Parent-Controlled Analgesia in Children Undergoing Cleft Palate Repair

The aims of this study were to find an optimal basal infusion dose of fentanyl for parent-controlled analgesia (PrCA) in children undergoing cleft palate repair and the degree of parents' satisfaction with PrCA. Thirty consecutive children between 6 months and 2 yr of age were enrolled. At the end of surgery, a PrCA device with a basal infusion rate of 2 mL/hr and bolus of 0.5 mL with lockout time of 15 min was applied. Parents were educated in patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) devices, the Wong Baker face pain scoring system, and monitoring of adverse effects of fentanyl. Fentanyl was infused 0.3 µg/kg/hr at first, and we obtained a predetermined fentanyl regimen by the response of the previous patient to a larger or smaller dose of fentanyl (0.1 µg/kg/hr as the step size), using an up-and-down method. ED(50) and ED(95) by probit analysis were 0.63 µg/kg/hr (95% confidence limits, 0.55-0.73 µg/kg/hr) and 0.83 µg/kg/hr (95% confidence limits, 0.73-1.47 µg/kg/hr), respectively. Eighty seven percent of the parents were satisfied with participating in the PrCA modality. PrCA using fentanyl with a basal infusion rate of 0.63 µg/kg/hr can be applied effectively for postoperative pain management in children undergoing cleft palate repair with a high level of parents' satisfaction.