Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39140262›Full record

ArticleThe Laryngoscope2025

Postoperative Analgesic Regimens and Their Satisfaction Rates-Data from the Swedish Quality Register for Tonsil Surgery.

Fredrik Alm, Erik Odhagen, Ola Sunnergren, Pia Nerfeldt

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Laryngoscope, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Nonpharmacologic Therapy for Pediatric Posttonsillectomy Pain: A Systematic Review.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. The role of postoperative sucralfate in adults following tonsillectomy and sleep surgery: a systematic review.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Fredrik AlmSchool of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-4718-3361
Erik OdhagenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Södra Älvsborgs Hospital, Borås, Sweden.
Ola SunnergrenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology -Head and Neck Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Pia NerfeldtDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo describe postoperative analgesic regimens and patient-reported pain-related outcomes after tonsil surgery.

methodsCohort study including perioperative data (n = 9274) and patient-reported outcome measures (n = 5080) registered in the Swedish Quality Register for Tonsil Surgery during 2023.

resultsAfter tonsil surgery, 92.7% received at least paracetamol and a NSAID/COX inhibitor, while 6.8% received no NSAID/COX inhibitor. Opioids were prescribed after tonsillectomy to 62.9% of adults and less often to adolescents and children (13-17-year-olds: 48.2%, 6-12-year-olds: 8.8%, 0-5-year-olds: 4.0%). Clonidine was frequently prescribed to 0-5-year-olds after tonsillectomy (54.4%). Overall, 11.7% reported dissatisfaction with the pain treatment, with the highest dissatisfaction rate after tonsillectomy in adolescents (20.6%) and adults (20.0%), and the lowest after tonsillotomy in children (4.9-6.8%). The most common complaint among dissatisfied patients was analgesics not being sufficiently helpful. Adult patients who received addition of opioids were less dissatisfied with the pain treatment (15.9% vs. 25.9%, p < 0.001), but also reported more side effects (5.7% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.039), compared with patients who received only paracetamol and NSAID/COX inhibitors.

conclusionTonsil surgery patients in Sweden receive various analgesic regimens. Although most are satisfied with pain treatment, there is room for improvement, particularly among adolescents and adults undergoing tonsillectomy. Paracetamol and a NSAID/COX inhibitor seem advisable as basic treatment. However, many patients need more effective treatment. The addition of opioids in adults results in greater satisfaction with pain treatment, but safety issues with opioid prescriptions must be taken into consideration. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 135:140-147, 2025.

Indexed as

Patient SatisfactionPostoperative PainRegistriesTonsillectomyAcetaminophenAdolescentAdultAnalgesicsAnalgesics, OpioidAnti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-SteroidalChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesFemaleHumansInfantAcetaminophenAnalgesicsAnalgesics, OpioidAnti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidalpain managementpatient satisfactiontonsillectomy

Identifiers

PMID39140262
PMCPMC11635142

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.