Validation of three nociception indices to predict immediate postoperative pain before emergence from general anaesthesia: a prospective double-blind, observational study.

Background: Nociception monitoring devices are designed to estimate nociception during general anaesthesia. We evaluated the predictive accuracy of heart rate and three nociception indices to predict postoperative pain before emergence from general anaesthesia.

Methods: In patients undergoing trauma or orthopaedic surgery, HR, Surgical Pleth Index® (SPI), Pupillary Pain Index® (PPI), and Nociception Level® (NOL) were simultaneously recorded for 5 min after the end of surgery but before return of consciousness.