Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Using peri‐operative patient‐ and parent‐reported experience and outcome measures to identify paediatric postsurgical recovery trajectories: an observational cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Collecting longitudinal postoperative recovery data from adolescents and parents of children is feasible and may improve the understanding of pain and recovery trajectories.
Study context
- Population
- Children aged 0–18 y undergoing surgery, and their familiessurvey completed
- Participants
- 444 children
- Outcome
- Feasibility of gathering peri-operative data; postoperative pain trajectories (average and worst pain intensity) and pre-operative risk factors for high postsurgical pain
Methodological detailsgrowth mixture modelling, multinomial logistic regression
- Growth mixture modelling
- Multinomial logistic regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Pre-operative risk factors for a high average pain trajectory
Odds ratio (95% CI)P value
Age 13-18 y
5.9(3.1–11.5)
P < 0.001Female sex
2.1(1.3–3.3)
P = 0.002Orthopaedic surgery
4.1(1.7–10.4)
P = 0.002Anxiety
2.0(1.1–3.5)
P = 0.017Depression
2.1(1.2–3.6)
P = 0.007Previous emotional trauma
2.5(1.5–4.3)
P = 0.001Analgesic use > 7 days before surgery
3.4(1.8–6.8)
P < 0.001Parental chronic pain
4.1(1.6–12.7)
P = 0.007Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Follow-up retention (feasibility)
- Retention > 65% up to POD 30 for patients < 5 y
- Retention > 65% up to POD 15 for patients > 5 y
Baseline characteristics
- Median (IQR [range]) age, y
- 9 (4-14 [0-18])
- Female
- 34.5%
Original publication
Using peri‐operative patient‐ and parent‐reported experience and outcome measures to identify paediatric postsurgical recovery trajectories: an observational cohort study. Anaesthesia. Published 26 February 2026. doi:10.
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