Post-Operative Pain in Children Undergoing Tonsillectomy

For the many children who undergo tonsillectomies each year, management of post-operative pain remains a challenge. Among the obstacles is finding the best post-operative medical strategy to control pain with minimal side effects, as well as working with parents and other caregivers to ensure that children receive adequate pain medications. Adequate pain control is critical to ensure that children remain hydrated and resume regular eating as soon as possible after surgery.

“Tonsillectomy is an operation that is uncomfortable and affects children profoundly for a few days after surgery,” said David E. Tunkel, MD, director of pediatric otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Md. “The problem is that there is no perfect analgesic strategy.” The other problem, he said, is that parents and caregivers often don’t administer adequate doses of pain medication after surgery due to concerns about giving these medications to children.

This concern is not without warrant. An increasing number of reports of fatalities associated with codeine, one of the most time-honored drugs used to treat post-operative pain in children following