Prediction of Postoperative Pain from Electrical Pain Thresholds after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

OBJECTIVE:: Early postoperative pain correlates to persisting pain, psychosocial distress, and delayed mobilization with thromboembolic and infectious complications. Electrical pain thresholds (EPT) have shown promising results in being able to predict postoperative pain, but the results are conflicting. The aim of this study was to test whether EPT levels can be used to predict postoperative pain in patients of both genders. METHODS:: One-hundred-and-eighty patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in this prospective clinical study. Individual levels of EPT were measured before surgery, and pain intensity was evaluated in the early postoperative period. RESULTS:: There were significant correlations between EPT and maximum postoperative pain intensity (rs=−0.21 P=0.009), time to first rescue opioid (rs=0.26, P=0.006) and total dose of rescue opioid (rs=−0.22, P=0.001). Interaction test showed significant influence of gender on the ability of EPT to predict postoperative pain intensity. Female patients with low EPT (