Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine
Better Care for Children in Pain

Welcome to the Monthly SPPM Visual Pearls! This NEW feature from the SPPM is aimed at educating clinicians, researchers, psychologists, and allied health practitioners interested in pediatric pain management.

The Visual Pearls will rotate between a variety of topics such as:

• Regional Anesthesia Techniques – New Equipment, Focus on POCUS, Beyond Catheters, New Local Anesthetics and Adjuncts, ERAS, Safety
• Interventional Pain Management Techniques – Acupuncture, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Physical Therapy Yoga, Biofeedback, Complementary Medicine
• Sustainable Anesthesia
• Global Health
• Education
• Wellness
• Work Life Balance
• Humor
• And more!

CLICK HERE for more information and to view the June 2021 Visual Pearl!

A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Treatment of Pediatric Chronic Pain
By M-Irfan Suleman, MD, FAAP, FASA; Souraya Torbey, MD; Keith J. Slifer, PhD

Dr. Suleman, an active member of SPPM, was recently published in the ASA Monitor a publication of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

CLICK HERE to read his wonderful summary of a team based approach to managing chronic pain.

Since 2009, the Rita Allen Foundation has awarded annually the Rita Allen Foundation Award in Pain, recognizing emerging experts in basic pain research whose work holds high potential for uncovering new pathways to improve the treatment of chronic pain. Each year, the Foundation typically awards two grants in the amount of $50,000 per year over three years, to early-career investigators who are pursuing innovative research on mechanisms that initiate and propagate pain in the nervous system. Candidates should be in the early stages of their career, with an appointment at the faculty level.

Formal Announcement

Instructions and Eligibility

Submit Your Application

In November 2020, JAMA Surgery published, “Guidelines for Opioid Prescribing in Children and Adolescents After Surgery: An Expert Panel Opinion”.

These new guidelines generated important conversation within the pediatric pain medicine community and SPPM.  SPPM members Dr. Rita Agarwal, Dr. Vidya Chidambaran and Dr. Stephen Hays submitted a formal response to the study, which was then followed by a response from the authors of the study.

Here are the pertinent links to the published papers and responses. Let us know your thoughts, we love to hear from our members!

Original study:
Guidelines for Opioid Prescribing in Children and Adolescents After Surgery: An Expert Panel Opinion: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/2772855

Response:
Concerns About Pediatric Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
Rita Agarwal, MD; Vidya Chidambaran, MD, MS; Stephen Robert Hays, MS, MD
https://ja.ma/3irE6Wu

Author’s Response:
Concerns About Pediatric Opioid Prescribing Guidelines—Reply
Lorraine I. Kelley-Quon, MD, MSHS; Matthew G. Kirkpatrick, PhD; Eugene Kim, MD
https://ja.ma/3z4BW4K

 

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) hosted a virtual pain summit on February 20, 2021 with 14 medical specialty societies to discuss acute surgical pain principles that will serve as the basis for a multi-society acute pain resource.

Follow link for more information:

https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2021/02/14-medical-specialty-organizations-achieve-pathway-to-collaborative-guide-for-acute-surgical-pain