Comparing Pain Relief Methods and Early Movement in Older Adults After Major Surgery in ICU Care

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating how different pain-control methods affect the speed at which older adults begin to move after major surgery. This study focuses on patients aged 65 and older admitted to the intensive care unit ICU after major surgery. The goal is to better understand which pain relief approaches may support faster and safer recovery and early mobilization in this population. Participants will receive usual pain management determined by their doctors without any changes by the study team. The methods include intravenous opioid analgesia with or without additional agents, epidural analgesia, or peripheral nerve block analgesia with or without additional agents. These treatments are given as part of standard clinical care, and the study observes these real-world practices without assigning or altering treatments. During the study, researchers will collect data from medical records and electronic charts without requiring extra tests or procedures. They will measure the time to first mobilization, pain levels at specific times after ICU admission, presence of delirium, ICU length of stay, opioid use, patient satisfaction with pain relief, and postoperative complications. The study expects to gather evidence on how these pain management strategies relate to recovery in older adults after major surgery, with participation lasting through the ICU stay and up to about 30 days.

Analgesia Methods and Early Mobilization in Geriatric ICU Patients After Major Surgery