Application and effects of an early childhood education machine on analgesia and sedation in children after cardiothoracic surgery

Abstract

Objective To study the effect of an early childhood education machine on sedation and analgesia in children after cardiothoracic surgery. Methods A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted in a provincial hospital in China. Fifty-two patients (aged from 1 to 5 years) underwent cardiothoracic surgery (including: ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, pulmonary sequestration and congenital cystic adenomatoid lung malformation) were divided into the study group (n = 26) and the control group (n = 26). The patients in the study group underwent intervention with an early childhood education machine (uniform type) in addition to routine standard treatment and nursing, while the patients in the control group only received routine standard treatment and nursing. Richmond agitation sedation score (RASS) and face, legs, activity, cry, consolability (FLACC) score of all of the patients were evaluated, and the negative emotions (self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) score and self-rating depression scale (SDS) score) of the parents of the two groups were compared. Results There was no significant difference in the general clinical data between the two groups. The RASS and FLACC scores in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group, and the SAS and SDS scores of the parents in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Conclusion The application of an early childhood education machine for children after cardiothoracic surgery can effectively reduce postoperative agitation, improve sedation and analgesia of the patients, and ease the pessimistic mood of the patients’ parents.

Management of routine postoperative pain for children undergoing cardiac surgery: a Paediatric Acute Care Cardiology Collaborative Clinical Practice Guideline

“…Children should be offered age and developmentally appropriate toys and educational materials in the postoperative period once they are awake and alert. 102…”

“…104 Other interventions as simple as providing developmentally appropriate toys and optimising environmental factors such as lighting and noise can also improve postoperative outcomes related to pain. 6,102 Other non-pharmacologic analgesia modalities have been shown to be effective among adults undergoing thoracic surgery, chiefly transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 69 Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation has also been shown to be effective in reducing procedural pain for children.…”