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Pain after surgery in children: clinical recommendations

Walker, SM; (2015) Pain after surgery in children: clinical recommendations. Current Opinion in Anesthesiology , 28 (5) pp. 570-576. 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000227. Green open access

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Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article summarizes recent data related to the safety and efficacy of postoperative analgesia in children that influence clinical practice recommendations. RECENT FINDINGS: Postoperative pain continues to be experienced by hospitalized children and following discharge after short stay or ambulatory surgery. Updated recommendations for post-tonsillectomy analgesia exclude codeine and suggest regular administration of paracetamol and NSAID, but evidence for the most appropriate dose and type of opioid for rescue analgesia is limited. The incidence of opioid-related respiratory depression/oversedation in hospitalized children ranges from 0.11 to 0.41%, with recent large series identifying high-risk groups and contributory factors that can be targeted to minimize the risk of serious or permanent harm. Data demonstrating feasibility and safety of regional analgesic techniques is increasing, but additional and procedure-specific evidence would improve technique selection and inform discussions of efficacy and safety with patients and families/carers. Persistent postsurgical pain is increasingly recognized following major surgery in adolescents. Evaluation of potential predictive factors in clinical studies and investigation of underlying mechanisms in laboratory studies can identify targets for both pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions. SUMMARY: Recommendations for postoperative pain in children continue to evolve, with data incorporated from randomized controlled trials, case series and large audits. Management of pain following surgery in children needs to not only encompass efficacy and safety in the immediate perioperative period, but also consider pain following discharge after ambulatory surgery and the potential risk of persistent postsurgical pain following major surgery.

Type: Article
Title: Pain after surgery in children: clinical recommendations
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000227
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000227
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Chronic Postsurgical Pain, Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs, Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, Randomized Controlled-trials, Postoperative Pain, Risk-factors, Regional-anesthesia, Epidural Analgesia, Opioid Infusions, Major Surgery
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Developmental Neurosciences Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1481353
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