Perioperative Analgesia and Pain Management in Pediatric Patients

This chapter reviews the current evidence regarding perioperative pain management strategies in pediatric patients. Adequate pain control is vital to ensuring patient safety and successful postoperative care, but it can be very challenging to attain. As protocols and practices vary across specialties performing surgeries on children, it is essential for providers to proactively acknowledge, assess, and anticipate pediatric pain in order to apply appropriate management strategies that meet the needs of their patients before, during, and after surgery. While strides have been made in the reduction of opioid use and the optimization of perioperative pharmacotherapy, some effective non-pharmacologic efforts have been much more variable in their scope and implementation. Recognizing the impact of perioperative pain on a patient’s physical, emotional, and psychological well-being is crucial for reducing overall morbidity and improving surgical outcomes.