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Opioid Withdrawal Signs And Symptoms In The Pediatric Patient During Opioid Tapering, Deborah Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

Opioids are used routinely in the pediatric intensive care population for analgesia, sedation, blunting of physiologic responses to stress, and safety. In children, physical dependence may occur in as little as two to three days of continuous opioid therapy. Once the child no longer needs the opioid, the medications are reduced over time. A review of the literature revealed that the majority of the published studies used either a neonatal opioid assessment tool or no assessment tool. A subsequent international survey of pediatric providers found a wide range of opioid tapering practices and sporadic use of opioid withdrawal instruments to …