Reliability of the surgical Pleth index for assessment of postoperative pain: A pilot study

BACKGROUNDPostoperative pain control is essential and may have a beneficial effect on postoperative outcome and morbidity. Analgesia quality is controlled using tools such as a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). These tools require cooperation and often fail in the presence of reduced awareness. The Surgical Pleth index (SPI) has been introduced as a monitoring tool for intraoperative pain under general anaesthesia. OBJECTIVEWe investigated the correlation between SPI and pain intensity, analgesic consumption and fitness for discharge in the postanaesthesia care unit. DESIGNAn observational study. SETTINGThe central postanaesthesia care unit of our tertiary care hospital. PATIENTSWritten informed consent was obtained from 100 patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Patients below the age of 18 years and those with an abnormal cardiac rhythm were excluded from the study. INTERVENTIONPatients were interviewed every 10 min for 2 h. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESPain intensity measured by NRS, discomfort and Aldrete and Post-Anaesthetic Discharge Scoring System (PADSS) scores were noted. SPI and total dose of opioids administered were recorded. RESULTSA total of 1300 pain measurements were recorded; 482 (37%) reflected no or mild pain (NRS 0 to 3), 532 (41%) moderate pain (NRS 4 to 6) and 286 (22%) severe pain (NRS 7 to 10). Both NRS (r = 0.62, P 
Source: European Journal of Anaesthesiology - Category: Anesthesiology Tags: Monitoring Source Type: research