• H M Munro, S Malviya, G R Lauder, T Voepel-Lewis, and A R Tait.
• Section of Pediatric Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor 48109, USA. hmunro@umich.edu
• J Clin Anesth. 1999 May 1;11(3):187-91.

Study ObjectiveTo evaluate perioperative analgesia, prescription patterns, pain relief, and parental care of children undergoing outpatient surgery.DesignProspective data collection and parental interview.SettingLarge tertiary care, university-based medical center.Patients471 children aged between 10 months and 18 years who underwent an outpatient surgical procedure expected to be associated with pain.Measurements And Main ResultsAll perioperative data regarding analgesia, antiemetics, postoperative pain scores, and discharge prescriptions were recorded. Parents were telephoned 24 hours following surgery, and data concerning their child's pain relief, analgesic and antiemetic usage, and their ability to care for their child were obtained. Of the 460 patients questioned, 97% were described by their parents as having adequate, good, or very good pain relief (acceptable) during the first 24 hours postoperatively, whereas only 15 (3%) had poor pain relief (unacceptable). All patients received some form of analgesia intraoperatively. The children with poor pain relief were more likely to have experienced postoperative nausea and vomiting (p = 0.01) and were more difficult to care for at home (p < 0.0001). In a subset of 185 patients who had genitourinary procedures, those who received regional analgesia reported better pain relief (p = 0.05).ConclusionsDespite a wide range of surgical procedures being performed on children on an ambulatory basis, current selection of patients for outpatient surgery is appropriate given the ability of the parents to manage their children's pain and to care for their children at home.

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