Annotation. Adequacy of postoperative analgesia and pain assessment remains a pressing issue in children. In order to provide effective pain management to this population, it is important to consider some specific features such as the age of a child, cognitive imparement, mechanisms of pain, and traumatic cimcumstances resulted in nociceptive responses. Therefore, it is essential for clinicians to be able to choose the appropriate tools for pain assessment in different age groups of children and clinical situations, and to interpret the obtained data correctly. Hence, our study aimed to systematize existing problematic aspects of postoperative pain assessment is children and to analyze the evidence on perioperative analgesia in the paediatic practice. For this purpose, we systematically searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library and Google Scholar for trials published between 2002-2020. We paid particular attention to the correct choice of pain assessment tools in children of different age groups, and proper interpretation of the data obtained. The study contains the updated recommendations for postoperative pain management in children. There is a special emphasis on priority of multimodal analgesia in children. Analysis of recent publications shows that newborns and children under 5 years of age should be assessed with comprehensive pain scales that include behavioral characteristics and physiological parameters. It is advisable to use self-assessment pain scales for children older than 5 years of age. In order to manage the acute pain effectively, it should be assessed at least every 4-6 hours. Sufficient perioperative analgesia promotes rapid rehabilitation and prevents children from postoperative homeostatic disruption.

Postoperative pain control in pediatric practice is an important issue not only for patients but also for the health care system overall. The results of meta-analyses and a large number of studies have shown that intravenous infusions of lidocaine significantly improve the quality of postoperative analgesia and help reduce the consumption of narcotic analgesics after various surgical procedures in adult patients. This technique is rarely reported in the pediatric population due to insufficient data on its efficacy and safety. The purpose - to evaluate the efficacy and safety of perioperative continuous intravenous infusion of lidocaine as a component of multimodal analgesia in children aged 8 years and older to improve pain control and quick recovery after surgery. Materials and methods. The prospective controlled study included 74 (50 boys, 24 girls) children who underwent surgical procedures under general anesthesia. The age of the patients was from eight to 18 years. Patients were divided into two groups: the (study) Group 1 (n=28) included children who received intravenous lidocaine as a component of multimodal analgesia in the perioperative period, and the second (control) group (n=46) included children who were not administered lidocaine. Pain intensity, duration of the postoperative narcotic analgesics administration and their dosage, the time for recovery of intestinal motility, the transition period to full enteral nutrition, the length of hospital stay, and the nature of postoperative complications were evaluated. Data analysis was performed using the statistical package “SPSS 20” (SPSS Inc.) version 21.0.0 for Windows. Results. The results of our study demonstrated that pain intensity, as well as total postoperative morphine requirement, were significantly lower in the lidocaine group compared to the control group during the 48-hour follow-up period (p<0.05). Additional morphine analgesia on postoperative day 1 was documented in 5 (17.9%) patients in the lidocaine group and 19 (41.3%) patients in the control group. Intestinal motility was restored within 3.79±1.81 hours postoperatively in the study group and was significantly shorter compared to the control group. In the postoperative period, there was a significantly lower frequency of postoperative nausea in patients in the study group. Side effects of lidocaine infusion were not registered. Conclusions. Prolonged perioperative infusion of lidocaine as a component of multimodal analgesia helps to reduce the consumption of narcotic analgesics and significantly improves the quality of pain syndrome treatment in the postoperative period in children. Due to the earlier restoration of bowel motility, lidocaine infusion may be useful for rapid postoperative rehabilitation programs. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of all participating institutions. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.

Surgical stress causes a wide range of functional changes in different body systems in children: nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and endocrine. Antinociceptive protection is the main component of anesthetic support for pediatric patients due to the immaturity of neurohumoral regulation of the central and peripheral nervous systems in childhood and, therefore, the low adaptability of the child’s organism. Purpose - to investigate stress-response markers and indicators of the functional state of the autonomic nervous system to assess the antinociceptive properties of intraoperative continuous intravenous infusion of lidocaine during surgical procedures in children. Materials and methods controlled study included 74 children (boys/girls=50/24) who underwent surgical procedures under general anesthesia. Based on the method of general anesthesia, patients were divided into two groups: the standard general anesthesia with propofol and fentanyl, (the control group - n=46) and the general anesthesia with intraoperative intravenous infusion of lidocaine (the study (lidocaine) group - n=28). The adequacy of antinociceptive protection with different methods of anesthesia during surgical, urological, and traumatological procedures in children was compared by evaluation of stress marker levels and the functional state of the autonomic nervous system. Data analysis was performed using the statistical package «SPSS 20» (SPSS Inc.) version 21.0.0 for Windows. Results. The study found that the intraoperative activation of the sympathetic tone of the autonomic nervous system along with changes in blood glucose and cortisol are less pronounced in children who received a constant infusion of lidocaine. Indicators of the functional state of the autonomic nervous system correlate with postoperative levels of stress markers. Conclusions. Prolonged perioperative infusion of lidocaine at a dose of 0.5-2 mg/kg/hour as a component of multimodal anesthesia during surgical procedures in children provides more pronounced antinociceptive protection than anesthesia with propofol in combination with fentanyl. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of all participating institutions. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.

