Acute Pain Service

Our goal is to prevent avoidable pain and minimize or alleviate your child’s discomfort in a safe environment. If your child is coming to the hospital for an operation, ask your surgeon how the pain service can help manage postoperative pain.

Making Aches Go Away In Kids (MAGIK)

The MAGIK acute pain service cares for hospitalized children with pain associated with:

1. Surgery 
2. Trauma or injury
3. Acute exacerbation of chronic pain 
4. Specific illness or disease 
5. Headaches 
6. Acute abdominal pain 
7. Limited mobility 
8. Complications of treatments

How We Alleviate Pain

We can provide pain control using a variety of techniques, which include:

1. Intravenous opioids using Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pumps
2. Regional Therapies 
      •  Epidurals 
      •  Spinals 
      •  Peripheral Nerve Blocks
3. Animal Assisted Therapy
4. Massage
5. Topical therapies to minimize pain with needle sticks

Psychological and Psychiatric Support

We offer psychological and psychiatric support for children and their families to help cope with the stressors of living with acute pain and guide them with techniques to help improve daily functioning.  Additional support and care is provided through outpatient follow-up in the Pain Clinic. 

Acute Pain Services Team

Giovanni Cucchiaro, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Cucchiaro is a physician with expertise in pain management (i.e. regional anesthesia) and palliative care.

Anthony Romo, MD 
Attending Physician
Dr. Romo is a board certified Anesthesiologist with expertise in Pediatric Anesthesia.

Deborah Jury, MSN, PNP-PC/AC, CNS
Nurse Consultant
Debbie Jury is a Certified Nurse Practitioner in pediatric acute and primary care, as well as a clinical nurse specialist in Maternal/Child nursing. She has been in various advanced practice nursing roles at our hospital for over 20 years. She has been a member of the Magik Pain Service since 1998 specializing in acute and chronic pain management. In addition, Debbie coordinates the Amerman Family Foundation Animal Assisted Therapy Program, which provides dog visitation at the bedside, dog assisted physical/occupational therapy and incorporates the dogs in comfort, pain management and distraction techniques for children throughout the hospital campus.

Karen McVeigh, MD
Attending Physician
Dr. Karen McVeigh is an Anesthesiologist and board certified Pediatric Critical Care physician with an expertise in Pediatric Intensive Care.

Meghan Middleton, MSN, PNP-PC/AC, CNS
Nurse Consultant
Meghan Middleton is a Certified Nurse Practitioner in pediatric primary care & acute care and a Clinical Nurse Specialist in pediatrics. Meghan has been board certified in Pain Management for acute & chronic pain management since 2003. She joined our hospital and the MAGIK Pain Service in 2007.