoros Aslanidis** Intensive Care Unit and Anesthesia Department, "Agios Pavlos" General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece

> > **Christos Nouris** Intensive Care Unit, "G. Papageorgiou" General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece

Section 1
