The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Apr 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialPercutaneous pin removal in the outpatient clinic--do children require analgesia?: a randomized controlled trial.
Percutaneous pins used in the surgical fixation of fractures in children are often removed in the outpatient clinic without the administration of analgesia. Pin removal can be a cause of anxiety for children, parents, and caregivers. Relatively little is known about the requirement of analgesia for this procedure. In a randomized controlled trial, we evaluated whether oral acetaminophen or ibuprofen reduced the pain experienced during pin removal. ⋯ Neither acetaminophen nor ibuprofen significantly reduced the pain score or heart rate associated with percutaneous pin removal in children as compared with the placebo. The oral analgesics administered were clinically equivalent to the placebo. These results suggest that non-narcotic analgesia use does not significantly reduce pain or heart rate associated with percutaneous pin removal in children.