Acute pain in children: A reappraisal on the modalities of grade evaluation and on treatment strategies (Review)

Di Nora,Alessandra; Sciuto,Laura; Finocchiaro,Maria Carla; Trobia,Gianluca; Minardi,Carmelo; Di Stefano,Antonella; Spampinato,Serena; Polizzi,Agata; Ceccarelli,Manuela; Falsaperla,Raffaele; Marino,Lidia; Pavone,Piero

doi:10.3892/wasj.2024.298

Acute pain in children: A reappraisal on the modalities of grade evaluation and on treatment strategies (Review)

Authors:
- Alessandra Di Nora
- Laura Sciuto
- Maria Carla Finocchiaro
- Gianluca Trobia
- Carmelo Minardi
- Antonella Di Stefano
- Serena Spampinato
- Agata Polizzi
- Manuela Ceccarelli
- Raffaele Falsaperla
- Lidia Marino
- Piero Pavone
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Affiliations: Postgraduate Training Program in Pediatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy, Pediatric and Pediatric Emergency Room Unit, Cannizzaro Emergency Hospital Catania, I‑95100 Catania, Italy, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University Hospital ‘G. Rodolico‑San Marco’ Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Unit of Infectious Diseases, University of Catania, ARNAS Garibaldi Hospital, I‑95122 Catania, Italy, Section of Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Child and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna Kore, I‑94100 Enna, Italy, Pediatric, and Pediatric Emergency Department, University‑Hospital ‘G. Rodolico‑San Marco’, I‑95123 Catania, Italy
Published online on: November 25, 2024 https://doi.org/10.3892/wasj.2024.298
Article Number: 10
Copyright : © Di Nora et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License [CC BY 4.0].

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Abstract

The present review aimed to provide a summary of practical clinical approaches to the evaluation of the pain grades and modalities of treatment for pediatric patients with acute pain. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted from January, 2000 to December, 2022, which included comprehensive articles from online bibliographic databases (i.e., MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Central and Scopus) covering the principal topics of pain and children OR therapeutic strategies OR pharmacological treatments OR opioid medication OR pain and nonpharmacological therapies. Different scales were used to grade acute pediatric pain, as this can range from mild to severe and may be disguised by children. In addition, non‑pharmacological and pharmacological treatment modalities were reported according to the different underlying causes and types of pain. Furthermore, a list of the most well‑known modalities used to measure the presence and grade of acute pain in children was compiled, and the various types of pharmacological and non‑pharmacological treatments administered to children with acute pain are discussed. A flowchart for the management of children with severe pain is also presented. Acute pain in pediatric patients is a common event and a reason for concern. The causes of acute pain in children need to be carefully evaluated and appropriate treatment should be administered according to the real presence, consistency, and duration of the pain and body organ collocation.

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