Protocols of analgesia in immediate postoperative period in urological surgery. Evaluation of pain and satisfaction of the patient in their application.

Objectives: The objective of this work was to establish the analgesia protocols for different types of urological surgery and to analyze the impact on pain during the first 24 h after surgery.

Methods: The study included 186 patients undergoing urological surgery between 2011 and 2013. Seven analgesia protocols were established and applied according to the surgical procedure. At 24 h post-surgery, i.e., the initiation of analgesic treatment, patients` pain was evaluated by visual analog scale/numeric scale (VAS/NS), and their degree of satisfaction and nausea were assessed.

Results: The study sample comprised 137 males (73.7%) and 49 females (26.3%), with a mean age of 58.5 ± 14.7 yrs. Analgesia protocol 1 was applied in 5.9% of patients, protocol 2 in 17.8%, protocol 3 in 8.6%, protocol 4 in 38.9%, protocol 5 in 13.5%, protocol 6 in 14.6%, and protocol 7 in 0.5%. At 24 h post-surgery, the VAS/NS score was = 3 in 82.3% of patients; hence, only 17.7% required rescue analgesia; 71% of patients were highly satisfied with the treatment provided and 22.6% were satisfied. 6.4% were not satisfied.

Conclusion: Establishing analgesia protocols according to the type of surgery is a valid and useful measure to control postoperative pain during the first 24 h and to provide appropriate treatment standardization and follow-up.