Percutaneous pin removal in the outpatient clinic--do children require analgesia?: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Percutaneous pins used in the surgical fixation of fractures in children are often removed in the outpatient clinic without the administration of analgesia. Pin removal can be a cause of anxiety for children, parents, and caregivers. Relatively little is known about the requirement of analgesia for this procedure.

Pain during percutaneous pin removal in children with elbow fractures.

Purpose: To survey caregivers with regard to the pain they perceived their children were having during the removal of the percutaneous Kirschner wires, as well as the need for analgesia.

Methods: 23 male and 18 female patients aged 1 to 15 (mean, 7) years who underwent closed reduction and percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation for elbow fractures and subsequent removal of the wires were included. Before the removal procedure, caregivers of these patients were asked to select one of 4 options for the procedure: no analgesia, paracetamol, sedation, and general anaesthesia.