Abstract
Background: Postoperative wound pain is commonly observed in the pediatric postanesthesia care unit (PACU) following tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and adenotonsillectomy (adeno/tonsillectomy), which contributes to increased medical care costs and delayed facility discharge. The purpose of this study was to review the benefits of preoperative administration of Hycet elixir (2.5 mg hydrocodone and 108 mg acetaminophen per 5 mL) in a pediatric population aged 1 to 9 years following adeno/tonsillectomy. Methods: Patient demographics, comorbidities, surgical and anesthetic times, need for postoperative rescue therapies, and PACU recovery and length of stay times were measured in pediatric patients who received preoperative administration of Hycet elixir (0.2 mg/kg hydrocodone) for adeno/tonsillectomy in an outpatient setting compared to a control group. Results: The Hycet elixir group had significant reductions in PACU and hospital lengths of stay and significant reductions in the need for postoperative rescue analgesics. No significant differences were observed in emergence times or in the incidences of unplanned hospital admission between the control and Hycet elixir groups. Conclusion: These data show that the preoperative administration of Hycet elixir is well tolerated in the pediatric patient population undergoing adeno/tonsillectomy and appears to significantly reduce the need for postoperative rescue analgesics and postoperative care times. These data support the use of preoperative administration of Hycet elixir in this patient population.