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Below is a summary of “Effect of cervical pillows in phacoemulsification surgery in age-related cataract patients: a prospective randomized controlled trial,” published in the June 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Guan et al.
Researchers conducted a prospective study examining the effects of neck pillows during phacoemulsification surgery in patients with age-related cataracts.
They enrolled 104 patients with age-related cataract who were enrolled (June 2023) and divided them into two groups (52 per group) using a digital method. One group had patients in the traditional supine position, another used a neck pillow. Both groups were assessed for discomfort, patient and doctor satisfaction, head displacement, operative time, and body position before and after surgery.
The results showed no significant differences between the groups regarding gender (P=0.84), age (P=0.86), duration of illness (P=0.82) and the time spent on position placement (P=0.15). The test group had lower discomfort scores (P=0.0001), higher patient satisfaction (P=0.0001) and higher physician satisfaction (P=0.0001) than the control group. No significant difference was found between intraoperative pain (P=0.36) and postoperative pain (P=0.65). However, there were significantly fewer head transfers in the group with the neck pillow (P=0.001), head displacements (P=0.0001), operation time (P=0.0001) and laparoscopic time (P=0.0001).
The researchers concluded that the use of a neck pillow in patients with age-related cataracts in the traditional supine position does not prolong preoperative preparation, increases patient satisfaction and comfort while maintaining a stable surgical field, improving surgeon comfort, and potentially reducing surgical risks and time.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10792-024-03090-0
