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Clinical utility of PPPM and FPS-R to quantify post-tonsillectomy pain in children
Carolina Brotto de Azevedo1, Lucas Rodrigues Carenzi2, Danielle Leite Cunha de Queiroz1
1Otorhinolaryngology, Ribeirao Preto School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil.
Insights
The Parents' Post-operative Pain Measure (PPPM) and Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) are equally effective for assessing pediatric post-tonsillectomy pain. Both scales correlate well with analgesic use, aiding clinical research.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Anesthesiology
- Pain Management
- Clinical Assessment Tools
Background:
- Assessing pain in children is challenging due to its subjective nature.
- Post-tonsillectomy pain requires reliable measurement tools for effective management.
- Existing pain scales need validation for specific pediatric surgical contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the Parents' Post-operative Pain Measure (PPPM) and Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) in pediatric post-tonsillectomy pain assessment.
- To evaluate the correlation of these pain scales with analgesic intake.
- To determine the utility of PPPM and FPS-R in clinical research for post-tonsillectomy pain.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 174 children aged 4-10 undergoing tonsillectomy was studied.
- Pain was monitored using PPPM and FPS-R for 7 days post-surgery.
- Analgesic consumption (acetaminophen or dipyrone) was recorded daily; statistical analyses included regression and correlation.
Main Results:
- Both PPPM and FPS-R showed a significant positive correlation with each other (τ=0.5; R²=0.36; p<0.001).
- Both scales demonstrated a significant correlation with analgesic use over the 7-day post-operative period (p<0.0001).
- Gender did not significantly influence pain levels as measured by either scale.
Conclusions:
- PPPM and FPS-R are equivalent and reliable pain assessment tools for pediatric post-tonsillectomy pain.
- These validated scales can be effectively utilized in clinical research settings.
- The findings support the use of both PPPM and FPS-R for objective pain quantification in children.
Objectives:
As pain is a subjective and difficult parameter to assess in children, we aimed to evaluate the correspondence of two pain scales - parents' post-operative pain measure (PPPM) and faces pain scale-revised (FPS-R) with analgesic intake in the assessment of post-tonsillectomy pain in a pediatric population.
Methods:
Children aged 4-10 years (n=174) undergoing tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy had their pain monitored by PPPM and FPS-R over 7 days following surgery. The amount of analgesic (acetaminophen or dipyrone) intake was also recorded each day. Linear regression and correlation analysis were performed for pain scales and Poisson regression model for analgesic administration. To evaluate influence of gender linear regression and logistic regression with random effects were performed.
Results:
PPPM and FPS-R presented a significant positive correlation (τ=0.5; R(2)=0.36; p<0.001). PPPM and FPS-R also showed a significant correlation with analgesic use over the 7 post-operative days (p<0.0001). No influence of gender was observed in pain levels by both scales.
Conclusions:
Our data demonstrate that PPPM and FPS-R are equivalent pain scales to quantify post-tonsillectomy pain in children and are useful tools in post-tonsillectomy clinical research.
