Pain management in children undergoing rhabdoid tumor resection. Case report

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES  Rhabdoid tumors are rare aggressive tumors and affect specially the young population, with a predominance in children under 4 years of age. Literature data define them as a disease of high malignancy and grim prognosis. The proper control and adequate approach to postoperative pain in children should always be a priority in the anesthetic-surgical planning.

CASE REPORT  A child undergoing general anesthesia, associated with multimodal analgesia technique, epidural block, and Transversus Abdominis Plane block (TAP Block) for rhabdoid tumor surgical resection in the lower limb. The chosen anesthetic technique aimed to achieve good pain control in the postoperative period, in major oncologic surgery approach. The instrument used for measuring pain scores was the Children and Infants Postoperative Pain Scale (CHIPPS).

CONCLUSION  Multimodal anesthesia associated with epidural technique and peripheral nerve block seems adequate for postoperative pain control in major cancer surgeries. Adequate management and control of painful complaints can be beneficial not only in the short term and in the postoperative period but can also have beneficial impacts in the adulthood of pediatric cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment.

Keywords:
Anesthesia; Child; Pain; Cancer