Use of the On-Q Pain Pump in Alveolar Bone Grafting: Effect on Hospit Length of Stay

It's Hip to Go Home: An Evaluation of Outpatient Alveolar Bone Grafting in Patients With Cleft Palate

INTRODUCTION

Secondary alveolar bone grafting (ABG) is a common procedure performed at cleft care centers used to fill the alveolar cleft. The advent of techniques such as minimally invasive trephine drill harvest and placement of continuous-infusion pain pumps at the donor site has made outpatient ABG an increasingly feasible and cost-effective procedure. However, enhanced recovery after surgery protocols to maximize pain control and recovery times for this patient population have not been well established.

METHODS

A retrospective single-institution review was conducted of pediatric patients with cleft palate who underwent iliac crest bone graft ABG at a large urban academic children's hospital from 2017 to 2022. Patient age, alveolar cleft repair laterality, pain scores, surgery duration, hospital LOS, readmissions, and re-operations within 30 days were examined.

RESULTS

Fifty-four patients met our inclusion criteria. Fifty patients (92.6%) received a pain pump during the operation. The median duration of surgery and LOS in the post-anesthesia care unit were 1.28 and 1.75 hours, respectively. Fifty-two patients (96.3%) were discharged on the same day as their surgery whereas 2 patients (3.7%) stayed in the hospital overnight. The median pain score at the time of discharge was 0 (interquartile range 0, 0). There were 6 (11.1%) minor complications including 5 pain pump malfunctions and 1 recipient site wound breakdown. There was 1 readmission (1.9%) for development of a surgical site infection at the hip and no re-operations within 30 days of surgery.

CONCLUSION

The described outpatient ABG protocol demonstrates effective postoperative pain control, short hospital LOS, and few complications requiring hospital readmission or reoperation.

Pain management at iliac donor sites after grafting of alveolar clefts

The aim of this study was to answer the question: which analgesic protocol is most efficient and most effective in overcoming pain and promoting functional recovery after iliac bone grafting in cleft alveolus patients? A systematic review of the literature was performed. The population consisted of cleft lip and alveolus patients with or without cleft palate undergoing iliac crest bone grafting; the outcomes analysed were represented by the duration of hospital stay, subjective pain rating, and degree of impaired mobility. A total of 15 articles were selected for review. The following protocols were subject to comparison in this review: simple classic intravenous/per-oral analgesia, local anaesthetic infiltration in the donor site, anaesthetic-soaked sponge, neural blocks and continuous infusion at the donor site. The results of the included studies were individually reported identifying trends in the efficiency of the different pain-management techniques. Although hospital stay varied from same-day discharge to almost a week, other factors besides pain influenced this outcome. School was resumed after an average of 12.6 days and sport activities after maximum one month regardless of the used protocol. Even though the age of patients had a statistically significant influence on hospital stay durations, it did not determine the latter. The pain management protocols after iliac bone grafting of alveolar clefts selected for analysis have their advantages and drawbacks. All protocols seem effective meaning they reach adequacy in managing pain at the donor site. The efficiency of the protocols could not be assessed due to the lack of data and inconsistency in pain assessment scales. Further investigation through randomized controlled studies is required.

A Multimodal Preemptive Analgesic Protocol for Alveolar Bone Graft Surgery: Decreased Pain, Hospital Stay, and Health Care Costs

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate postoperative pain, hospital length of stay (LOS), and associated costs of multiple perioperative analgesic strategies following alveolar bone grafting (ABG).

DESIGN

Retrospective comparative cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary care pediatric hospital.

PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS

Iliac crest bone graft (ICBG) harvest techniques: "Open Harvest" (n = 22), "Trephine Only" (n = 14), or "Trephine + Pain Pump" (n = 25).

INTERVENTION

The "Open Harvest" group underwent open ICBG harvest with 3-walled osteotomies. For the other 2 treatment groups, a trephine drill was used to harvest iliac crest bone with a ropivacaine infusion pump into the hip donor site ("Trephine + Pain Pump") or without ("Trephine Only"). Patients who underwent ABG with only cadaveric allograft were analyzed as a comparison group ("No Harvest").

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES

Outcomes were planned prior to data collection: maximum pain score, hospital LOS, and associated health care costs.

RESULTS

Maximum pain scores were significantly higher in the "Open Harvest" group (7.3/10) compared to "Trephine + Pain Pump" (1.8/10; P < .0001) and "No Harvest" groups (2.8/10; P < .01). Hospital LOS decreased from 2.4 days ("Open Harvest") to 0.5 days (Trephine + Pain Pump"; P < .0001). Twelve (48%) patients from "Trephine + Pain Pump" were discharged on the day of surgery. The "Trephine + Pain Pump" saved an estimated $5336 for a unilateral ABG and $7265 for a bilateral ABG compared to "Open Harvest."

CONCLUSIONS

The combined use of the trephine ICBG technique and ropivacaine infusion catheter effectively decreased pain, shortened hospital stay, and improved cost saving compared to patients who have undergone other methods of ICBG.