Intraoperative pain assessment using a digital force gauge during vitreoretinal surgery: a prospective feasibility...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pain Management
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Intraoperative pain assessment in vitreoretinal surgery under local anesthesia is challenging.
• Objective and real-time pain monitoring methods are needed to improve patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of using a digital force gauge for real-time intraoperative pain assessment.
• To introduce and validate a novel Pain Index (PI) derived from force gauge measurements.
• To compare the PI with patient-reported pain and anxiety scores.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study of 63 patients undergoing vitreoretinal surgery.
• Patients compressed a digital force gauge, with force magnitude correlating to pain intensity.
• Pain Index (PI) calculated from peak force, compared to Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) pain and anxiety scores.

Main Results:

• The PI showed strong concordance with patient-reported pain scores (ICC=0.75, P<0.01).
• A significant rank-order correlation (τ=0.66, P<0.01) was found between PI and pain scores.
• PI demonstrated a weaker correlation with anxiety scores (τ=0.32, P=0.02) than with pain scores (τ=0.51, P<0.01).

Conclusions:

• A digital force gauge provides a feasible method for real-time intraoperative pain assessment in vitreoretinal surgery.
• The developed Pain Index (PI) is consistent and correlates well with the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS).
• This tool offers a promising objective measure for intraoperative pain management.