Post-tonsillectomy pain in 24 children - utilising short message service (SMS) to assess postoperative outcomes

摘要

Tonsillectomy is a common paediatric surgical procedure, now predominantly performed as a day- or overnight-stay procedure. It is widely regarded as a painful operation, whereupon inadequate analgesia can lead to decreased oral intake, reduced sleep and longer time off school. Many studies have looked into strategies for reducing post-tonsillectomy pain, including preoperative behavioural interventions, peritonsillar infiltration of local anaesthetics and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or steroids perioperatively.2'3 Most of these interventions have focused on minimising pain in the immediate postoperative period, without exploring the management of post-tonsillectomy pain at home where parents often use non-standardised regimens of analgesia.