Timing of pre-emptive tenoxicam is important for postoperative analgesia

Pain Levels Following Cosmetic Breast Surgery and An Easy-To-Use Pain Treatment Algorithm for Plastic Surgeons

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to examine the degrees of pain experienced following various breast cosmetic surgery procedures and to evaluate the existing pain treatment methods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients who underwent subpectoral breast augmentation, mastopexy, or breast reduction between 2017 and 2022 were evaluated retrospectively. A total of 90 patients were randomly selected, with 30 patients in each group. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess pain levels. The data were analyzed using the statistical program SPSS 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

RESULTS

The subpectoral breast augmentation group exhibited the highest recovery VAS score. Postoperative 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24-h VAS values were higher in the breast augmentation group than in the breast reduction and mastopexy groups. No statistically significant difference observed between mastopexy and breast reduction in terms of VAS scores during the evaluation periods. Statistically significant higher VAS scores were observed for subpectoral breast augmentation at all times compared to the preoperative period.

CONCLUSIONS

Subpectoral breast augmentation is associated with higher levels of postoperative pain compared to breast reduction and mastopexy. Effective postoperative pain prevention is crucial following aesthetic breast surgeries. It not only helps to reduce hospital stays but also aids in patient recovery, facilitates a quicker return to daily activities, and enhances patient satisfaction. To achieve this objective, it is advantageous to utilize a practical pain treatment algorithm that is readily applicable.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

The Impact of Surgical Procedures During Septorhinoplasty on the Intraoperative Pain Response

BACKGROUND

During septorhinoplasty, many different surgical procedures are employed to bring the nose to the desired shape and solve breathing complaints. As a matter of course, intraoperative pain response occurs due to these procedures.

OBJECTIVES

With this study, the authors aimed to evaluate the intraoperative pain formed during septorhinoplasty surgery with numerical values and to determine which stage of surgery is more painful.

METHODS

Between April 2019 and March 2020, a total of 30 female patients who were planned to undergo septorhinoplasty were included in this prospective study. Standard anesthesia and analgesia were applied to all patients. During surgery, state entropy measure was utilized to evaluate the depth of anesthesia, and Surgical Pleth Index was employed to evaluate the response of the central nervous system to pain "nociception."

RESULTS

The age of the patients ranged from 18 to 42 years (average, 25.3 ± 6.1 years). The average value of state entropy recorded during the surgery for all patients was found to be 45.43 ± 5.37. The mean beginning Surgical Pleth Index value recoded from all of the patients was 23.4 ± 8.84 compared with the beginning value; the values recorded during periost dissection, lateral osteotomy, and lower turbinate lateralization were statistically significantly higher (P < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Although sufficient depth of anesthesia and standard protocol of analgesia were applied, pain response was found to be significantly higher at some procedures during septorhinoplasty. The authors think that increasing the depth of anesthesia during these procedures will increase the comfort of this operation by inhibiting pain response.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4

The efficacy of pre-emptive analgesia on pain management in total knee arthroplasty: a mini-review

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is considered a cost-effective and efficacious treatment for patients with end-stage knee arthritis. Meanwhile, TKA has been regarded as one of the most painful orthopaedic surgeries. Pain control after TKA remains a challenging task. Many analgesic innovations are used to reduce the level of pain, but none has been proven to be the optimum choice till now. Multimodal analgesia incorporates the use of analgesic adjuncts with different mechanisms of action to enhance postoperative pain management. This approach is a preferable choice in relieving postoperative pain with minimum side effects. This paper aims to review pre-emptive analgesia for pain management in TKA. We reviewed the application of pre-emptive analgesia, its physiological mechanism, and the techniques.

A Comparison of 4 Analgesic Regimens for Acute Postoperative Pain Control in Breast Augmentation Patients

PURPOSE

Patients undergoing breast augmentation are treated with multiple combinations of medications for pain control including ketorolac, liposomal bupivacaine, bupivacaine, and intravenous and oral narcotics. There is no current consensus on the optimal combination; therefore, all are used at the discretion of the surgeon.

