Prospective Survey of Postoperative Pain in Japan: A Multicenter, Observational Study
<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Postoperative analgesia is important for reducing biologically invasive reactions to surgery. In Japan, postoperative analgesia, including indices of analgesia, has not been adequately addressed. This study aimed to determine the relationship between postoperative pain and postoperative course and the importance of analgesia for early recovery. <b>Methods</b>: Patients who underwent any of seven surgical procedures in gastrointestinal, thoracic, and cardiac surgery were enrolled. The primary endpoint was a median Prince Henry Pain Scale score from postoperative days 1 to 3. Secondary endpoints were the quality of recovery on postoperative day 7 (Quality of Recovery-15 [QoR-15]) and the length of postoperative hospital stay. <b>Results</b>: Median postoperative pain levels among surgeries were 3 on day 1, 2 on days 2 and 3, 1 on day 7, and 1 at discharge. In both univariate and multivariate analyses, the use of postoperative epidural analgesia and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) were significant predictors of early postoperative pain. Only early postoperative pain was a significant predictor of QoR-15 score. Regular use of acetaminophen, early postoperative pain, no appetite, and postoperative complications were significant in affecting the length of postoperative hospital stay. In the comparison of early postoperative pain according to whether epidural analgesia and IV-PCA were used, the group that used both methods had the least pain. <b>Conclusions</b>: In Japan, early postoperative pain persists after major surgical procedures and affects postoperative quality of recovery and length of hospital stay. The use of epidural analgesia, IV-PCA, or both appeared to be effective in overcoming early postoperative pain, thereby enhancing early postoperative recovery.
Authors
- Tatsushi Shingai
- Nobuya Ishibashi
- Go Miyata
- Yutaka Hasegawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0164-3572)
- Mitsuhiro Asakuma
- Ryota Matsui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0541-2357)
- Kazuhiko Fukatsu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4367-019X)
- Kazuhiro Takehara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8808-3338)
- Ichiro Yamato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6934-9452)
- Hideki Taniguchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9348-7468)
- Yoshihiro Nabeya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0438-860X)
- Naoki Hiki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6857-8736)
- Masaki Kaibori (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0577-3921)
- Tadashi Higuchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1935-3669)
- Toshimitsu Miyasaka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4066-0479)
- Naohiro Washizawa
- Yasuhiro Matsugu
- Yutaka Kimura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0188-0586)
- Takayuki Kohri
- Hiroshi Sato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7706-158X)
- Takeshi Yamada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1436-7482)
- Hideyuki Matsushima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0406-9756)
- Wataru Tatsuishi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2327-0981)
- Koji Komeda
- Ryo Inada
- Yuichi Nagakawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1169-8160)
- Chie Takishita
- Kosuke Matsui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7274-0177)
- Hiroshi Okamoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9042-7096)
- Takashi Kamei
- Ken‐ichi Tanaka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5391-3813)
- Yoshito Akagi
- Saiho Ko
- Kengo Yoshii
- Tung Thanh Lai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4230-9781)
Institutions
- Kurume University (JP)
- Kansai Medical University (JP)
- Toho University (JP)
- Tokyo Medical University (JP)
- Hanoi Medical University (VN)
- Tohoku University (JP)
- Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (JP)
- Iwate Prefectural Central Hospital (JP)
- Toho University Omori Medical Center (JP)
- Saiseikaisenri Hospital (JP)
- Hiroshima Prefectural Hospital (JP)
- University of Tokyo Hospital (JP)
- Chiba Cancer Center (JP)
- Gunma Prefectural Cardiovascular Center (JP)
- Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital (JP)
- Gunma University Hospital (JP)
- Nara Prefecture General Medical Center (JP)
- Kitasato University (JP)
- Nara Medical University (JP)
- Nippon Medical School (JP)
- Saitama Medical University (JP)
- Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JP)
- Kindai University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Published
- 2025-02-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14041130
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Anesthesia and Pain Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.03