A Novel Tool to Predict Postoperative Opioid Need after Laparoscopic Appendectomy in Children: A Step toward Evidence-Based Pain Management
dx.doi.org shows its articles on its own site.
Read the article on dx.doi.org ↗Article · Mar 2022 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
Retrospective study develops a predictive tool using five clinical parameters (turbid fluid presence, age, WBC count, symptom duration, temperature) to anticipate opioid requirements after pediatric laparoscopic appendectomy. The algorithm aims to enable proactive pain management and reduce unnecessary opioid use in children.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Background Optimizing postoperative pain treatment is essential to minimize morbidity, lower costs, and ensure patient and parent satisfaction. This study aims at identifying pre- and intraoperative parameters predicting opioid needs after laparoscopic appendectomy to enable timely and adequate postoperative pain control.
Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis of patients treated with laparoscopic appendectomy for appendicitis between January 2018 and March 2019 was performed. Multiple logistic regression was applied to identify predictors of opioid demand.
Results Based on our analysis, we developed a prediction tool for opioid requirements after laparoscopic appendectomies in children. The integrated parameters are: presence of turbid fluid, age, white-blood-cell count, symptom duration, and body temperature.
Conclusion We developed an algorithm-based predictor tool that has the potential to better anticipate postoperative pain and, thereby, optimize pain management following laparoscopic appendectomies in children. The proposed predictor tool will need validation through further prospective studies.