METHODS

This was a single-center, retrospective study. The total number of patients included was 132. Comparisons were made between 4 groups: bupivacaine only (B); bupivacaine and liposomal bupivacaine (BL); bupivacaine and liposomal bupivacaine plus intraoperative ketorolac (BLKi); and bupivacaine and liposomal bupivacaine plus postoperative ketorolac (BLKp). Average pain scores immediately postoperative and before discharge were recorded and correlated to percentage of patients who received narcotic in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Additional end points noted were side effects including nausea and time spent in PACU postoperatively.

RESULTS

Those receiving intraoperative ketorolac had the lowest pain on discharge (P < 0.0001) and the lowest percentage of patients receiving narcotics (P = 0.009) out of all 4 groups. There was no significant difference between the 4 groups in terms of time spent in PACU, pain immediately after the procedure, or amount of antiemetic given. No bleeding complications were noted for those who did or did not receive ketorolac.

CONCLUSIONS

When given options for pain control in breast augmentation, intraoperative ketorolac should be considered, because its inclusion was significant in decreasing use of narcotics and pain upon discharge. Addition of other costly drugs such as liposomal bupivacaine may not provide additional benefit in the immediate postoperative setting for procedures with a short recovery period such as breast augmentation.

Pain Associated with Carotid Artery Surgery Performed under Carotid Plexus Block: Preemptive Analgesic Effect of Ketorolac

Carotid artery surgery (CAS) performed under cervical plexus block is frequently associated with significant intra- and postoperative pain. To evaluate whether preoperative administration of ketorolac may improve analgesia in this type of surgery, 80 patients scheduled for CAS under cervical plexus block were randomly allocated to receive intravenously either 30 mg of ketorolac or placebo 30 minutes before surgery. Verbal rating scale pain scores during surgery and 3 and 6 hours after surgery, the number of patients requiring additional analgesia, and the total analgesic consumption both during and within 6 hours after surgery were significantly lower, whereas the time to first postoperative analgesia was significantly shorter in the ketorolac group than in the control group.

The results of this prospective, randomized, double-blind study show that a single 30 mg dose of ketorolac administered intravenously 30 minutes before surgery reduces intraoperative pain and preempts postoperative pain in patients undergoing CAS under carotid plexus block.

Pain management in ambulatory surgery-a review

Day surgery, coming to and leaving the hospital on the same day as surgery as well as ambulatory surgery, leaving hospital within twenty-three hours is increasingly being adopted. There are several potential benefits associated with the avoidance of in-hospital care. Early discharge demands a rapid recovery and low incidence and intensity of surgery and anaesthesia related side-effects; such as pain, nausea and fatigue. Patients must be fit enough and symptom intensity so low that self-care is feasible in order to secure quality of care. Preventive multi-modal analgesia has become the gold standard. Administering paracetamol, NSIADs prior to start of surgery and decreasing the noxious influx by the use of local anaesthetics by peripheral block or infiltration in surgical field prior to incision and at wound closure in combination with intra-operative fast acting opioid analgesics, e.g., remifentanil, have become standard of care. Single preoperative 0.1 mg/kg dose dexamethasone has a combined action, anti-emetic and provides enhanced analgesia. Additional α-2-agonists and/or gabapentin or pregabalin may be used in addition to facilitate the pain management if patients are at risk for more pronounced pain. Paracetamol, NSAIDs and rescue oral opioid is the basic concept for self-care during the first 3–5 days after common day/ambulatory surgical procedures.

Involvement of inflammation in severe post-operative pain demonstrated by pre-surgical and post-surgical treatment with piroxicam and ketorolac

OBJECTIVES

Post-operative pain is considered to involve inflammation caused by tissue injury. However, the mechanism and timing of the involvement of inflammation in the post-operative pain remain complicated because they can vary among different types of surgery. In this study a rat incision model was used to investigate how inflammation induced by cyclooxygenases (COXs) is involved in severe post-operative pain.

METHODS

Longitudinal incision with a length of 1cm was made through skin and fascia on the right hind paw of rats, starting 0.5cm from the edge of the heel and extending towards the toes. Allodynia was evaluated using the von Frey hair test and its degree was recorded as the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT). Two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), piroxicam and ketorolac, were given to rats after or before surgery, and the effects of the drugs on allodynia induced by the hind paw incision were examined.

