Findings support the reliability and validity of the FLACC as a measure of pain in children with CI.

NC is significantly correlated with indices of adiposity and can reliably identify children with high BMI. NC is a simple technique that has good interrater reliability and could be used to screen for overweight and obesity in children.

This study provides important information regarding the clinical interpretation of NRS pain scores in children. Data further support the NRS as a valid measure of pain intensity in relation to the child's PNM, PR, and PS in the acute postoperative setting. However, the variability in scores in relation to other clinically meaningful outcomes suggests that application of cut-points for individual treatment decisions is inappropriate.

These results suggest that children presenting for elective surgical procedures who are obese have a greater prevalence of preexisting comorbid medical conditions and an increased incidence of perioperative adverse respiratory events compared with normal-weight children. Identification and awareness of risk factors for perioperative complications will be important in optimizing the anesthetic management of these children.