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Pharmacotherapy for acute pain in children: current practice and recent advances

Wai Yin Mak1, Vivian Yuen, Michael Irwin

  • 1Queen Mary Hospital-Anaesthesiology, F2 Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong. jocelynmak@yahoo.com

Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy
|January 25, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Effective pain management in children requires a multimodal approach. Further research is needed to optimize analgesic drug combinations for pediatric acute pain.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric pharmacology
  • Pain management
  • Neurobiology

Background:

  • Acute pain in children is often undertreated.
  • Advances in developmental neurobiology and pediatric pharmacokinetics can improve pain management.
  • Current pediatric practices and recent advancements in analgesic agents are reviewed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss current pediatric practice for acute pain management.
  • To review recent advances in pediatric analgesic pharmacotherapy.
  • To provide an evidence-based approach to pediatric pain management.

Main Methods:

  • Extensive literature review conducted using PubMed.
  • Focus on commonly used analgesic agents in children.
  • Literature search covered the period from 2000 to April 2010.

Main Results:

  • Multimodal analgesic regimens offer superior pain control and functional outcomes in children.
  • Pharmacological treatment selection depends on pain severity and type.
  • Optimal drug combinations for pediatric acute pain require further investigation.

Conclusions:

  • Multimodal analgesia is key for effective pediatric pain control.
  • Pain characteristics guide the choice of pharmacotherapy.
  • More research is essential to establish optimal analgesic combinations for children.
Abstract

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