BACKGROUND: Quantifying aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery and assessing postoperative pain caused by these procedures would aid the creation of protocols to humanize nursing care for hospitalized patients, thus possibly making professionals who interact with such patients on a daily basis more compassionate. This study assessed the levels of pain in patients who underwent reconstructive or aesthetic plastic surgery. METHODS: The medical records of 200 patients operated at São Rafael Hospital were reviewed. The reasons for undergoing surgery and pain due to the procedure were also evaluated. RESULTS: The number of patients who reported strong or severe pain following the procedure was significantly lower; all patients who reported strong or severe pain following the procedure had undergone liposuction with or without breast prosthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-, intra-, and postoperative protocols regarding liposuction should be reassessed in order to decrease the severe pain reported by patients undergoing this procedure.
Plastic surgery; Pain; Pain measurement
