Ketorolac potentiates morphine in postoperative patient-controlled analgesia

The authors conducted a prospective randomised double-blind comparison of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), with a combination of morphine and ketorolac versus morphine alone and ketorolac alone in the management of postoperative pain after orthopaedic surgery. Forty-two patients were randomly assigned to three groups. Group 1 was given 1 mg/ml morphine, group 2 was given 3 mg/ml ketorolac and group 3 half-doses of each. After a loading dose of 0.07 ml/kg, PCA was started at an initial setting of 1 ml per demand, with a 10-min lock-out interval and no background infusion. Pain was measured at rest and during movements for 48 h. The combination of morphine and ketorolac was more effective than morphine or ketorolac alone in relieving rest pain throughout the study. The combination was also more effective during movement than either drug alone, but only for the first 24 h. The consumption of morphine and ketorolac was significantly lower when the two drugs were administered together. The incidence of urinary retention was highest in the group given morphine alone. The combination of half-doses of morphine and ketorolac is more effective in controlling postoperative pain than either drug alone. This combination also reduces analgesic consumption and morphine-related adverse events.

Lack of hepatotoxic effects of parenteral ketorolac in the hospital setting

BACKGROUND

No large controlled studies to date have examined the hepatic safety of parenteral ketorolac, which is used to treat acutely ill hospitalized patients who may be at greatest risk of liver injury.

OBJECTIVE

To measure the association between the use of parenteral ketorolac and subsequent liver injury.

METHODS

A nonexperimental cohort study conducted in 35 hospitals in the greater Philadelphia, Pa, region examined 10,272 courses of parenteral ketorolac (the exposed group) and 10,247 courses of parenteral opioid (the comparison group). Liver injury was defined by a modified international consensus definition that relied exclusively on liver function tests. Proportional hazards regression was used to calculate the rate ratio and 95% confidence interval for the association between ketorolac exposure and the occurrence of liver injury, controlling for potentially confounding factors, and to explore the possible effects of duration and dose.

RESULTS

The incidence of liver injury was 1.0% in the ketorolac group and 1.2% in the opioid group, yielding an unadjusted rate ratio of 0.77 (95% confidence interval, 0.59 1.01). Simultaneously adjusting for multiple potentially confounding factors did not change this result. There was no evidence for a duration-response relationship (P = .96) or a dose-response relationship (P = .23). We were unable to identify any subgroups that were susceptible to possible hepatotoxic effects of parenteral ketorolac.

CONCLUSIONS

This study failed to find evidence of a hepatotoxic effect of parenteral ketorolac use in the hospital setting and provides strong evidence against the existence of a clinically meaningful association between exposure to parenteral ketorolac in the hospital setting and liver injury.

[Evaluation of the analgesic effectiveness of ketorolac in intravenous regional anesthesia induced by lidocaine]

OBJECTIVES

Intravenous regional anesthesia (i.v.r.) is a safe, effective technique for surgery on the upper extremities, but it provides no postoperative analgesia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of ketorolac during and after surgery with i.v.r. induced by lidocaine.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Twenty-six patients undergoing elective surgery on the upper extremities under i.v.r. were studied. In the anteroom of the operating theater, an anesthesiologist prepared the anesthetic solution to be administered from two syringes. One contained 3 mg/kg of 0.5% lidocaine (0.6 ml/kg). The second syringe (2 ml) contained 1 ml of 0.9% saline solution for the control group or 1 ml with 30 mg of ketorolac for the treatment group. A second anesthesiologist received the patient in the operating theater and used the syringes provided to induce the blockade. After releasing the pneumatic tourniquets we assessed the appearance of postoperative pain on a visual analog scale over the first 24 hours. The dats were compared using parametric (Student t test) and non parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test).

