title: Current practice and recent advances in pediatric pain management.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Differently from the adult patients, in pediatric age it is more difficult to assess and treat efficaciously the pain and often this symptom is undertreated or not treated. In children, selection of appropriate pain assessment tools should consider age, cognitive level and the presence of eventual disability, type of pain and the situation in which it is occurring. Improved understanding of developmental neurobiology and paediatric analgesic drugs pharmacokinetics should facilitate a better management of childhood pain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this review is to discuss current practice and recent advances in pediatric pain management.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using PubMed we conducted an extensive literature review on pediatric pain assessment and commonly used analgesic agents from January 2000 to January 2012.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A multimodal analgesic regimen provides better pain control and functional outcome in children. Cooperation and communication between the anaesthesiologist, surgeon, and paediatrician are essential for successful anaesthesia and pain management.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. achiaretti@yahoo.it
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Chiaretti
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Pierri
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Valentini
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Russo
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Gargiullo
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Riccardi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D059408:Pain Management / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics