Different doses of nalmefene combined with hydromorphone hydrochloride for postoperative analgesia after colorectal...

Hydromorphone hydrochloride has a satisfactory postoperative analgesic effect for patients with colorectal cancer but is accompanied by a relatively high incidence of adverse events. Low-doses of naloxone combined with opioids for patient-controlled analgesia can reduce the incidence of drug-related adverse events. Nalmefene is a more selective opioid receptor antagonist than naloxone. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of low-doses of nalmefene on the analgesic effect and incidence of adverse events of patients with hydromorphone patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) undergoing colorectal radical surgery.

Ninety-nine patients undergoing elective laparoscopic or hand-assisted laparoscopic radical surgery under general anaesthesia were randomly divided into three groups. Group N1 received hydromorphone hydrochloride 0.15 mg/kg + nalmefene 2 µg/kg; Group N2 received hydromorphone hydrochloride 0.15 mg/kg + nalmefene 0.5 µg/kg; and the control group (Group C) received hydromorphone hydrochloride 0.15 mg/kg. All medications were diluted to 100 ml with normal saline. The primary outcome was pain intensity at 12 h after surgery; the secondary outcomes were the occurrence of nausea, vomiting and pruritus and the total analgesic consumption of the PCA pump at 1 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 and 48 h after surgery.

The NRS scores of Group N1 (2 µg/kg) were significantly lower than those of Group C (P = 0.025), and no difference was found between group N2 and group C (P > 0.05). Among the three groups, the NRS scores of Group N1 (2 µg/kg) were significantly lower than those of Group C at 12 h (P = 0.01) and 48 h (P = 0.01) postoperatively. Compared with 12 h postoperatively, the NRS scores were lower at 24 h postoperatively in Group N1 and Group C (P < 0.05) and significantly lower at 48 h postoperatively in all three groups (P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in the incidence of pruritus among the three groups (P = 0.036).

Nalmefene at a dosage of 2 µg/kg enhances the postoperative analgesic effect of hydromorphone hydrochloride and reduces the occurrence of postoperative pruritus.

The trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration number: ChiCTR2000033520, date: 03/06/2020).