The association between intraoperative nociception and increased patient's morbidity is well established. However, hemodynamic parameters, such as heart rate and blood pressure, may result in an ...inadequate monitor of nociception during surgery. Over the last two decades, different devices have been marketed to "reliably" detect intraoperative nociception. Since the direct measure of nociception is impractical during surgery, these monitors measures nociception surrogates such as sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems responses (heart rate variability, pupillometry, skin conductance), electroencephalographic changes, and muscular reflex arc. Each monitor carries its own advantages and disadvantages. The manuscript aims to give an overview of the most up-to-date information available in the literature on current nociceptor monitors available in clinical practice, with particular focus on their applications in pediatrics.
The evidence regarding the efficacy of analgesics available to guide postoperative pain treatment in pediatric patients is limited. Opioid medications are very often an important component of ...pediatric postoperative pain treatment but have been associated with perioperative complications. We will focus on initiatives aiming to provide effective treatment minimizing the use of opioids and preventing the long-term consequences of pain.
Interpatient variability in postoperative pain is currently managed by applying protocols or by trial and error, thus often leading to patients being either undertreated or overtreated. Few evidence-based reports are available to guide the use of opioid medications in children, including the prescription of opioids after hospital discharge. Using combinations of nonopioid analgesics in a multimodal approach may limit the need for opioids, thus decreasing the risk of toxicity and dose-related side effects. There is a lack of adequate research in this field, and more specifically on identifying which patient is at higher risk of poor postoperative pain management.
Treatment options have evolved in recent years, including the combinations of multimodal regimens and regional anesthetic techniques. Using combinations of nonopioid analgesics in a multimodal approach may limit the need for opioids.
Space travel has been associated with musculoskeletal pain, yet little is known about the nociceptive changes and pain experience during spaceflight. This preliminary study aims to investigate the ...pain experience and sensory alterations in astronauts following a 17-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Axiom Space's AX-1 commercial space flight. Two participants were enrolled, and data were collected pre-flight, in-flight, post-flight, and three-month post-flight. Validated pain questionnaires assessed anxiety, catastrophizing, impact on physical and mental health, disability, and overall pain experience. Qualitative interviews were conducted post-landing and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and quantitative sensory testing (QST) were performed. Both astronauts reported musculoskeletal pain during and after the flight, which was managed with anti-inflammatories and stretching techniques. Pain levels returned to baseline after three months. Pain questionnaires revealed heightened pain experiences in-flight and immediately post-flight, although their adequacy in assessing pain in space is uncertain. Qualitative interviews allowed astronauts to describe their pain experiences during the flight. Sensory changes included increased mechanical touch detection thresholds, temporal pain summation, heat pain thresholds, and differences in conditioned pain modulation post-flight. This preliminary study suggested that spaceflight may affect various aspects of sensory perception and regulation in astronauts, albeit in a variable manner. More data are needed to gain insight of on gain and loss of sensory functions during space missions. Further investigation into the multifactorial stressors affecting the somatosensory system during space travel could contribute to advancements in space and pain medicine.
Pain is an understudied physiological effect of spaceflight. Changes in inflammatory and tissue degradation markers are often associated with painful conditions. Our aim was to evaluate the changes ...in markers associated with tissue deterioration after a short-term spaceflight.
Plasma levels of markers for systemic inflammation and tissue degeneration markers were assessed in two astronauts before and within 24 h after the 17-day Axiom Space AX-1 mission.
After the spaceflight, C-reactive protein (CRP) was reduced in both astronauts, while INFγ, GM-CSF, TNFα, BDNF, and all measured interleukins were consistently increased. Chemokines demonstrated variable changes, with consistent positive changes in CCL3, 4, 8, 22 and CXCL8, 9, 10, and consistent negative change in CCL8. Markers associated with tissue degradation and bone turnover demonstrated consistent increases in MMP1, MMP13, NTX and OPG, and consistent decreases in MMP3 and MMP9.
Spaceflight induced changes in the markers of systemic inflammation, tissue deterioration, and bone resorption in two astronauts after a short, 17-day, which were often consistent with those observed in painful conditions on Earth. However, some differences, such as a consistent decrease in CRP, were noted. All records for the effect of space travel on human health are critical for improving our understanding of the effect of this unique environment on humans.
Summary
Background
Children commonly display early postoperative negative behavior (e‐PONB) after general anesthesia, which includes emergence delirium (ED), discomfort, temperament, and pain. ...However, it is often difficult for the caregiver to discriminate between various aspects of e‐PONB.
Objective
This prospective observational study evaluates the possibility to distinguish between ED and pain in young children using validated pediatric observational scales in the early postoperative phase.
Methods
Following institutional approval and written consent, children undergoing elective adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy were enrolled. Following standardized anesthesia, two trained observers simultaneously evaluated children's behavior with the Paediatric Anaesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale (PAED) and with the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale (FLACC) at extubation, and at 5, 10, and 15 min.
Results
Of 150 children that completed the study, 32 (21%) had ED, 7 (5%) had pain, and 98 (65%) had simultaneously both ED and pain. The association of ‘No eye contact’, ‘No purposeful action’ and ‘No awareness of surroundings’ (ED1) had a sensitivity of 0.96 and a specificity of 0.80 (PPV 0.97, NPV 0.78) to identify ED. ‘Inconsolability’ and ‘Restlessness’ (ED2) had a sensitivity of 0.69 and a specificity of 0.88 (PPV 0.83 and NPV 0.78) to identify pain.