KEY FINDINGS

The PWT reduction reached a sub-maximal level at 3h, a maximal level at one day after the surgery and lasted for more than 8 days, with the parallel development of inflammation (characterized by cell infiltration and oedema). Treatment with morphine (1mg/kg, s.c.) at one day after the surgery showed a significant anti-allodynic effect. Treatment with either piroxicam (10mg/kg, p.o.) or ketorolac (10mg/kg, p.o.) at one day after the surgery did not exhibit significant anti-allodynic effect, whereas pre-surgical treatment with each drug showed significant anti-allodynic effects at 3h after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest the involvement of cyclooxygenases in evoking pain that occurs in the immediate post-operative period, and that an initial suppression of rapid inflammation by treatment with NSAIDs before major surgery plays an important role in the management of severe post-operative pain.

Evidence-based review of enhancing postoperative recovery after breast surgery

BACKGROUND

The introduction of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols has revolutionized preoperative and postoperative care. To date, however, the principles of enhanced recovery have not been applied specifically to patients undergoing breast surgery.

METHODS

Based on the core features of ERAS, individual aspects of postoperative care in breast surgery were defined. A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library database was performed from 1980 to 2010 to determine the best evidence for perioperative care in oncological breast surgery. A graded recommendation based on the best level of evidence was then proposed for each feature of ERAS.

RESULTS

Twelve core features of enhanced recovery after breast surgery were identified. Use of the thoracic block, from both analgesic and anaesthetic viewpoints, is well supported by evidence and should be encouraged. Trials specific to breast surgery regarding aspects such as perioperative fasting, preanaesthetic medication, prevention of hypothermia and postdischarge support are scarce, and evidence was extrapolated from non-breast trials. Trials on postoperative analgesia and prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in breast surgery are generally of small numbers. In addition, there is heterogeneity between studies.

CONCLUSION

This review suggests that the principles of enhanced recovery can be adopted in breast surgery. A 12-point protocol is proposed for prospective evaluation.

[Evaluation of the analgesic effects of the lumiracoxib compared with placebo in the 24 first postoperative hours]

OBJECTIVES

To test lumiracoxib used preemptively against a placebo,and to analyse the analgesic administration (dipirona and tramadol) in the 24 first postoperative hours.

METHODS

Sixty patients undergone to a breast aumentation, under epidural anesthesia, were selected and put randomly in two groups - GI and GII. Sixty minutes before the surgery, it was administered orally, one pill of lumiracoxib 400mg to the 30 GI patients and one pill of placebo to the 30 GII patients. The postoperative pain was evaluated through the visual analogic scale, ranged from 0 (painless) to 10 (most intensive pain), being applied to the patient whenever having pain. For the same scores or under 4, it was administered intravenously 15mg/kg of dipirona up to a maximum of 1g. For scores of 5, 6 or 7, the patient had intravenously 50mg of tramadol.Scores 8 or more were treated intravenously with 0,5 mg/kg of meperidine.

RESULTS

The scores in GI were significantly lower than the ones obtained in GII within the first 24 hours, with the need of 20% less dipirona and 56% of tramadol in this period of time. In the same way, it was observed that analgesic solicitation for the first time had a delay of 191 minutes in GI in comparison to GII.

CONCLUSION

The use of lumiracoxib preemptively, was effective in the treatment of postoperative pain, reducing considerably the consume of analgesics, and enlarging the time for the first medication.

Comparison of effects of preoperatively administered lornoxicam and tenoxicam on morphine consumption after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The efficacy, tolerability and the morphine-sparing effects of lornoxicam were compared with those of tenoxicam when used preoperatively in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

METHODS

In this prospective, double-blind study, 60 ASA I-II patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomized equally to receive intravenous tenoxicam 40 mg (Group T) or lornoxicam 16 mg (Group L), preemptively. Three patients withdrew from the study, so 57 patients were included in the analysis. In the postoperative period, the first morphine demand times, pain scores, side-effects and cumulative morphine consumptions were evaluated during the first 24 h.

