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Postoperative recovery evaluated with a new, tactile scale (TaS) in children undergoing ophthalmic surgery
1Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Lund University Hospital, S-221 85, Lund, Sweden. dagmar.westerling@anest.lu.se
Insights
A new tactile scale (TaS) effectively measures postoperative pain and nausea in children after eye surgery. This innovative pain assessment tool shows promise for improving recovery monitoring in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Pain Management
Background:
- Visual assessment scales are often inadequate for evaluating recovery after pediatric eye surgery due to vision impairment.
- There is a need for reliable and accessible methods to assess pain and nausea in children post-surgery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and pilot-test a tactile scale (TaS) for assessing postoperative pain and nausea in children undergoing ophthalmic surgery.
- To evaluate the usability and effectiveness of the TaS in a pediatric patient cohort.
Main Methods:
- A tactile scale (TaS) was developed and administered to 50 children (23 girls, 27 boys) post-ophthalmic surgery.
- Children used TaS to rate their pain and nausea levels.
- Statistical analyses, including simple regression and General Linear Model with Dunnett's t-test, were used to correlate TaS ratings with analgesic administration and pain levels.
Main Results:
- The TaS was found to be easy to explain and use.
- 49 out of 50 children provided pain ratings, indicating varying levels of discomfort.
- TaS pain ratings were significantly correlated with analgesic administration and demonstrated a decrease in pain levels after analgesic administration.
Conclusions:
- The tactile scale (TaS) shows potential as a valuable tool for assessing postoperative pain and nausea in children after eye surgery.
- Further validation of the TaS may extend its utility to other surgical contexts and patient populations, including adults.
Abstract:
Following pediatric eye surgery, visual scales for assessment of recovery are inadequate due to impairment of vision. A tactile scale (TaS) was therefore developed and tested in a pilot-trial. Fifty children, 23 girls and 27 boys undergoing different types of ophthalmic surgery used TaS to rate postoperative pain and nausea. TaS was easy to explain to children and easy to use. Ratings ranging from light discomfort to severe pain were made by 49 children, whereas one child reported no pain at any time following surgery. Analgesics were administered to 38% of the patients and the administration of analgesics was significantly (P=0.01, simple regression) related to the ratings of pain by TaS. The mean ratings of pain by TaS were significantly (P<0.05, General Linear Model followed by Dunnett's t-test) lower up to 3 h after the administration of analgesics compared to ratings before analgesics were given, indicating that ratings by TaS were related to the children's actual level of pain. Nausea and/or vomiting was common and was reported or recorded in 28 children (56%). After further validation, TaS may be a useful tool for assessment of postoperative pain and efficacy of given treatments in children and adults, not only after eye procedures, but also following other types of surgery.
