Parent-controlled PCA for pain management in pediatric oncology: is it safe?

Patient-controlled analgesia offers safe and effective pain control for children who can self-administer medication. Some children may not be candidates for patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) unless a proxy can administer doses. The safety of proxy-administered PCA has been studied, but the safety of parent-administered PCA in children with cancer has not been reported. In this study, we compare the rate of complications in PCA by parent proxy versus PCA by clinician (nurse) proxy and self-administered PCA. Our pediatric institution's quality improvement database was reviewed for adverse events associated with PCA from 2004 through 2010. Each PCA day was categorized according to patient or proxy authorization. Data from 6151 PCA observation days were included; 61.3% of these days were standard PCA, 23.5% were parent-proxy PCA, and 15.2% were clinician-proxy PCA days. The mean duration of PCA use was 12.1 days, and the mean patient age was 12.3 years. The mean patient age was lower in the clinician-proxy (9.4 y) and parent-proxy (5.1 y) groups, respectively. The complication rate was lowest in the parent-proxy group (0.62%). We found that proxy administration of PCA by authorized parents is as safe as clinician administered and standard PCA at our pediatric institution.

Risk of catheter-associated infection in young hematology/oncology patients receiving long-term peripheral nerve blocks.

BACKGROUND: Continuous peripheral nerve blocks (CPNBs) are increasingly used to control postoperative and chronic pain. At our pediatric oncology institution, the duration of CPNBs is often prolonged. The risk of catheter-associated infection with prolonged CPNBs has not been previously investigated. AIM: We analyzed the incidence of CPNB-related infection and its relation to catheter duration, catheter site, intensive care stay, and antibiotic coverage. METHODS: All CPNBs placed at our institution between August 1, 2005 and October 31, 2010 were studied. Primary diagnosis and the site, indication, duration, and infectious adverse effects of CPNBs were obtained from our Pain Service QI database. Patients' age and sex, antibiotic administration, and number of days in intensive care were collected from patients' medical records. RESULTS: The use of 179 catheters in 116 patients was evaluated. Mean age at CPNB placement was 15.1 years (median, 14.7; range, 0.4-26.9). The most frequent indication for CPNB was surgery (89.4%), most commonly orthopedic (78.8%). Mean CPNB duration was 7.2 days (median, 5.0; range, 1-81 days). Two cases (1.12%) of CPNBs developed signs of infection, both associated with femoral catheters. The infections were mild and necessitated catheter removal at days 10 and 13, respectively. CONCLUSION: Nerve block catheter-associated infections are infrequent at our institution despite prolonged CPNB use. Both patients with infection had femoral catheters and prolonged catheter (≥ 10 days) use.

An institutional quality improvement initiative for pain management for pediatric cancer inpatients.

Health care institutions must use the principles of quality improvement to demonstrate appropriate assessment and effective management of pain. Here, we describe the quality improvement initiative implemented at our pediatric institution to improve the quality of pain management. We conducted chart audits for the previous 24 hours during which patients received inpatient care. Over six years, 2,478 charts were audited for 87 24-hour periods (average 1.2 days/month) to answer the following: (1) Was pain intensity assessed as per the institutional pain standard of care, (2) What proportion of audited inpatients had significant pain (>or=5/10), and (3) When significant pain (>or=5/10) occurred, was treatment effective (pain score