RESULTS

The patient characteristics data and the duration of surgery were similar between two groups, except for body weights (P = 0.002). The first morphine demand time was significantly longer in Group L (P = 0.037), but the pain levels did not differ. The mean pain scores were higher in Group T in the 15 min (P = 0.036), 1 h (P = 0.020), 2 h (P = 0.001) and 4 h (P = 0.0042) after extubation. A statistically significant difference between two groups was found in calculated cumulative morphine consumptions per kilogram in the 15 min (P = 0.037), 30 min (P = 0.016), and 1 h (P = 0.004) and 2 h (P = 0.013) between two groups. There was no difference in the severity of nausea but 13 patients in Group T and five patients in Group L had vomiting (P = 0.018). Patient satisfaction was similar in the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperatively administered lornoxicam 16 mg significantly prolonged the first morphine demand time, reduced postoperative morphine consumption during the first 4 h and caused significantly fewer adverse effects when compared with tenoxicam after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Postoperative Modulation of Central Nervous System Prostaglandin E2by Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors after Vascular Surgery: Retracted

BACKGROUND

The clinical availability of injectable cyclooxygenase inhibitors allows examination of the importance of cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 after surgery. The authors hypothesize that spinal prostaglandin E2 increases with lower extremity vascular surgery and that spinal prostaglandin E2 decreases with intravenous postsurgical administration of either a mixed cyclooxygenase 1/2 inhibitor (ketorolac) or a cyclooxygenase 2 selective inhibitor (parecoxib).

METHODS

Thirty patients undergoing elective lower extremity revascularization under continuous spinal anesthesia had cerebrospinal fluid obtained at baseline and then up to 6 h after the start of surgery. Four hours after surgical incision, patients were randomized to receive intravenous parecoxib 40 mg, ketorolac 30 mg, or preservative-free normal saline. Patients were administered intravenous fentanyl in the postanesthesia care unit and acetaminophen/oxycodone on the surgical ward to control pain.

RESULTS

Cerebrospinal fluid prostaglandin E2 concentrations were increased during and after surgery. After surgery, intravenous parecoxib 40 mg rapidly decreased cerebrospinal fluid prostaglandin E2, and intravenous ketorolac 30 mg also reduced cerebrospinal fluid prostaglandin E2 compared with placebo, but not as much as parecoxib. Postanesthesia care unit pain scores were reduced in the two drug groups compared with placebo, and surgical ward pain scores were also decreased for both drug groups, especially with parecoxib. No patient receiving parecoxib required postoperative intravenous fentanyl. Acetaminophen/oxycodone consumption was reduced in both drug groups compared with placebo, more so with parecoxib.

CONCLUSIONS

Cerebrospinal fluid prostaglandin E2 is elevated in patients after lower extremity vascular surgery. Postsurgical intravenous administration of the cyclooxygenase 1/2 inhibitor ketorolac, and especially the cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor parecoxib, reduces cerebrospinal fluid prostaglandin E2 concentration and postoperative pain.

Does perioperative administration of rofecoxib improve analgesia after spine, breast and orthopaedic surgery?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Data on the effectiveness of cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors in postoperative pain therapy vary widely. We tested in a prospective, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial the hypotheses that perioperative (i.e. preoperative and postoperative) administration of the cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor rofecoxib decreases pain scores and morphine consumption after spine, breast and orthopaedic surgery.

METHODS

Five hundred and forty patients scheduled for spine, breast or orthopaedic surgery were randomly assigned to receive in combination with postoperative morphine via patient controlled analgesia pump for 4 days either rofecoxib 50 mg administered perioperatively, rofecoxib 50 mg administered only postoperatively, or placebo. Primary outcome criteria were pain score at rest (numeric rating scale 0-4) and morphine consumption.

