A Comparison of Analgesic Efficiency in Patients after Tonsillectomy

Overview

Objective:
A comparison of analgesic efficiency in patients with postoperative pain after tonsillectomy.

Methods :
A prospective study in 120 patients after tonsillectomy and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty in general anesthesia, who were administered four different analgesics or combinations after the operation: 1. tramadil, 2. rofekoxib, 3.paracetamol+codein, 4. nimesulid. The efficiency of the administered analgesic was evaluated three times a day by the method of visual analogous scale.

Results:
The mean value of pain intensity in the first three days after the operation was 25, with the maximum in the first postoperative day. The half of the patients found it insufficient to cope with the pain by using one analgesic. The patients who were given tramadol reported a high pain intensity than those from the other three groups, but the difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, the necessary supplementary administration of other analgesic(s) proved to be highest in the tramadol group, but again the difference was not statistically significant. A statistical significance was reached only in mutual comparison of individual analgesics in the second day after the operation, when the pain intensity was significantly higher with tramadol as compared with rofekoxib.

Conclusion:
The used analgesics from different drug groups displayed comparable efficiency, nevertheless a more detailed analysis of the cohort made it possible to conclude that efficiency of tramadol was lower in comparison with rofekoxib.

Key words:
postoperative pain, analgesics administration, analgesic efficiency, pain evaluation.