Vol. 5, Issue 3 (2016)

Materials and Methods: A prospective observational research was performed on 50 children aged 1 to 12 years undergoing elective procedures at a tertiary care hospital. This study was conducted at the Department of General Surgery, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Pondicherry, India from March 2015 to February 2016. Pain intensity was evaluated at 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively utilizing validated age-appropriate instruments. Analgesic protocols, pain assessments, utilization of rescue medication, and adverse effects were documented and analyzed employing descriptive statistics and chi-square tests.

Results: In 60% of cases, a combination of paracetamol, NSAIDs, and local/regional anesthetic was used for pain relief. At the 24-hour mark, 84% of the children had gotten the pain under control to an adequate level (pain score < 4). As a result of moderate to severe pain, 16% of individuals needed rescue analgesia, mostly opioids. When regional approaches were applied, there was a strong correlation with decreased opioid demand and lower pain scores (p < 0.05). Mild nausea was observed by 6% of participants, but otherwise, side effects were modest.

Conclusion: Multimodal treatments, particularly those that involve localized strategies, can be quite helpful in managing postoperative pain in pediatric patients. Improving patient comfort and optimizing outcomes can be achieved through the routine use of standardized pain assessment instruments in conjunction with tailored pain treatment strategies.