Efficacy and complications of patient-controlled analgesia treatment after spinal surgery

Postoperative pain is one of the most common therapeutic problems in hospitals. Patient-controlled analgesia has gained popularity over the last decade in dealing with this problem. The goal of this article is to examine the effect of PCA in patients who underwent spinal fusion and to measure its effect on the different sexes and age groups.

Two hundred thirty-seven patients who underwent spinal fusion for lumbar instability at our institution comprise this study. All patients received PCA in a certain protocol. Pain was measured according to the VAS, and any complications due to the use of PCA were recorded.

Patient-controlled analgesia reduced the VAS in all age groups. Reduction in VAS was higher in the age group of 60 years or more. No significant differences in VAS reduction were noted between males and females. In 40% of our patients, complications were recorded. Eight percent reported more than 1 complication. However, these complications were nonfatal, and all patients responded well to conservative treatment. On termination of the study, most patients (213/237) were satisfied with the PCA procedure for reducing their pain.

We conclude that PCA is an effective and safe method with high satisfaction rate in postoperative pain control in patients who undergo spinal fusion.