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Pain and activity disturbance after paediatric day case adenoidectomy
Insights
Pain is common after pediatric adenoidectomy, with 83% of children experiencing it post-surgery. However, most children resume normal activities within three days, indicating a manageable recovery from this outpatient procedure.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Pain Management
- Postoperative Outcomes
Background:
- Outpatient surgery is now standard in pediatric surgery.
- Adenoidectomy is a frequent surgical procedure in children.
- Understanding postoperative pain and recovery is crucial for pediatric patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively evaluate pain and pain-related outcomes in children undergoing adenoidectomy as a day case.
- To assess the incidence of pain, use of pain medication, and return to daily activities.
- To identify factors influencing recovery in young children post-adenoidectomy.
Main Methods:
- Prospective survey of 167 children aged 1-7 years undergoing adenoidectomy.
- Utilized a 76-question survey covering pain, medication, adverse effects, and daily activities in the first week.
- Employed a four-point verbal rating scale to assess pain severity.
Main Results:
- 83% of children reported pain at home after adenoidectomy.
- 17% experienced moderate to severe pain.
- Over 90% returned to normal activities within three days, with most able to drink throughout the recovery period.
Conclusions:
- Pain is a frequent issue following pediatric adenoidectomy.
- Despite common pain, most children achieve a rapid return to normal daily activities.
- Adenoidectomy as a day case procedure appears to facilitate timely recovery for the majority of pediatric patients.
Abstract:
Over the past two decades outpatient surgery has become standard practice in paediatric surgery. Adenoidectomy is a common surgical procedure in children. In this prospective survey pain and pain-related outcomes such as sleep and activity disturbance were evaluated in 167 children aged 1-7 years who had undergone adenoidectomy as a day case in Kuopio University Hospital. The survey questionnaire consisted of 76 structured questions about pain, pain medication, adverse effects and daily activities during first week after the operation. Eighty-three per cent of children had pain at home and 17% of them had moderate or severe pain on a four point verbal rating scale. Eighty per cent of children used pain medication at home. Pain medication did not cause any major adverse effects. Over 90% of children were back to normal daily activities during the first three postoperative days and nearly all were able to drink during the whole postoperative period. We conclude that pain is a common problem after adenoidectomy in children but most of the children return to normal activities within three days.