Post-Operative Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Pediatric Surgery: A Randomised Study

Abstract

BackgroundInterest in animal-assisted therapy has been fuelled by studies supporting the many health benefits. The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact of an animal-assisted therapy program on children response to stress and pain in the immediate post-surgical period.Patients and MethodsForty children (3–17 years) were enrolled in the randomised open-label, controlled, pilot study. Patients were randomly assigned to the animal-assisted therapy-group (n = 20, who underwent a 20 min session with an animal-assisted therapy dog, after surgery) or the standard-group (n = 20, standard postoperative care). The study variables were determined in each patient, independently of the assigned group, by a researcher unblinded to the patient’s group. The outcomes of the study were to define the neurological, cardiovascular and endocrinological impact of animal-assisted therapy in response to stress and pain. Electroencephalogram activity, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, cerebral prefrontal oxygenation, salivary cortisol levels and the faces pain scale were considered as outcome measures.ResultsAfter entrance of the dog faster electroencephalogram diffuse beta-activity (> 14 Hz) was reported in all children of the animal-assisted therapy group; in the standard-group no beta-activity was recorded (100% vs 0%, p<0.001). During observation, some differences in the time profile between groups were observed for heart rate (test for interaction p = 0.018), oxygen saturation (test for interaction p = 0.06) and cerebral oxygenation (test for interaction p = 0.09). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were influenced by animal-assisted therapy, though a higher variability in diastolic pressure was observed. Salivary cortisol levels did not show different behaviours over time between groups (p=0.70). Lower pain perception was noted in the animal-assisted group in comparison with the standard-group (p = 0.01).ConclusionAnimal-assisted therapy facilitated rapid recovery in vigilance and activity after anaesthesia, modified pain perception and induced emotional prefrontal responses. An adaptative cardiovascular response was also present.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02284100

Children report positive experiences of animal‐assisted therapy in paediatric hospital care

“…Further, pain seems to decrease when the children have the opportunity to play by means of complementary treatment . For that reason, the opportunity to interact with a therapy dog may be an effective form of treatment, which is in line with findings from other authors . The interaction with a therapy dog could be a distraction and an amusement, creating positive effects in the body and in the mind.…”

“…In the United States, therapy dogs as complementary treatment are increasingly prevalent in paediatric oncology care . Meeting a therapy dog in paediatric hospital care has been reported to improve several variables in children, both psychological and physiological . Stress and irritated mood levels were reduced, and self‐estimated pain after surgery decreased …”

Why Asia Needs Comparative Psychology: Applications in Canine-Human, and Equine-Human Interactions

“…Therapy dogs usually are an individual's pet that is given special permission to enter a specific site where the dog provides therapeutic relief to individuals who need comfort (e.g. individuals in a nursing home, hospital, and college campus) [22][23][24][25]. Currently, all therapy dogs do not undergo behavioral examinations and role-playing stimulations as part of the selection process; however, Mongillo and colleagues [26] suggest that implementing these measures would help to distinguish unsuitable (e.g.…”

“…In hospital and nursing home settings, patients were found to have lower blood pressure and heart rate levels due to an interaction with a therapy dog [22,23]. The combined decrease in blood pressure and heart rate levels indicates reductions in physiological stress and anxiety responses.…”

Feasibility of Home-Use Animal-Assisted Activities in Patients With Implanted Cardiac Electronic Devices

“…So far, AAA has been carried out mainly in institutions, such as nursing homes; rehabilitation units; psychiatric, surgical, or orthopedic departments of hospitals; or prisons (Abate et al, 2011;Aiba et al, 2012;Beetz et al, 2012;Borgi et al, 2016;Calcaterra et al, 2015;Cole et al, 2007;Friedmann et al, 2015;Harper et al, 2015;Harris, Rinehart, & Gerstman, 1993;Ko et al, 2015;Majic et al, 2013;Menna et al, 2015;Munoz Lasa et al, 2015;Nurenberg et al, 2015;Vagnoli et al, 2015;Wohlfarth et al, 2013). Home visits for AAA are unusual in Europe; however, they are an offered service in the United States for homebound patients and are appreciated by patients who are too sick to leave their homes by themselves (Harris et al, 1993).…”