Sedation-analgesia protocol for the injection of botulinum toxin A in cerebral palsy

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the sedation-analgesia technique on the pain experienced by the patient. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on consecutive patients with cerebral palsy (CP) who underwent infiltration with botulinum toxin A (BoTNA). The patients were divided into 4 different groups according to the analgesic strategy assigned: Group I, without sedation or topical anaesthetic cream; Group II, inhalation of nitrous oxide; Group III, deep intravenous sedation; and Group IV, light sedation with benzodiazepines. Pain was assessed with different scales depending on patient age. Parents were asked to rate their satisfaction with their child's comfort by using a 5-point Likert-type scale. The primary end-point was the proportion of patients that experienced a pain level equal or lower than 2, according to pain scales, in the different study groups. Results: Of the 124 patients included in the study, 56 (45.2%) experienced a pain level ≤ 2. In the Group III a significantly greater proportion of patients were classified with a pain level score ≤ 2, P