Abstract
Background/purpose
Chronic postoperative pain is a well-established clinical phenomenon that is associated
with adverse outcomes. The incidence of this clinical phenomenon in children, however,
is not well established. The purpose of this study was to identify the incidence of
chronic pain in children after surgery.
Methods
Following a screening process, a total of 113 children and their parents were enrolled
in this cross-sectional study. Data regarding persistence and characteristics of pain
after surgery were obtained.
Results
Approximately 13% of the children, most of whom underwent orthopedic procedures, reported
the existence of symptoms of chronic postoperative pain. Most of the children indicated
that the pain started immediately after surgery, was localized to the surgery site,
and was intermittent. Children reported a median duration of pain of 4.1 months, and
approximately half of the children experienced pain most days of the week. Up to 30%
of the children reported interference of pain in functioning in areas such as extracurricular
activities and sleep.
Discussion
Given the large number of children at risk for experiencing chronic postoperative
pain, preventative efforts are necessary. Large-scale cohort prospective studies are
needed to confirm the results of this cross-sectional study.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
March 22,
2011
Received in revised form:
February 22,
2011
Received:
January 22,
2011
Footnotes
☆No funding was received for this study.
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
