Comparison between IV Paracetamol and Tramadol for Postoperative Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic...

Efforts to use safer drug with minimal side effects for postoperative analgesia are growing day by day for surgeries of shorter duration or which may require day care only, search for ideal agent has been a never ending process.

The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of intravenous Paracetamol and Tramadol for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

This study was done at Department of Anaesthesiology, Era's Medical College, Lucknow, India. Sixty ASA-I or II patients between 18-55 years of age, scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly allocated to two groups of 30 each. Group A received IV infusion of paracetamol 1g in 100 ml solution, while Group B received IV infusion of Tramadol 100 mg in 100 ml NS at 0 (first complain of pain postoperatively), 6, 12 and 18 hours respectively. Pain intensity was measured by a 10 point Visual Analogue Scale (0→no pain and 10→worst imaginable pain) VAS at T(0)→just before analgesic administration, at 0.5, 1.5, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours thereafter, in addition to HR, SBP, DBP.

Chi-square test, Student t-test and p-values <0.05 was considered significant.

During postoperative follow-up intervals, paracetamol showed significantly lower VAS scores as compared to tramadol at 1.5 hour, 3 hour, 6 hour, 12 hour and 24 hour follow up intervals. One patient in tramadol group had nausea postoperatively (p>0.05). No adverse effect attributable to paracetamol was noticed.

Intravenous Paracetamol can be advocated as an effective and safe analgesic agent for postoperative pain relief.