RESULTS

No significant differences in the characteristics or hemodynamic parameters analyzed were found between the two groups. Nor did we find any differences in analgesia during surgery. Ten of the 13 patients (77%) in the control group required analgesia within the first two hours, whereas none of the patients in the treatment group required analgesia during that time (p < 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the total amount administered altogether, both during and after surgery. No local or systemic side effects were observed.

[Methods of the use of ketorolac tromethamine in patients during the early postoperative period]

Analgesia with nonsteroid antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) becomes a pressing problem today. One such drug is ketorolak tromethamine (KT), characterized by expressed analgesic activity comparable with that of opioid analgesics morphine or promedol. Our purpose was to assess KT efficacy in analgesia performed by different methods, including analgesia controlled by the patient (ACP) after surgery. In medium severe and strong pain KT was used in group I (n = 60) "as needed" in a dose of 30 mg up to 3-4 times a day, in group 2 (n = 12) by the ACP method, in group 3 (n = 16) KT was incessantly infused in a daily dose of up to 120 mg, and in group 4 (n = 11) KT was injected 3-4 times a day in a dose of 30 mg in combination with morphine ACP. The results indicate a high efficacy of KT: 83% after a single injection. Combined use of KT and promedol decreased the dose by 40-50%. Side effects were observed in 15% of patients: most often it was a sense of fever and sweating (in 4% of patients), nausea and vomiting (in 2%), insomnia (in 2%). ACP and planned injections in a daily dose of 90-120 mg is the optimal method of analgesia in patients after extensive surgical interventions.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of ketorolac versus morphine by patient-controlled analgesia for postoperative pain

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To compare ketorolac tromethamine with morphine for pain management after major abdominal surgery.

DESIGN

Double-blind, randomized study.

SETTING

Hospital recovery room and postoperative surgical unit.

PATIENTS

One hundred ninety-one patients with at least moderate pain after major abdominal surgery.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients received ketorolac by patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) bolus alone (Ket B), ketorolac by bolus plus infusion (Ket I), or morphine by PCA bolus (morphine), with injectable morphine available for supplementation.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Levels of sedation, pain intensity, pain relief, and adverse events were recorded at baseline, at 2, 4, and 6 hours, and at termination. Supplemental morphine was required by 71% of Ket B patients, 67% of Ket I patients, and 38% of morphine patients (p < or = 0.001 for Ket B vs morphine). Although patients receiving ketorolac required more supplemental morphine than the morphine group (6.0 mg Ket I, 6.2 mg Ket B, 4.0 mg morphine), there was a large morphine-sparing effect in both ketorolac groups (total morphine 6.0 mg Ket I, 6.2 mg Ket B, 33.3 mg morphine). Overall pain relief scores were similar for morphine and Ket I groups, and were lower for Ket B than for morphine (p = 0.002). There were no differences among groups in numbers of patients with adverse events.

CONCLUSION

Ketorolac may be effective when administered by PCA device, and has a clear morphine-sparing effect.

Topical ketorolac 0.5% solution for the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis

The efficacy of topical ketorolac 0.5% in treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) was evaluated in a randomised double-blind prospective trial in 21 patients. Ketorolac treated eyes showed 50.7% reduction in main symptoms of itching compared to 33.3% relief in placebo treated eyes after 2 weeks of treatment (p < 0.01). Photophobia, ropy discharge, and conjunctival injection also lessened by 39.9%, 31.6%, and 39.1%, respectively, in ketorolac treated eyes compared to 23.8%, 17.3%, and 20.3% in placebo group. Transient stinging sensation was observed in 3 (14.3%) patients on ketorolac therapy. This study shows efficacy of ketorolac 0.5% solution in controlling symptoms in VKC.

