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Published on: September 19, 2015
[Primary surgery for cleft palate and short hospital stay (48 h): Are they compatible?]
A Binet1, M-L Poli-Merol1, C François-Fiquet2
1Structure interne de chirurgie pédiatrique, pôle mère-enfant, American Memorial Hospital, CHU de Reims, 47, rue Cognacq-Jay, 51092 Reims, France.
Insights
Cleft palate surgery recovery is often smoother than expected, with most parents reporting positive experiences and manageable pain. Short hospital stays allow children to return home quickly after palatal repair.
Area of Science:
- Plastic Surgery
- Pediatric Surgery
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Cleft palate repair is a significant surgical intervention.
- Understanding post-operative recovery and parental experience is crucial for optimizing patient care.
- Assessing hospitalization duration and parental feedback provides insights into surgical outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate surgical practices for cleft palate repair.
- To assess the duration of hospitalization following primary cleft palate surgery.
- To understand the real-life parental experience and recovery of children post-surgery.
Main Methods:
- A monocentric retrospective study was conducted.
- Patient files were analyzed for surgical details and outcomes.
- Phone interviews were performed with parents of children who underwent primary cleft palate surgery.
Main Results:
- 49 patients (average age 11.5 months) underwent Wardill or Furlow procedures.
- Average post-operative stay was 1.5 days.
- 82% of parents reported a "very well" or "well done" recovery, with 73% experiencing minimal pain at home. 70% of families felt hospitalization duration was appropriate.
Conclusions:
- Modern anesthetic and analgesic protocols facilitate rapid recovery after cleft palate surgery.
- Short hospitalization durations and positive parental experiences are achievable.
- Early discharge is feasible, allowing children to return home sooner after palatal repair.
Unlabelled:
The aim of this study was to evaluate our practices by studying the duration of hospitalization and the parental real-life experience after a primary surgery of a cleft palate.
Materials And Methods:
Monocentric retrospective study by analysis of the patients files and phone interview of the parents whose children were operated for a primary surgery of a cleft palate isolated, or associated with a labial cleft, or included in a syndromic form.
Results:
Forty-nine patients (25 B-24 G) were performed by 44 Wardill and five Furlow procedures (average age: 11 months ½) between 2010 and 2012. The average duration of the post-operative stay was 1.5 days. Thirty-three parents were contacted (67%). The return was "very well" or "well done" in 82% of the cases. The pain at home was estimated by the parents as "worthless" or "little intense" in 73% of the cases. For 16% of the parents, the child seemed "uncomfortable". The prescription of analgesic was followed only in 70% of the cases. The duration of hospitalization was considered by the families as "good one" in 70% of the cases, "too long" for 12% and "too short" for 18% in particular because of difficulty in eating or parental anxiety.
Conclusion:
Even if palatine surgery is considered to be painful, anaesthetic techniques and current analgesic protocols allow to envisage very simple and fast consequences, authorizing an early return of the children at home.
