Complicaciones de la analgesia continua invasiva para el control del dolor agudo postoperatorio en un hospital de tercer nivel. Incidencia de complicaciones técnicas y uso de métodos de analgesia alternativos

Abstract

BackgroundContinuous invasive analgesia remains the gold-standard method for managing acute post-operative pain after major surgery. However, this procedure is not exempt from complications that may have detrimental effects on the patient and affect the post-operative recovery process. Data of the complications of continuous catheter analgesic techniques (CCATs) and their impact on pain relief are scarce in the literature. Material and methodsWe conducted a prospective longitudinal study and patients who underwent a surgical procedure and received continuous invasive analgesia after surgery were included. Post-operative analgesic strategy, pain scores (NRS), CCAT's characteristics and technical complications were recorded. Patient satisfaction was determined. Descriptive statistics and Student's t-tests were applied for the comparative analyses. ResultsWe collected data from 106 patients. Mean duration of the CCAT was 47.52±21.23hours and 52 patients (49.1%) were controlled in conventional hospitalisation units whereas 54 patients (50.9%) were controlled on intensive or high-dependency care units.The overall incidence of technical complications was 9.43%. The most common complications were catheter displacement (2.38%), inflammation at the IV catheter insertion point (2.38%) and excessive dosing of analgesic drugs (2.38%). Mean NRS scores were ≤3 during the permanence of CCATs. Maximum pain intensity was significantly higher in patients who suffered technical complications (mean±standard deviation [x̅ ± SD]: 4.4 ± 2.8 vs. 2.9 ± 1.9; P<0.05).Satisfaction levels with the technique and overall satisfaction with the pain management strategy were negatively impacted by the occurrence of complications. ConclusionsThe incidence of technical complications of CCATs was 9.43% and had a negative impact in pain control and patient's satisfaction.