Topical 0.5% ketorolac vs 0.03% flurbiprofen for inhibition of miosis during cataract surgery

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effects of topical 0.5% ketorolac tromethamine ophthalmic solution (Acular, Allergen Pharmaceuticals, Irvine, Calif) with topical 0.03% flurbiprofen sodium ophthalmic solution (Ocufen, Allergen Pharmaceuticals) on the inhibition of surgically induced miosis during phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

DESIGN

One hundred eighteen patients were prospectively randomized to receive 0.5% topical ketorolac or 0.03% topical flurbiprofen at 3 preoperative intervals. The flurbiprofen-treated group served as the control group. The surgeon was masked as to patient selection. Horizontal pupillary diameter measurements were obtained at the start of surgery, just before phacoemulsification, before lens implantation, and after lens implantation.

RESULTS

Mean horizontal pupillary diameter measurements for both medications were similar at the start of surgery. However, a consistent trend of larger pupillary diameter was seen in all subsequent surgical intervals in the ketorolac-treated group. Changes from baseline measurements also indicated a more significant inhibition of miosis at all subsequent intervals, and a more stable mydriasis throughout the procedure in the ketorolac-treated group.

CONCLUSIONS

Topical ketorolac is an effective inhibitor of miosis during phacoemulsification cataract surgery, and provides a more stable mydriatic effect throughout the surgical procedure.

[A comparison of the analgesic effect of ketanov and tramal in postoperative pain]

The efficacy of postoperative pain relief by ketanov and tramal was assessed in 42 patients operated on the abdominal organs and lower limb arteries. The time of development of the analgesic effect and duration and depth of analgesia were compared. The drug effects were compared from protocols of clinical examination, hemodynamic changes, and time course of external respiration and blood saturation with oxygen. The findings confirm a high analgesic effect of ketanov, which is not inferior to tramal, and by some parameters even higher.

A comparison of oral ketorolac and hydrocodone-acetaminophen for analgesia after ambulatory surgery: arthroscopy versus laparoscopic tubal ligation

This multicenter study compared the analgesic efficacy and side effects of ketorolac and hydrocodone-acetaminophen when administered orally after ambulatory arthroscopic or laparoscopic tubal ligation procedures. After awakening from general anesthesia, 252 patients experiencing moderate or severe postoperative pain were randomly assigned to receive one of three analgesic treatments according to a placebo-controlled, double-blind protocol. Group 1 (n = 83) received oral ketorolac 10 mg every 6 h for up to 3 days, Group 2 (n = 82) received hydrocodone 7.5 mg plus acetaminophen 750 mg every 6 h for up to 3 days, and Group 3 (n = 87) received placebo capsules followed by ketorolac 10 mg every 6 h for up to 3 days. Severity of pain was recorded using a 4-point categorical score and visual analog scale (VAS) at 0.5 h and subsequently at hourly intervals for 6 h, as well as daily for up to 3 days. Pain relief was recorded using a 5-point categorical scale at the same time points. In the patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery, both ketorolac and hydromorphone-acetaminophen provided superior pain relief compared with the placebo. Although the categorical summed pain intensity difference (SPID), VAS SPID, and total pain relief scores were higher in the ketorolac group compared with the hydrocodone-acetaminophen group, the differences were not statistically significant. In the patients undergoing laparoscopic tubal ligation surgery, the three treatment groups displayed similar responses to the study medications. However, the ketorolac group scored higher in terms of overall tolerability than the hydrocodone-acetaminophen group. In conclusion, there was no difference in the efficacy between oral ketorolac and hydrocodone-acetaminophen combination in controlling pain after outpatient arthroscopic surgery procedures. Neither oral analgesic proved to be very effective after laparoscopic tubal ligation.

Bradycardia following intravenous ketorolac in children

Two cases of bradycardia following the intra-operative use of ketorolac given intravenously (i.v.) to children are reported. We examine why this may not have been previously reported and make recommendations regarding its use.

Transdermal fentanyl system plus im ketorolac for the treatment of postoperative pain

PURPOSE

To assess the safety and efficacy of transdermal fentanyl plus im ketorolac vs im ketorolac alone in the treatment of postoperative pain.

