DOI: 10.1017/s1047951126113560 ISSN: 1047-9511
Opioid exposure in neonates and infants following cardiac surgery: a comparative analysis
Melissa B. Jones, Christine Riley, Gil Wernovsky, Vanessa Sterzbecher, Onais Tariq, Melissa Dazo, Erin Griffin, Heather Gordish, Sherrill D. CaprarolaAbstract
Introduction:
Both untreated pain and opioid exposure impact neurodevelopment in critically ill infants. We aimed to describe and compare opioid exposure in neonates (30 days of age) post-cardiac surgery.
Methods:
We conducted a secondary analysis of a single-centre retrospective cohort of all cardiac ICU surgical patients for 30 days. These findings also suggest the need for careful pain assessment and additional strategies to address pain in this vulnerable population.