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Observational Study
. 2017 Jul;27(7):760-767.
doi: 10.1111/pan.13163. Epub 2017 May 15.

Racial differences in the pain management of children recovering from anesthesia

Olubukola O Nafiu  1 , Wilson T Chimbira  1 , Margaret Stewart  1 , Kathleen Gibbons  1 , L Kareen Porter  1 , Paul I Reynolds  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

Racial differences in the pain management of children recovering from anesthesia

Olubukola O Nafiu et al. Paediatr Anaesth. 2017 Jul.

Abstract

Background: When pain management has been studied in settings such as pediatric emergency departments, racial disparities have been clearly identified. To our knowledge, this has not been studied in the pediatric perioperative setting. We sought to determine whether there are differences based on race in the administration of analgesia to children suffering from pain in the postanesthesia care unit.

Methods: This is a prospective, observational, study of 771 children aged 4-17 years who underwent elective outpatient surgery. Racial differences in probability of receiving analgesia for pain in the recovery room were assessed using bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.

Results: A total of 294 children (38.2%) received at least one class of analgesia (opioid or nonopioid); while 210 (27.2%) received intravenous (i.v.) opioid analgesia in the recovery room. Overall postanesthesia care unit analgesia utilization was similar between white and minority children (white children 36.8% vs minority children 43.4%, OR 1.3; 95% CI=0.92-1.89; P=.134). We found no significant difference by racial/ethnic group in the likelihood of a child receiving i.v. opioid for severe postoperative pain (white children 76.0% vs 85.7%, OR 1.89; 95% CI=0.37-9.67; P=.437). However, minority children were more likely to receive i.v. opioid analgesia than their white peers (white children 24.5% vs minority children 34.2%, OR 1.5; 95% CI=1.04-2.2; P=.03). On multivariable analysis, minority children had a 63% higher adjusted odds of receiving i.v. opioids in the recovery room (OR=1.63; 95% CI, 1.05-2.62; P=.03).

Conclusions: Receipt of analgesia for acute postoperative pain was not significantly associated with a child's race. Minority children were more likely to receive i.v. opioids for the management of mild pain.

Keywords: ethnic minority; pain management; pediatric ambulatory surgery; postanesthesia care unit; racial disparity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: All the authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Showing patient distribution according to surgical specialties and race. There was no significant difference in the distribution of cases across specialties by race (χ2 = 5.5; p=0.69). Abbreviations: ENT = Ear, Nose and Throat; Ophthy. = Ophthalmology; Ped.surg =Pediatric Surgery; GI = Gastrointestinal
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Proportion of patients receiving PACU opioid analgesia overall and among those with documented severe pain by race/ethnicity. Unadjusted bivariable comparisons and p-values generated with Pearson χ2 test. Abbreviations: PACU = Post anesthesia care unit; IV= intravenous
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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