Comparative evaluation of two different doses of nebulized intraperitoneal dexamethasone on postoperative pain in...

Postoperative pain is a major cause of discomfort after laparoscopic surgeries and thus necessitates prevention and treatment. This study aims to evaluate and compare two different doses of intraperitoneally nebulized (aerosol size: 0.4-4.5 micrometers) dexamethasone for the prevention of postoperative pain.

In this double-blind, randomized control study, 135 patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries were randomly assigned to three groups after obtaining ethical committee clearance and CTRI registration. Intraperitoneal nebulization was performed using the Aeroneb device, with group A receiving 16 mg dexamethasone, group B receiving 8 mg dexamethasone, and group C receiving 0.9% normal saline. The primary outcome was assessed by measuring visceral, somatic, and referred pain using a visual analog scale (VAS) at 6 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included VAS at 1 and 24 hours, the hemodynamic response to pneumo-peritoneum, 24-hour anti-emetics, and opioid consumption.

VAS score at 6 hours was 0.9 ± 1.06 in group A, 1.7 ± 1.45 in group B, and 2.3 ± 1.87 in group C for referred pain; the values were statistically significant (P = 0.01). VAS score was 0.7 ± 0.76 in group A, 1.7 ± 1.82 in group B, and 2.2 ± 2.06 in group C for dull aching pain; the results were statistically significant at 24 hours (P = 0.001). None of the values at any time point were statistically significant (P < 0.05) for incisional pain. The rise in heart rate after 5 minutes of pneumoperitoneum was the least in group A compared to group C (P = 0.01). Group C had the highest consumption of anti-emetics and rescue analgesics (P = 0.001).

Intraperitoneal dexamethasone nebulization of 16 mg and 8 mg both are equi-effective in decreasing the severity of pain after laparoscopic surgeries compared to normal saline nebulization (P = 0.001).