Animation-Based Caregiver-Patient Interaction Model for Postoperative Pain Management in Preschool Children with Congenital Heart Disease

Summary

This study aimed to explore the effect of an animation-based caregiver-patient interaction model on postoperative analgesia in children of preschool age with congenital heart disease, to evaluate its value in reducing postoperative pain and perioperative anxiety, and to provide evidence-based practical guidance for optimizing pain management for such children.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate an animation-based caregiver-patient interaction model for postoperative pain and anxiety management in preschool children with congenital heart disease (CHD). This randomized controlled trial included 70 preschoolers undergoing CHD surgery under general anesthesia, who were enrolled in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Beijing Children's Hospital (June-October 2024). Participants were stratified into intervention (n=35) and control (n=35) groups. The control group received standard postoperative care, while the intervention group additionally received a structured animation-based program involving preoperative personalized animation selection, post-extubation viewing (≤30 min/session, 3-6 times/day) with nurse-guided interaction, and parental involvement. Pain (WongBaker FACES scale) and anxiety (mYPAS) were assessed at 1 h/6 h postextubation, 24 h/48 h postsurgery, during OR transport, and 24 h postsurgery. Pain was assessed at four time points: 1 h/6 h post-extubation and 24 h/48 h post-surgery. At 1 h post-extubation, there was no significant difference in pain scores between the intervention and control groups (median 9 vs 8, p = 0.462). Pain scores were significantly lower in the intervention group than in controls at 6 h post-extubation (median 6 vs 9), 24 h post-operative (3 vs 6), and 48 h post-operative (2 vs 4); all p < 0.001. Anxiety scores (m-YPAS) were also significantly lower in the intervention group, both on transport to the OR (median 76 vs 80) and at 24 h after surgery (60 vs 80), p < 0.001. Friedman tests demonstrated significant within-group changes over time in anxiety levels (intervention p < 0.001), confirming that the intervention group experienced substantially reduced anxiety at these two key perioperative time points. The interactive animation model significantly reduces postoperative pain and perioperative anxiety in preschool patients with CHD, offering a safe non-pharmacological adjuvant for pain management.

Introduction

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common birth defect caused by abnormal development of the heart and large blood vessels during embryonic development^1,2 and is the leading cause of birth defects, seriously threatening the health of children³. Surgical treatment is the main method; however, pain management after surgery is still a key clinical challenge⁴. Postoperative pain not only brings significant discomfort but is also an important factor in inducing cardiovascular and pulmonary complications and poor prognosis, which has a dual impact on the child's p....

Protocol

This study employs a prospective, randomized, controlled trial design. A total of 70 children who underwent surgery for CHD under general anesthesia in the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Unit (CCU) of Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University between June 2024 and October 2024 were selected as the research participants. This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University (Approval Number: 2024-Y-199-D, Approval Date: 20 Aug 2024). The trial was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on January 6, 2026 (Re....

Results

In the control group, there were 35 participants, comprising 17 boys and 18 girls. Among them, 2 participants were diagnosed with atrial septal defect and 33 with ventricular septal defect. In the intervention group, there were also 35 participants, comprising 14 boys and 21 girls. Among them, 1 participant was diagnosed with partial atrioventricular canal repair, 1 with partial pulmonary vein connection repair, 4 with atrial septal defect, and 29 with ventricular septal defect.

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Discussion

This study confirmed through a control experiment that the caregiver-patient interaction model based on animations can significantly reduce the postoperative pain and perioperative anxiety level of children before school age with CHD and is associated with lower analgesic medication consumption. This finding provides new evidence-based support for non-pharmacological pain management in children after surgery, while revealing the unique advantages of interactive audio-visual interventions compared with traditional passive.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Cardiovascular ultrasound system		Siemens
SPSS		IBM