Evaluation of the perfusion index according to the visual analog scale in postoperative patients

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Pain Management
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Postoperative pain assessment is crucial for effective patient care.
• Current pain assessment methods, like the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), have limitations.
• The Perfusion Index (PI), a measure of peripheral circulation, is being explored for novel applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utility of the Perfusion Index (PI) as a tool for assessing postoperative pain.
• To evaluate the correlation between PI and VAS scores in patients undergoing general anesthesia.
• To determine if PI can reflect patient responses to analgesic administration.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, observational study involving 89 patients undergoing surgery with general anesthesia.
• Patients were categorized based on Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores (M1: VAS > 3, M2: VAS ≤ 3).
• PI and VAS scores were measured before and after analgesic administration, with morphine given incrementally to M1 patients until VAS < 3.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in PI values and VAS scores were observed between the M1 and M2 groups (p < 0.001).
• No direct correlation was found between PI values and VAS scores within the M1 and M2 groups.
• A weak negative correlation (r = -0.255, p = 0.016) was detected between the changes in PI and VAS scores across groups.

Conclusions:

• The Perfusion Index (PI) demonstrates potential as a valuable parameter for assessing postoperative pain.
• PI may aid in evaluating patient responses to analgesics.
• Further research could validate PI as a non-invasive pain assessment tool.