Analysis of perioperative pain management in vascular surgery indicates that practice does not adhere with guidelines: a retrospective cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Inadequate treatment of pain related to surgery may be associated with complications and prolonged recovery time and increased morbidity and mortality rates. We investigated perioperative pain management in vascular surgery and compared it with the relevant guidelines for the treatment of perioperative pain. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on 501 patients who underwent vascular surgery at the University Hospital Split, Croatia. We collected the following data from patients’ charts: age, gender, premedication, preoperative patient’s physical status, type of surgery, duration of surgery and anesthesia, type of anesthesia, postoperative analgesia, and need for intensive care. We examined departmental procedures to assess adherence to guidelines for perioperative pain management. RESULTS: None of the 501 patients’ charts recorded information about perioperative pain intensity, 28% of patients did not receive any medication the night before their elective surgical procedures, and 17% of patients did not receive premedication immediately before the procedure. Most patients (66%) did not receive any pain medication in the operating room after surgery. Following surgery, 36% of patients were monitored in the intensive care units, while the rest were released to the ward. Some patients (17%) did not receive any analgesia after surgery. Procedures at the department did not adhere to the current recommendations for perioperative pain management. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that management of surgery-related pain in complex vascular procedures at this hospital did not follow guidelines for the management of acute perioperative pain. Our finding that most patients did not receive appropriate analgesia after vascular surgery leads to the conclusion that the institution would benefit from developing guidelines for the management of acute perioperative pain, which should be applied in all cases.