RESULTS

Perioperative rofecoxib significantly decreased pain score 0 (0-1) vs. 1 (0-2) (median (interquartile range)), and morphine consumption 18 (6-33) vs. 22.5 (12-38) compared with placebo. In contrast, rofecoxib when administered only postoperatively did not significantly improve analgesic effects or side-effects at time of assessment of the main criteria (24 h after skin closure), but during the follow-up period at 48 h and 72 h after skin closure pain scores and morphine consumption were improved compared to placebo. The analgesic effects of rofecoxib were independent from the type of surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Perioperative administration of the cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor rofecoxib decreases pain scores and morphine consumption after orthopaedic, breast and spine surgery. However, the benefit of preoperative administration of the cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor seems to be only moderate, suggesting that early postoperative administration may be a useful alternative approach. There is no evidence that the type of surgery influences analgesic effects of cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors.

Sublingual Piroxicam for Postoperative Analgesia: Preoperative Versus Postoperative Administration: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs have been used to obtain preemptive analgesia. We investigated, in this randomized, double-blind study, whether sublingual (s.l.) piroxicam given before was more effective than that given after surgery. Fifty-two patients scheduled for laparoscopic bilateral inguinal hernia repair under general anesthesia were enrolled. Group PRE (25 patients) received 40 mg of piroxicam s.l. 2 h before surgery and a placebo 10 min after surgery. Group POST (27 patients) were treated with a placebo 2 h before surgery and received 40 mg of piroxicam s.l. 10 min after surgery. After an initial dose of 100 mg tramadol IV, patient-controlled analgesia with tramadol was started and recorded. Visual analog scores were assessed in the recovery and at 6, 20, and 30 h postoperatively. Significantly lower visual analog scores were found in group PRE at 6 and 20 h. Significantly smaller cumulative tramadol consumption was observed after 30 h in group PRE. In summary, our findings suggest that preoperative s.l. piroxicam is more effective than the postoperative administration. Because of the low pain scores in both groups, the clinical relevance of these findings is not clear from this study.

The efficacy of preemptive analgesia for acute postoperative pain management: a meta-analysis

Whether preemptive analgesic interventions are more effective than conventional regimens in managing acute postoperative pain remains controversial. We systematically searched for randomized controlled trials that specifically compared preoperative analgesic interventions with similar postoperative analgesic interventions via the same route. The retrieved reports were stratified according to five types of analgesic interventions: epidural analgesia, local anesthetic wound infiltration, systemic N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonists, systemic nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and systemic opioids. The primary outcome measures analyzed were the pain intensity scores, supplemental analgesic consumption, and time to first analgesic consumption. Sixty-six studies with data from 3261 patients were analyzed. Data were combined by using a fixed-effect model, and the effect size index (ES) used was the standardized mean difference. When the data from all three outcome measures were combined, the ES was most pronounced for preemptive administration of epidural analgesia (ES, 0.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-0.47), local anesthetic wound infiltration (ES, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.17-0.40), and NSAID administration (ES, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.27-0.48). Whereas preemptive epidural analgesia resulted in consistent improvements in all three outcome variables, preemptive local anesthetic wound infiltration and NSAID administration improved analgesic consumption and time to first rescue analgesic request, but not postoperative pain scores. The least proof of efficacy was found in the case of systemic NMDA antagonist (ES, 0.09; 95% CI, -0.03 to 0.22) and opioid (ES, -0.10; 95% CI, -0.26 to 0.07) administration, and the results remain equivocal.

Locally Administered Ketorolac and Bupivacaine for Control of Postoperative Pain in Breast Augmentation Patients

With recent developments in the field of analgesia, the question arises whether there is a role for placing local anesthetics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or both into the breast implant pocket. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of locally administered intraoperative ketorolac and bupivacaine with epinephrine at reducing pain in the postoperative period. The study was a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial. One hundred consecutive retropectoral breast augmentation patients were enrolled, and informed consent was obtained. A standard anesthetic protocol and surgical procedure were followed. Normal saline, ketorolac alone (30 mg), bupivacaine alone (150 mg), or ketorolac and bupivacaine (30 mg and 150 mg respectively) were placed into the implant pocket before implant insertion. All patients completed the study. The power of this study to detect a 20 percent difference with respect to the primary outcome was 0.90 and confidence intervals of 95 percent were used to determine significance. The primary outcome was pain as measured by the visual analogue pain scale. The secondary outcome was time spent in the recovery room. Intraoperative placement of ketorolac combined with bupivacaine reduced pain in the postoperative period. It did not appear that anesthesiologist, anesthesia time, surgeon, operating room time, difficulty of dissection, breast incision, or implant size had a significant effect on postoperative pain. There was a trend that the ketorolac and bupivacaine patients spent less time in the recovery room and used fewer analgesics postoperatively than the other patients. There were no hematomas requiring reoperation and no complications. Locally administered intraoperative ketorolac and bupivacaine with epinephrine significantly reduced pain in the postoperative period.

