Association Analysis of Background Noise Exposure in the Postanesthesia Care Unit and Postoperative Acute Pain in Patients Undergoing Hip Arthroplasty Under General Anesthesia.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the association between the level of environmental noise exposure in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) during emergency from anesthesia and postoperative acute pain in patients undergoing hip arthroplasty under general anesthesia.

METHODS

This study was a single-center retrospective study that included 100 patients who underwent elective hip arthroplasty under general anesthesia in Xuzhou No.1 People's Hospital from January 2023 to December 2025; all patients were admitted to the PACU after surgery to complete the standard emergency process. The patients were divided into low-noise group (≤52 dB[A]), medium-noise group (53-58 dB[A]), and high-noise group (≥59 dB[A]) according to the noise exposure tripartite. The PACU immediate numeric rating scale (NRS) score was used as the primary outcome measure, and a multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the relationship between noise exposure and pain score, adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

No significant differences were observed in baseline demographic characteristics and perioperative indicators between the three groups (all P > 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the postoperative acute pain NRS scores among patient subgroups with different levels of environmental noise exposure in the PACU ( P  = 0.002). After adjusting for confounding factors, multiple linear regression analysis showed that PACU environmental noise exposure was significantly positively correlated with postoperative acute pain scores, with an average increase of 0.07-points (95% CI: 0.03-0.11, P < 0.001) for every 1 dB(A) increase in noise level. The association remained stable after correcting for confounders, showing a clear dose-response relationship.

CONCLUSION

The level of PACU environmental noise exposure is significantly correlated with acute postoperative pain severity in patients undergoing hip arthroplasty under general anesthesia. This study provides clinical evidence for the health effects of the hospital acoustic environment; it can help improve patients' perioperative experience and quality of rehabilitation.