title: Risk factors associated with postoperative pain after ophthalmic surgery: a prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Risk factors associated with postoperative pain intensity and duration, as well as consumption of analgesics after ophthalmic surgery are poorly understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was conducted among adults (N=226) who underwent eye surgery at the University Hospital Split, Croatia. A day before the surgery, the patients filled out questionnaires assessing personality, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, sociodemographics and were given details about the procedure, anesthesia, and analgesia for each postoperative day. All scales were previously used for the Croatian population. The intensity of pain was measured using a numerical rating scale from 0 to 10, where 0 was no pain and 10 was the worst imaginable pain. The intensity of pain was measured before the surgery and then 1 hour, 3 hours, 6 hours, and 24 hours after surgery, and then once a day until discharge from the hospital. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A multivariate analysis indicated that independent predictors of average pain intensity after the surgery were: absence of premedication before surgery, surgery in general anesthesia, higher pain intensity before surgery and pain catastrophizing level. Independent predictors of postoperative pain duration were intensity of pain before surgery, type of anesthesia, and self-assessment of health. Independent predictors of pain intensity ≥5 during the first 6 hours after the procedure were the type of procedure, self-assessment of health, premedication, and the level of pain catastrophizing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Awareness about independent predictors associated with average postoperative pain intensity, postoperative pain duration, and occurrence of intensive pain after surgery may help health workers to improve postoperative pain management in ophthalmic surgery.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia.
authors: Mladen
authors: M
authors: Lesin
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia.
authors: Mirna
authors: M
authors: Dzaja Lozo
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia.
authors: Zeljka
authors: Z
authors: Duplancic-Sundov
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia.
authors: Ivana
authors: I
authors: Dzaja
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia.
authors: Nikolina
authors: N
authors: Davidovic
authors: Laboratory for Pain Research, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia.
authors: Adriana
authors: A
authors: Banozic
authors: Laboratory for Pain Research, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia.
authors: Livia
authors: L
authors: Puljak
keywords: affect; factors; pain catastrophizing; personality; postoperative pain; psychology; sociodemographics