POSTOPRATIVE ANALGESIA IN CHILDREN: AN UPDATE

Acute pain is one of the most common adverse stimuli experienced by pediatric population as a result of surgery, illness, any injury and necessary medical procedure. Pain is associated with increased anxiety, avoidance, somatic symptoms, and increased parent distress and may lead to long term effects. Despite the magnitude of these effects, the acute pain has on a child is often inadequately assessed and treated. Numerous myths, insufficient knowledge among caregivers, and inadequate application of knowledge contribute to the lack of effective management. Fear of adverse reactions and toxic effects often contributed to the inadequate use of analgesics. The International Association for the Study of Pain has defined pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. Several experts suggest that the neonate’s expression of pain does not fit within the strict definition of the International Association for Study of Pain because of the requirement for self-report. This lack of ability to report pain contributes to the failure to recognize and treat pain aggressively during infancy and early childhood. Because neonates cannot verbalize their pain, they depend on others to recognize, assess, and manage their pain. Therefore, health care professionals can diagnose neonatal pain only by recognizing the neonate’s associated behavioral and physiological responses.