British journal of anaesthesia
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Observational Study
Postoperative pain assessment in children: a pilot study of the usefulness of the analgesia nociception index†.
The ability to perform objective pain assessment is very important in paediatric patients. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between the analgesia nociception index (ANI), which is based on the heart rate variability, and objective measurements of pain intensity in young or cognitively impaired children, after surgical or imaging procedures (control group) under general anaesthesia. ⋯ The ANI may provide an objective measurement of acute postoperative pain, which is correlated with that measured on a FLACC scale in young or cognitively impaired children.