Current Strategies for Pain Management in Pediatric Trauma and Risk for Opioid Use Disorder

Amidst the opioid crisis, acute pain management in pediatric trauma is complicated by the fact that children respond differently to pain than adults. This is largely due to incomplete development of neural networks and immature mechanisms in verbalizing distress. Much of the literature emphasizes that adequate and timely analgesic relief in pediatric patients is necessary to avoid complications of chronic pain. This article analyzes current strategies in nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic alternatives to opioid management in the setting of pediatric trauma. We also acknowledge that, albeit having a lower incidence than in the adult population, opioid use disorders (OUD) are a serious consequence of narcotic prescriptions in adolescent patients, and emergency and primary care providers must remain vigilant of the signs and symptoms of OUD.