Annotation. At present, the treatment of perioperative pain syndrome in children remains unsolved. This issue is caused not only by a stereotypical approach to the assessment of pain intensity but also due to specific pharmacotherapy of pain in pediatric patients, especially those under the age of 7 years. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of intravenous infusion of lidocaine on the course of the perioperative period in children under the age of 7 years. We conducted a prospective controlled study that included 76 children (45 boys, 31 girls) who underwent surgical procedures under general anesthesia. Age of the patients was from 2 months to 7 years (3.72±2.26 years). Patients were divided into two groups: the first group (n=32) included children who received intravenous lidocaine during the perioperative period, and the second (control) group (n = 44) included children who were not prescribed lidocaine. Data analysis was performed using the statistical package "SPSS 20" (SPSS Inc.) version 21.0.0 for Windows. According to the obtained data, heart rate (HR) during operative procedures and a postoperative serum cortisol level were significantly lower in the lidocaine group compared to the control group (p<0.05). The pressor response to extubation in patients of the study group was less pronounced; namely HR -109.63±14.09 bpm. to 120.75±7.61 bpm. in the control group (p<0.001), the mean arterial pressure - 70.99±8.59 mm Hg to 75.59±7.24 mm Hg, respectively (p=0.017). During the 48-hour follow-up period after surgery, pain intensity according to the FLACC pain scale was significantly lower with lidocaine administration, similarly to the average doses of narcotic analgesics used perioperatively. Perspectives for further research include a subgroup analysis of the efficacy and safety of intravenous infusion of lidocaine over the course of the perioperative period in children, depending on the type and duration of surgical procedures.

Stable hemodynamic parameters are used as one of the criteria for adequacy of analgesia during the surgery. In order to provide reliable antinociceptive protection, it is necessary to reduce the flow of nociceptive stimuli from the peripheral to central receptors. Hence, pain and hemodynamic assessment is crucial for adequate perioperative analgesia and the choice of anesthetic technique in children undergoing orthopaedic trauma surgeries.  Purpose. This study aims to assess pain intensity and changes of hemodynamic parameters in orthopaedic trauma pediatric patients under perioperative multimodal analgesia. Materials and methods. A total of 61 patients with orthopaedic trauma were included in this study. Mean age was 9.3±4.5 years (range: 8-17). Open reduction was performed in 43 cases (70.5%), and 18 children (29.5%) underwent closed reduction. Mean duration of the surgery was 102.1±20.4 min. All patients have the premedication (atropine sulfate, diazepam, acetaminophen, intravenously) done 30-40 min. before the surgery in the surgical ward. Surgical procedures were performed under general anesthesia. Postoperative pain intensity was assessed by Individualized Numeric Rating Scale – NRS. Perioperative monitoring included peripheral pulse oximetry (SpO2), non-invasive blood pressure measurement (SBP, DBP, MAP), vital signs and blood glucose level control. Postoperative analgesia was maintained by IV acetaminophen, if necessary – by administration of divided dose of morphine. Results and conclusions. Mean pain intensity was 2.32±0.28 (6 hrs postop.), 12.06±0.16 (12 hrs postop.), 2.78±0.24 (24 hrs postop.), 2.04±0.6 (48 hrs postop.) based on NRS, respectively (p<0.05). 26% patients required single dose administration of morphine during the first 24 hrs after the surgery. Significant decrease in blood glucose 12 hrs (4.3 mmol/l) and 24 hrs (4.6 mmol/l) after the surgery in comparison to the preoperative level (6.2 mmol/l) suggests of the severe stress resolution in the majority of the patients and adequate pain management. Preoperative stress is mainly caused by underlying disease and the surgical procedure itself. Heart rate (HR) monitoring shows that the vast majority of the patients (n=55, 86.5%) had mean pulse less than 110 bpm after IV Acetaminophen administration (20 mg/kg).  Minimal mean HR throughout the study was 87.3±5.3 bpm, maximal mean HR was 120±5.3 bpm. Mean SBP throughout the study was 100.2±5.3 mm Hg and mean DBP – 66.4±1.8 mm Hg, respectively. Oxygen saturation was within normal limits in all children. Hemodynamic parameters were within physiological surgical stressrelated limits, which suggests of the fluctuant course of postoperative pain syndrome. A traditional approach to perioperative pain management in children is associated with a moderate pain syndrome according to the results obtained with pain scales, hyperkinetic type of hemodynamics 6.24 hrs after the surgery, and the fluctuant course of postoperative pain.