title: Postoperative paediatric pain prevalence: A retrospective analysis in a university teaching hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overall pain prevalence in paediatric patients is well documented, but relatively little attention has been paid to pain prevalence and intensity on specific postoperative days within the first week following an operation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate reported pain prevalence on the day of surgery and each day during the following week and to analyse pain trajectories.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single centre university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  815 postoperative children and adolescents (age≤18 years) were included (female: 36%, age 9.8±5.8). Children with ear, nose, throat (e.g. tonsillectomy), eye (e.g. strabismus repair) or dental surgery (e.g. dental extraction) were treated at other departments and therefore were not included in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of the overall and clinically relevant (pain score ≥4/10) postoperative pain prevalence in children and adolescents during the first week after surgery. Possible influencing factors (age, sex, body mass index, type of anaesthesia, type of surgery and duration of surgery) on pain trajectories are analysed using mixed model techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 36% of 815 analysed children and adolescents suffered from pain ≥4 during their entire hospital stay. Compared to the day of surgery, the number of patients with pain ≥4 was slightly higher on day 1 after surgery (21% vs. 25%, respectively). In self-reported pain intensity rating (done for patients age≥4 years) the type of surgery (p<.001) was the only significant variable influencing pain intensity. In observational pain assessment (age<4 years) pain scores increased with patient's age (p=.004). In this patient group, pain intensity ratings did not differ between types of surgery (p=.278).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Type of surgery is an important predictor for self-reported pain intensity ratings in children but not for observational pain assessment in younger children. In younger children observational pain assessment ratings increase with age.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Documentation, Medical University Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 2, 8036 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: alexander.avian@medunigraz.at.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avian
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University Graz, University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: brigitte.messerer@medunigraz.at.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Messerer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Documentation, Medical University Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 2, 8036 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: gerit.wuensch@medunigraz.at.
authors.forename: Gerit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wünsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 5, 8036 Graz, Austria; Mathias-Hospital Rheine, Frankenburgstr. 31, 48431 Rheine, Germany. Electronic address: Annelie.Weinberg@t-online.de.
authors.forename: Annelie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University Graz, University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: andreas.sandner@medunigraz.at.
authors.forename: Andreas Sandner
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kiesling
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Documentation, Medical University Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 2, 8036 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: andrea.berghold@medunigraz.at.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berghold
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Age factors; Body mass index; Children's and Infants’ Postoperative Pain Scale; Faces Pain Scale – Revised; Paediatrics; Postoperative pain; Retrospective studies