Animal-Assisted Therapy Reduces Patient Reported Pain During Office Pin Removal Following Supracondylar Humerus...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Orthopaedics
• Pain Management
• Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT)

Background:

• Outpatient pin removal after supracondylar humerus (SCH) fracture fixation causes significant pain and anxiety in children.
• Current pharmacologic and distraction methods show limited efficacy in reducing procedural distress.
• Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an unexplored intervention in pediatric orthopaedics for pain management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of AAT on patient-reported pain and behavioral distress during office SCH pin removal.
• To explore AAT as a non-pharmacologic adjunct in pediatric orthopaedic procedures.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving pediatric patients (3-10 years) undergoing SCH fracture pin removal.
• Patients were randomized to pin removal with or without a certified therapy dog.
• Outcomes measured included patient-reported pain (Wong-Baker FACES), behavioral distress (FLACC scale), and heart rate.

Main Results:

• The therapy dog group showed significantly lower patient-reported pain (FACES: 2.9 vs. 6.4, P<0.01).
• Behavioral distress (FLACC: 3.3 vs. 5.6, P=0.02) and peak heart rate (121.3 vs. 138.4 bpm, P=0.04) were also significantly lower in the dog cohort.
• No significant difference was observed in the change from baseline heart rate.

Conclusions:

• Animal-assisted therapy effectively reduces pain and behavioral distress during pediatric SCH pin removal.
• AAT is a viable non-pharmacologic adjunct for managing procedural pain in pediatric orthopaedics.
• This study supports the integration of AAT into clinical practice for similar procedures.