Validation of the Paediatric Anaesthesia Behaviour Score in PACU
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Validation of the Paediatric Anaesthesia Behaviour Score in the Post Anaesthetic Care Unit following General Anaesthesia for Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
IRAS ID
217927
Contact name
RICHARD BERINGER
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Children wake from a general anaesthetic in the Post Anaesthetic Care Unit. How a child wakes is extremely variable: some children wake up calm and happy; many are agitated and upset; and at the extreme end of the spectrum, some children exhibit behaviour known as emergence delirium (ED).
ED may require additional staff assistance or even pharmacological intervention to prevent self-injury, disruption to surgical repair, accidental removal of IV cannula, catheters and drains.
ED can be distressing for parents and staff and may cause parental dissatisfaction with their child’s care. The long term psychological consequences of ED are still unclear, but children who show agitation during emergence have a higher risk of developing negative post-operative behaviours including separation anxiety, enuresis, apathy, sleep and eating disorders and temper tantrums.
The Paediatric Anaesthesia Behaviour (PAB) score was developed in Bristol Royal Hospital for children and has been validated during induction of anaesthesia, and is a simple tool for identification of behavioural disturbance.
The purpose of this study is to validate this simple tool so that it can be used for all children undergoing general anaesthesia. This is the first step of a quality improvement project with the aim of reducing the incidence and severity of emergence delirium.
REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/2088
Date of REC Opinion
15 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion