Analgesic Consumption in the Early Postoperative Period: A Prospective Observational PACU Study

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: Postoperative Pain, Analgesic Consumption, Pain Management

In brief

Postoperative pain remains a significant clinical challenge that directly affects patient recovery, functional outcomes, and overall quality of care. Inadequate pain control in the early postoperative period is associated with delayed mobilization, increased risk of complications, prolonged hospital stay, and the development of chronic pain. The post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) represents a critical phase in which pain is actively assessed and managed, and analgesic consumption during this period serves as an objective indicator of analgesic requirements and effectiveness of perioperative pain strategies. This prospective observational study aims to identify patient-related, surgical, and anesthesia-related factors influencing analgesic consumption in the early postoperative period among adult patients admitted to the PACU following elective surgery. No additional interventions will be performed, and all perioperative management will follow routine clinical practice. Data will be collected prospectively from clinical records, anesthesia charts, and PACU monitoring forms. The primary outcome is total analgesic consumption during the PACU stay. Secondary outcomes include pain intensity assessed using a standardized pain scale at PACU admission and discharge, requirement for rescue analgesia, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, and length of stay in the PACU. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the identification of patients at higher risk for increased analgesic requirements and to support the development of individualized pain management strategies, ultimately improving perioperative care quality and patient outcomes.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07547618

Run by

Dr Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital

People needed

254

Starts

2026-04-05

Expected to finish

2026-07-20

Last updated by the study team

2026-04-30

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adults aged 18 years and older
• Undergoing elective surgical procedures
• Admitted to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) after surgery
• Receiving general and/or regional anesthesia
• Able to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if…

• Patients younger than 18 years
• Emergency surgical procedures
• Patients transferred directly to the intensive care unit postoperatively
• PACU stay shorter than 30 minutes
• Patients unable to communicate or assess pain
• Incomplete clinical records
• Refusal to participate in the study

Where it is running

• Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Education and Research Hospital Clinic of Anesthesiology and Rea — Ankara, Yenimahalle, Turkey (Türkiye) (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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