Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine
Better Care for Children in Pain.

A 13-year-old patient who is supported by home hospice is admitted for severe abdominal pain. Her parents state that continuing to treat their child’s biliary colic with medication is only “putting a band-aid on the problem” and have requested surgical intervention. The child has a history of extreme prematurity, severe neurologic impairment, seizure disorder, TPN dependence, bowel dysmotility, chronic kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea, reactive airway disease, chronic opioid dependence (fentanyl transdermal) secondary to abdominal pain related to cholelithiasis and recurrent pancreatitis. The surgeon and parent have agreed to the least invasive option which is ERCP and placement of a biliary stent. Her code status is Do not Resuscitate/Do not intubate (DNR/DNI), and her parents wish to maintain current limits on resuscitation. The anesthesiology team is invited to participate in a preoperative care conference with the primary team and surgeon to discuss the anesthetic and pain management plan.

What is the best approach to her perioperative resuscitation status? (DNR, DNI)?

Correct! Wrong!

Question of the Month - April 2026