My 15-year-old daughter is going to have a second surgery on her knee. The first operation wasn’t successful because she had too much pain to do her exercises afterwards. When my mother had shoulder surgery last year, they sent her home with a pump to control her pain. Could my daughter get something like this?

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) works well for most adults. Doctors are using it more and more when post-operative pain keeps the patient from carrying out his or her rehab program. PCA also reduces the need for narcotics and the unwanted side effects of those drugs.

PCA in children is in experimental stages at this time. It’s not used widely by all doctors. The main concern is safety. Safe and effective dosages must be determined for children. Use based on age, gender, and size must be studied before routine use is advised.

You can certainly ask your doctor about this problem. Perhaps PCA is already in use in your area.