Conclusion
It is difficult to differentiate between ED and pain using FLACC and PAED scores. ‘No eye contact’, ‘No purposeful action’, and ‘No awareness of surroundings’ significantly correlated with ED. ‘Inconsolability’ and ‘Restlessness’ are not reliable enough to identify pain or ED in the first 15 min after awakening.
The pathophysiology of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) remains elusive, leading to a lack of objective diagnostic criteria and targeted treatment. We globally evaluated immune system changes in FMS by ...conducting multiparametric flow cytometry analyses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and identified a natural killer (NK) cell decrease in patients with FMS. Circulating NK cells in FMS were exhausted yet activated, evidenced by lower surface expression of CD16, CD96, and CD226 and more CD107a and TIGIT. These NK cells were hyperresponsive, with increased CCL4 production and expression of CD107a when co-cultured with human leukocyte antigen null target cells. Genetic and transcriptomic pathway analyses identified significant enrichment of cell activation pathways in FMS driven by NK cells. Skin biopsies showed increased expression of NK activation ligand, unique long 16-binding protein, on subepidermal nerves of patients FMS and the presence of NK cells near peripheral nerves. Collectively, our results suggest that chronic activation and redistribution of circulating NK cells to the peripheral nerves contribute to the immunopathology associated with FMS.
This study describes the minimum incidence of pediatric complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), clinical features, and treatments recommended by pediatricians and pain clinics in Canada. Participants ...in the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program reported new cases of CRPS aged 2 to 18 years monthly and completed a detailed case reporting questionnaire from September 2017 to August 2019. Descriptive analysis was completed, and the annual incidence of CRPS by sex and age groupings was estimated. A total of 198 cases were reported to the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program, and 168 (84.8%) met the case definition. The minimum Canadian incidence of CRPS is estimated at 1.14/100,000 (95% confidence interval 0.93-1.35/100,000) children per year. Incidence was highest among girls 12 years and older (3.10, 95% confidence interval 2.76-3.44/100,000). The mean age of CRPS diagnosis was 12.2 years (SD = 2.4), with the mean time from symptom onset to diagnosis of 5.6 months (SD = 9.9) and no known inciting event for 19.6% of cases. Most cases had lower limb involvement (79.8%). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (82.7%) and acetaminophen (66.0%) were prescribed more commonly than antiepileptic drugs (52.3%) and antidepressants (32.0%). Referrals most commonly included physical therapy (83.3%) and multidisciplinary pain clinics (72.6%); a small number of patients withdrew from treatment because of pain exacerbation (5.3%). Pain education was recommended for only 65.6% of cases. Treatment variability highlights the need for empiric data to support treatment of pediatric CRPS and development of treatment consensus guidelines.
Nociplastic pain distinguishes individuals with pain and hypersensitivity in body regions with apparently normal tissues, without any signs of neuropathy, but with contribution of central and/or ...peripheral sensitization. There is a lack of literature describing nociplastic pain in the pediatric population. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences between pediatric patients with nociplastic pain compared with patients with non-nociplastic pain.
This study included 414 pediatric patients followed at an interdisciplinary centre for complex pain. All patients underwent an exhaustive pain assessment consisting of face-to-face interviews, validated self-report questionnaires and quantitative sensory testing. Recently established criteria for chronic nociplastic pain, and quantitative sensory testing was used to describe and stratify our cohort.
One hundred and sixty-five patients (40%) were stratified as having possible nociplastic pain and two hundred and forty-nine (60%) patients, as non-nociplastic pain. Patients with nociplastic pain displayed pain hypersensitivity in the region of pain, more symptoms of panic and social phobia, and worse sleep quality than patients with non-nociplastic pain. The proportion of patients achieving a meaningful clinical outcome after completion of their treatment (medications, physiotherapy, psychology, nursing, social worker, and/or interventional procedures) was lower in patients with nociplastic pain (62%) than those without nociplastic pain (86%).
Our results suggest that patients who meet the criteria for nociplastic pain can be identified in a population of children and adolescents being treated in a center for complex pain. Combining screening with validated questionnaires and quantitative sensory testing facilitates the phenotyping and graded severity of patients with nociplastic pain in daily clinical practice.
Summary
Background
Early negative postoperative behavior (e‐PONB) is common in children and manifests itself as emergence agitation (EA), emergence delirium (ED), and pain. The objective of this ...prospective double blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial was to determine whether IV clonidine or IV fentanyl prior to surgery modifies e‐PONB in children.
Methods
Ninety children scheduled for subumbilical surgery under sevoflurane anesthesia supplemented with regional anesthesia were randomized to either receive IV clonidine 2 mcg·kg−1, IV fentanyl 2 mcg·kg−1 or placebo (IV saline) before surgery. Primary outcome measures were the incidence of EA, ED and pain during the first hour after awakening. Secondary outcome measures were side effects such as nausea and vomiting and delayed discharge from PACU.
Results
Eighty‐seven children (n = 29 per group) completed the study. EA was present in 10 children (six clonidine, none fentanyl, and four placebo, P = 0.04) whereas ED was observed in 20 children (nine clonidine, three fentanyl, and eight placebo P = 0.13). Sixteen children who received placebo had a CHIPPS score of ≥4 compared with nine children in fentanyl group and 18 children receiving clonidine (P = 0.04). Ten children receiving fentanyl vomited during the first postoperative day, compared with six children in placebo group and none in clonidine group (P = 0.003). Discharge from PACU was not affected.
Conclusions
IV fentanyl before surgery but not IV clonidine modifies e‐PONB in children undergoing lower abdominal surgery under general anesthesia supplemented with regional anesthesia. The use of fentanyl in this population was also associated with reduced pain scores after awakening but with significantly greater incidence of PONV.
