The prevalence of postoperative pain in the first 48 hours following day surgery at a tertiary hospital in Nairobi

Abstract

Background: Day case surgery services are increasing all over the world. The prevalence of postoperative pain after day surgery is found to be high. Little is known about the prevalence of postoperative pain, in Kenya, after day case surgeries. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of postoperative pain after day surgery at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Nairobi, to determine the severity/intensity of postoperative pain following day case surgery Methods: Consecutive sampling was carried out until sample size of one hundred and fifty patients was achieved. The purpose and nature of the study was explained to patients before informed consent was obtained. They were shown how to score their pain using a visual analogue scale prior to the surgical procedure. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the patients. Follow up information was obtained through telephone interviews at 24 and 48 hours, after discharge from the day surgery unit. Results: The prevalence of postoperative pain after day care surgery was found to be 58% within 30minutes postoperatively, 55.3% after 24 hours, and 34.7% after 48 hours following surgery. The prevalence of moderate to severe postoperative pain was 13% after 24 hours, and 11.7% after 48 hours. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of postoperative pain after day surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi was noted to be different from what has been reported in the literature. The prevalence of moderate and severe pain however, is less than reported in the literature.

Acute postoperative pain in 1 231 patients at a developing country referral hospital: incidence and risk factors

“…9,10 In addition, very little is known about the incidence and associations of postoperative pain in developing countries. 6,11,12 The aim of this study was to explore the incidence of moderate or severe pain during the first postoperative 24 h and to identify specific groups of patients who require more intensive analgesic efforts, in a large referral hospital situated in a developing country. In addition, the discrepancy between prescribed intramuscular morphine and the actual administration thereof by nursing staff was investigated in patients experiencing moderate or severe pain.…”

Postoperative analgesic efficiency of transversus abdominis plane block after ventral hernia repair: a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial

“…Hypersensitivity to bupivacaine and morphine. Patients were divided randomly (simple randomisation using a computer based random number generator) into two equal groups: Group I received standard general anaesthesia with bilateral TAP block performed before surgical incision (n = 35); Group II received standard general anaesthesia with systemic postopereported a prevalence of postoperative pain of 58% at 30 minutes after surgery, 55.3% at 24 hours, and 34.7% at 48 hours [6]. Woldehaimanot et al reported that incidence of pain at 72 hours after surgery was 91.4%, and 80.1% of the patients were undertreated [7].…”

Tramadol/Diclofenac Fixed-Dose Combination: A Review of Its Use in Severe Acute Pain

“…Acute pain is the most common type of pain, and can occur due to injury, acute illness, surgery, or arthritis, making its aetiology a complex and transdisciplinary affair [2,3]. The global prevalence of postoperative pain varies from 14 to 70%, and the scenario is even more serious in India, where [ 80% of patients experience postoperative pain [4][5][6][7][8]. Pain due to musculoskeletal disorders is another common form of acute pain, and occupationspecific prevalence is reported to be * 90% in India [9].…”