Making Progress in the Management of Postoperative Pain: A Review of the Cyclooxygenase 2–Specific Inhibitors

Postoperative pain is one of the most common forms of acute pain. Optimal pain management decreases the stress response to surgery, reduces complications, improves recovery time, and results in improved economic and quality-of-life outcomes. A preoperative, multimodal approach to postoperative analgesia can be achieved through a combination of therapies that continue beyond the immediate perioperative time frame. This multimodal approach provides superior analgesia with opioid-sparing effects and reduced opioid-related adverse events. Although the use of nonspecific nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in a surgical setting has been limited owing to concerns of renal and gastrointestinal complications as well as platelet dysfunction, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-specific inhibitors appear to be safe and effective alone and in combination with opioids for a variety of surgical procedures. The COX-2-specific inhibitors may have an important role in extending the use of balanced, multimodal analgesia to a broad surgical population, thus ultimately improving patient outcomes after surgery.

Analgesic effects of preincisional administration of dextromethorphan and tenoxicam following laparoscopic cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND

Pre-incisional treatment with either N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) improves postoperative pain relief. This study examines the effect on postlaparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) pain of a combination of dextromethorphan (DM), a NMDA-receptor antagonist, and tenoxicam, a NSAID, given preoperatively.

METHODS

Eighty-eight ASA I or II patients scheduled for LC were entered into a randomized, double-blind study and randomly allocated to one of four groups. Controls received 20 mg (4 ml) of chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) IM and 4 ml of normal saline (N/S) IV. Group DM received 40 mg of DM (containing 20 mg of CPM) IM and 4 ml of N/S IV. Group T were given CPM 20 mg IM, and tenoxicam 40 mg (4 ml) IV. Group DM + T were given DM 40 mg (containing 20 mg of CPM) IM, and tenoxicam 40 mg IV. All treatments were given 30 min before skin incision. Analgesic effects were evaluated by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores at rest and during coughing, at 1, 2, 4, 12, 24 and 48 h after surgery. The time to the first request for meperidine for pain relief, and total meperidine consumption, were recorded for 48 h after surgery.

RESULTS

Compared to controls, patients given DM and DM + T first requested meperidine significantly later, had lower meperidine consumption, made fewer requests for meperidine, and had lower pain scores. There were significant differences between the DM + T and T groups at 2 and 4 h in both resting and incident VAS pain scores, the incidence of meperidine requests and the time to first meperidine injection. There were significant differences between groups DM and T at 1 h for resting pain and at 2 and 4 h for incident pain. Except for a significant difference in the incident pain score 1 h after surgery, there were no other differences in pain scores between the DM and DM + T groups. Neither synergistic nor antagonistic interaction was observed between DM and tenoxicam.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that pretreatment with DM, but not tenoxicam, provides significant pre-emptive analgesia for postoperative pain management in patients after LC surgery. Combining DM and tenoxicam also gives good pain relief.

What is the role of NSAIDs in pre-emptive analgesia?

NSAIDs inhibit the cyclo-oxygenase enzymes, and decrease peripheral and central prostaglandin production. In addition to reducing the inflammation that accompanies tissue injury, decreasing prostaglandin production attenuates the response of the peripheral and central components of the nervous system to noxious stimuli. Such a reduction in the response to pain can reduce the peripheral and central sensitisation induced by noxious stimuli, and reduce the pain experienced in response to subsequent noxious stimuli. These properties would seem to make NSAIDs ideal drugs to use in a pre-emptive fashion, where analgesics are administered prior to a noxious stimulus, such as surgery, with the expectation that reduction in peripheral and central sensitisation will lead to a decrease of pain.However, the available perioperative trials of pre-emptive NSAID use have yielded modest or equivocal results, and these may be due, in part, to controversy associated with the definition of pre-emptive analgesia and how to conduct the corresponding clinical trials. Although NSAIDs may have a limited ability by themselves to induce a pre-emptive analgesic effect, the available trials suggest how the perioperative use of these drugs may be made more effective. It is expected that NSAIDs will play an increasing role in multimodal analgesia and pain relief in general.

