[Pediatric acute postoperative pain management service: 6 years' experience]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Anesthesiology
• Pain Management
• Healthcare Services Research

Background:

• Effective acute postoperative pain management in children is crucial for recovery and well-being.
• Implementing low-cost, accessible pain services can improve pediatric surgical care.
• Existing services may not adequately address the needs of young patients or be cost-prohibitive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation and activities of a novel, cost-effective acute postoperative pain management service tailored for pediatric patients.
• To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and patient/parent satisfaction associated with this service.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study analyzing data from October 1998 to December 2004.
• Inclusion of patients managed with various analgesia techniques: patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), nurse-controlled analgesia (NCA), continuous epidural analgesia (CEA), and patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA).
• Analysis of demographic data, surgical procedures, pain scores, side effects, and satisfaction levels.

Main Results:

• The service provided approximately 300 treatments annually, with 46.6% of patients under 5 years old.
• Orthopedic operations and laparotomies were the most frequent procedures.
• Nurse-controlled analgesia (NCA) was the most common technique (53%).
• Absence or mild pain was reported in 82-94% of patients post-surgery.
• High satisfaction rates: 98% for parents and 94% for children.
• Low incidence of adverse events, including respiratory depression (0.16%).

Conclusions:

• The developed low-cost pediatric acute postoperative pain management service demonstrated safe and effective pain control.
• The service successfully met the needs of young patients, leading to high satisfaction.
• This model offers a viable approach for improving pediatric pain management in resource-conscious settings.