Publication Name	World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Manuscript ID	123591
DOI	10.4240/wjgs.123591
Country	China

Category	Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Manuscript Type	Retrospective Study
Article Title	Acute postoperative pain trajectories during the first 72 hours after abdominal surgery in patients aged 60 years or older
Manuscript Source	Unsolicited Manuscript
All Author List	Wei-Na Li, Jing-Yi Xu, Na Shen, Yu-Qin Wang, Dan-Dan Song, Yue Wu, Yan-Xiu Cai and Jing Li
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Jing Li, Chief Physician, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, No. 99, Huaihai West Road, Quanshan District, Xuzhou City, Xuzhou 221000, Jiangsu Province, China. twomuzi2003@163.com
Key Words	Aged; Postoperative pain; Pain measurement; Latent class analysis; Abdominal surgical procedures; Retrospective studies; Longitudinal studies
Core Tip	In this single-center retrospective longitudinal cohort of 326 patients aged 60 years or older undergoing abdominal surgery, repeated Numerical Rating Scale measurements at 6, 24, 48 and 72 hours after surgery were resolved by latent class growth analysis into three acute pain trajectories: Mild pain with rapid resolution (67.5%), moderate-to-mild pain (26.1%) and severe-to-moderate pain (6.4%). Operative burden-an open approach, surgery type, longer surgery and greater blood loss-was associated with less favorable trajectories, and patients in the least favorable class were far more likely still to report pain at 1 and 3 months, although the gradient in quality of recovery at 1 month did not persist after adjustment for operative burden. Preoperative sleep quality, anxiety and depressive symptoms and social support were not associated with trajectory membership, whereas analgesic and drainage variables recorded during the observation window were strongly but non-causally associated with it. These associations are hypothesis-generating and require prospective, procedure-specific confirmation before any clinical application.
Citation	Li WN, Xu JY, Shen N, Wang YQ, Song DD, Wu Y, Cai YX, Li J. Acute postoperative pain trajectories during the first 72 hours after abdominal surgery in patients aged 60 years or older. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; In press DOI: https://doi.org/10.4240/wjgs.123591
PDF	123591-in-press.pdf

Received	2026-07-07 10:24
Peer-Review Started	2026-07-07 10:24
First Decision by Editorial Office Director
Return for Revision	2026-07-30 03:25
Revised	2026-08-13 04:29
Publication Fee Transferred	2026-09-23 07:12
Second Decision by Editor	2026-11-05 03:30
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-11-05 08:01
Articles in Press	2026-11-05 08:01
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-9366 (online)
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