Pre-emptive analgesia

Transmission of pain signals evoked by tissue damage leads to sensitization of the peripheral and central pain pathways. Pre-emptive analgesia is a treatment that is initiated before the surgical procedure in order to reduce this sensitization. Owing to this 'protective' effect on the nociceptive system, pre-emptive analgesia has the potential to be more effective than a similar analgesic treatment initiated after surgery. Theoretically, immediate postoperative pain may be reduced and the development of chronic pain may be prevented. Although some clinical studies have demonstrated significant effects on acute postoperative pain, no major clinical benefits of pre-emptive analgesia have been documented. The only way to prevent sensitization of the nociceptive system might be to block completely any pain signal originating from the surgical wound from the time of incision until final wound healing. Other pharmacological interventions, including 'antihyperalgesic' drugs such as NMDA-receptor antagonists and gabapentin, may interfere with the induction and maintenance of sensitization. Future studies will investigate the analgesic effect of prolonged multimodal combinations of different classes of 'traditional' analgesics and 'antihyperalgesics' on postoperative pain.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for postoperative pain: a focus on children

Pain is a common symptom after surgery in children, and the need for effective pain management is obvious. For example, after myringotomy, despite the brief nature of the procedure, at least one-half of children have significant pain. After more extended surgery, such as tonsillectomy, almost all children have considerable pain longer than 7 days. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are useful for postoperative pain management because surgery causes both pain and inflammation. Several pediatric studies indicate NSAIDs are effective analgesics in the management of mild and moderate pain. In the treatment of severe pain, NSAIDs should be given with acetaminophen (paracetamol) or opioids, and the use of an appropriate regional analgesic technique should be considered. NSAIDs are more effective in preventing pain than in the relief of established pain. Pain following surgery is best managed by providing medication on a regular basis, preventing the pain from recurring. This proactive approach should be implemented for any procedure where postoperative pain is the likely outcome. In children, the choice of formulation can be more important than the choice of drug. Intravenous administration is preferred for children with an intravenous line in place; thereafter mixtures and small tablets are feasible options. Children dislike suppositories, and intramuscular administration should not be used in nonsedated children. Ibuprofen, diclofenac, ketoprofen and ketorolac are the most extensively evaluated NSAIDs in children. Only a few trials have compared different NSAIDs, but no major differences in the analgesic action are expected when appropriate doses of each drug are used. Whether NSAIDs differ in the incidence and severity of adverse effects is open to discussion. Because NSAIDs prevent platelet aggregation they may increase bleeding. A few studies indicate that ketorolac may increase bleeding more so than other NSAIDs, but the evidence is conflicting. Severe adverse effects of NSAIDs in children are very rare, but it is important to know about adverse effects in order to recognize and treat them when they do occur. NSAIDs are contraindicated in patients in whom sensitivity reactions are precipitated by aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) or other NSAIDs. They should be used with caution in children with liver dysfunction, impaired renal function, hypovolemia or hypotension, coagulation disorders, thrombocytopenia, or active bleeding from any cause. In contrast, it seems that most children with mild asthma may use NSAIDs.

