Annales d'oto-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico faciale : bulletin de la Société d'oto-laryngologie des hôpitaux de Paris
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Ann Otolaryngol Chir Cervicofac · Jun 1999
[Postoperative pain assessment in head and neck cancer surgery: benefit of patient controlled analgesia (PCA)].
Acute postoperative pain has seldom been assessed in head and neck cancer surgery. The estimation of actual pain is more difficult when communication is impaired by tracheotomy or tracheostomia. The aim of the present prospective study was the assessment of analgesia level during the first 48 postoperative hours after head and neck cancer surgery. ⋯ No case of respiratory depression was even seen. It can be concluded that PCA seems to be an efficient procedure for controlling postoperative pain in head and neck cancer surgery. This technique proved to be better than delivering analgesia on requirement.