Cryoanalgesia as the Essential Element of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) in Children Undergoing Thoracic Surgery—Scoping Review

Abstract

This article aims to present cryoanalgesia as an inventive strategy for pain alleviation among pediatric patients. It underlines the tremendous need to align pain management with the principles of the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) approach. The aim of the study was to review the patient outcomes of nerve cryoanalgesia during surgery reported with regard to ERAS in the literature. The literature search was performed using PubMed and Embase to identify articles on the use of cryoanalgesia in children. It excluded editorials, reviews, meta-analyses, and non-English articles. The analysis focused on the study methods, data analysis, patient selection, and patient follow-up. This review includes a total of 25 articles. Three of the articles report the results of cryoanalgesia implemented in ERAS protocol in children. The research outcome indicates shortened hospital stay, potential reduction in opioid dosage, and significant progress in physical rehabilitation. This paper also describes the first intraoperative utilization of intercostal nerve cryoanalgesia during the Nuss procedure in Poland, highlighting its effectiveness in pain management. Adding the cryoanalgesia procedure to multimodal analgesia protocol may facilitate the implementation of the ERAS protocol in pediatric patients.