Current treatment options for acute pain

The pain that accompanies surgical procedures remains prevalent and is an aspect of the perioperative experience that generates the greatest concern for patients about to undergo surgery. There is also a growing recognition of the extent that acute painful experiences can lead to longer-term painful consequences, even when tissue healing appears to be complete. The neurobiologic basis of this has been partially elucidated. The key observations are that multiple sites and multiple receptors collectively contribute, and that noxious stimuli initiate a cascade of events that sensitise the nervous system so that subsequent noxious stimuli are perceived with greater intensity and even previously non-painful stimuli can be painful. Incorporating these observations into effective perioperative regimens designed to limit acute pain and its consequences leads to a multimodal pre-emptive approach to acute pain management. Acute perioperative pain is an ideal setting for the use of pre-emptive analgesic techniques because the timing of noxious stimuli is known in advance and surgical sensitisation of the nervous system is ongoing despite adequate levels of general anaesthesia with volatile anaesthetics. The relevant neurobiology of pain, reviewed in this article, is the basis for advocating an aggressive, multimodal, pre-emptive approach to acute pain therapy throughout the entire perioperative period. A growing body of outcome studies demonstrates the long-term efficacy of this approach.

Presurgical ketoprofen, but not morphine, dipyrone, diclofenac or tenoxicam, preempts post-incisional mechanical allodynia in rats

The treatment of pain before it initiates may prevent the persistent pain-induced changes in the central nervous system that amplify pain long after the initial stimulus. The effects of pre- or postoperative intraperitoneal administration of morphine (2 to 8 mg/kg), dipyrone (40 and 80 mg/kg), diclofenac (2 to 8 mg/kg), ketoprofen (10 and 20 mg/kg), and tenoxicam (10 and 20 mg/kg) were studied in a rat model of post-incisional pain. Groups of 5 to 8 male Wistar rats (140-160 g) were used to test each drug dose. An incision was made on the plantar surface of a hind paw and the changes in the withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation were evaluated with Von Frey filaments at 1, 2, 6 and 24 h after the surgery. Tenoxicam was given 12 or 6 h preoperatively, whereas the remaining drugs were given 2 h or 30 min preoperatively. Postoperative drugs were all given 5 min after surgery. No drug abolished allodynia when injected before or after surgery, but thresholds were significantly higher than in control during up to 2 h following ketoprofen, 6 h following diclofenac, and 24 h following morphine, dipyrone or tenoxicam when drugs were injected postoperatively. Significant differences between pre- and postoperative treatments were obtained only with ketoprofen administered 30 min before surgery. Preoperative (2 h) intraplantar, but not intrathecal, ketoprofen reduced the post-incisional pain for up to 24 h after surgery. It is concluded that stimuli generated in the inflamed tissue, rather than changes in the central nervous system are relevant for the persistence of pain in the model of post-incisional pain.

The preemptive analgesic effect of rofecoxib after ambulatory arthroscopic knee surgery

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provide effective postoperative analgesia after arthroscopic knee surgery. Some investigators have suggested that the preemptive administration of NSAIDs may reduce postoperative analgesic requirements and hypersensitivity. We evaluated the analgesic effect of administering rofecoxib either before or after surgical incision in patients undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery under local anesthesia. Sixty patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscectomy were randomized into three groups. All patients received intraarticular bupivacaine 0.25% pre- and postsurgery together with IV sedation using midazolam and propofol. The Preincisional group received a single 50 mg dose of rofecoxib 1 h before surgery, the Postincisional group received rofecoxib 50 mg after the completion of surgery, and the Placebo group received a placebo tablet before surgery. Pain scores, the time to first opioid use, and 24-h analgesic use were recorded. Analgesic duration, defined as the time from completion of surgery until first opioid use, was significantly longer in those patients receiving pre- (803 +/- 536 min) versus postincisional (461 +/- 344 min) rofecoxib or placebo (318 +/- 108 min). The 24 h acetaminophen/oxycodone use was less in the Preincisional group (1.5 +/- 0.6 pills) versus the Postincisional group (3.3 +/- 1.3 pills) or the Placebo group (5.5 +/- 1.6 pills). Pain scores with movement were lower in the Preincisional group at all postoperative time intervals. We conclude that rofecoxib provides effective postoperative analgesia for arthroscopic meniscectomy. Further, the administration of rofecoxib 50 mg before surgery provides a longer duration of postoperative analgesia, less 24 h opioid use, and lower incidental pain scores compared with administering the drug after the completion of surgery.

IMPLICATIONS

The administration of rofecoxib 50 mg before arthroscopic knee surgery provides a longer duration of analgesia, less 24-h opioid use, and lower pain scores than administering the drug after the completion of surgery.