METHODS

Ninety-two patients scheduled for surgery involving moderate to severe postoperative pain were randomized to one of two groups. Group A (n = 46) received an active fentanyl patch and group P (n = 46) received a placebo patch. Patches remained in place for 24 hr. Each patient received intraoperative ketorolac, 60 mg im. Patients were monitored for 36 hr postoperatively and the groups were analyzed for ketorolac usage, pain scores, vital signs, serum fentanyl concentrations, and adverse events. Intramuscular ketorolac was available on demand.

RESULTS

Group A had lower pain scores at 8.12, 16 and 24 hr after patch placement (P < 0.05). Group A had lower heart rates, lower respiratory rates and fewer dropouts due to inadequate pain relief (4.3% vs 21.7% P < 0.05). Group A patients also used less ketorolac than group P patients (P < 0.05). The incidence of pruritus was higher in group A patients (19% vs 2%, P < 0.05), while the incidence of nausea and vomiting was not different between the two groups. Transdermal fentanyl was adequate "stand-alone" analgesia in only 23.8% of group A patients while 93.7% of the remaining group A patients receiving a combination of transdermal fentanyl and ketorolac had adequate pain relief.

CONCLUSION

The transdermal fentanyl delivery system plus ketorolac im was more effective in controlling post-operative pain than ketorolac im alone. The two treatment modalities were comparable in safety with no difference in serious adverse events.

Ketorolac tromethamine and hemorrhage in tonsillectomy: a prospective, randomized, double-blind study

Ketorolac tromethamine (KT) is a nonsteroidal, antiinflammatory analgesic. Its nonsedating property makes it an attractive analgesic for sleep apnea patients undergoing uvulopharyngopalatoplasty, but its antiplatelet activity makes the potential for postoperative hemorrhage a concern. A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was designed to evaluate the bleeding risk of KT using adult tonsillectomy patients as the model. Patients were randomized into two groups receiving Meperidine (MP) (controls) or KT for the first postoperative day. Posttonsillectomy bleeding rates of 7% (3/43) in the MP group and 18.9% (7/37) in the KT group were demonstrated, but this difference was not statistically significant. The number of KT doses administered had no effect on the incidence of bleeding or the number of cases requiring return to the operative suite for hemostasis. Although this study did not attain statistical significance, the trend towards increased hemorrhage with KT is worrisome. This study and other reports in the literature support the manufacturer's warning that the use of KT is contraindicated in major surgery.

Parenteral ketorolac: the risk for acute renal failure

BACKGROUND

Acute renal failure has been associated with parenteral ketorolac tromethamine, but the risk that is associated with this therapy has not been quantified.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the risk for acute renal failure associated with ketorolac with that associated with opioids.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

35 hospitals in or near Philadelphia.

PATIENTS

Patients receiving 10,219 courses of parenteral ketorolac and patients receiving 10,145 courses of parenteral opioids.

MEASUREMENTS

Acute renal failure was defined by 1) an increase in the serum creatinine concentration of 50% or more and 2) either an absolute increase of 44.2 mumol/L or more for concentrations that were less than 132.6 mumol/L at baseline or an absolute increase of 88.4 mumol/L or more for concentrations that were 132.6 mumol/L or more at baseline. In addition, a secondary definition required a diagnosis by a physician.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of acute renal failure was 1.1% after therapy with either ketorolac or opioids. Multivariate-adjusted rate ratios comparing ketorolac with opioids for acute renal failure were 1.09 (95% CI, 0.83 to 1.42) overall, 1.00 (CI, 0.76 to 1.33) for less than 5 days of therapy, and 2.08 (CI, 1.08 to 4.00; P = 0.03) for more than 5 days of therapy. Similar results were obtained when the secondary definition of acute renal failure was used.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, acute renal failure was uncommon in this hospitalized population. Compared with opioids, ketorolac administered for 5 days or less did not increase the rate of renal failure. However, among patients who were treated with analgesics for more than 5 days, ketorolac may be associated with an elevated rate of acute renal failure.