Post Operative Analgesia in Children: A Survey of Current Practices among Anaesthetists in Malaysia.

摘要

Neonates and children have been shown to respond to pain associated with surgery with adverse physiological, metabolic and hormonal changes. Thus, good periopera-tive pain control in children is vital. Reports of successful use of epidural analgesia in children appeared in the 1980s.1 Epidural analgesia improved haemodynamic stability, reduced the need for post operative ventilatory support, improved analgesia with opioid sparing effects and lower perioperative stress levels. However, epidural analgesia is less clearly established in children in Malaysia as compared to its role in post operative analgesia in adults. Hence, in this study we surveyed the current practice of Anaesthetists in Malaysia on their practice of epidural analgesia for post operative pain relief in children.