Introduction:

Postoperative pain has a profound impact. It is one of the main causes of delayed hospital discharge and it is associated with hospital readmission, recovery problems, and higher costs both for the healthcare system and the patients. The aim of this work is to shed light on the postoperative acute pain management in Latin America through a review of the literature, in order to have a better understanding of its prevalence and the extent of the problem.

Material and methods:

A bibliographical search was performed in SciELO and PubMed trying to gather the most precise, detailed and updated information.

Results:

In Latin America, the absence of clear policies for the evaluation and treatment of postoperative pain, as well as the lack of training, leads to its inadequate control with a prevalence of moderate/severe acute postoperative pain greater than 40%.

Conclusions:

Postoperative acute pain continues to be a problem in Latin America. Many patients still suffer moderate to severe pain after surgery, leading to a chronic or persistent painful condition. More studies are needed to get a clear picture of the prevalence of acute postoperative pain and the deleterious effects of an inadequate management.