Tramadol for the management of acute pain

This paper reviews the use of tramadol in the management of acute pain. Tramadol is a weak opioid analgesic with a potency comparable to that of pethidine. While it is not recommended as a supplement to general anaesthesia because of its insufficient sedative activity, tramadol has been successful in the treatment of postoperative pain. Several studies have demonstrated its analgesic efficacy after intramuscular and intravenous application, both in adults and children. Moreover, negligible respiratory depressant activity and only minor side effects have consistently been shown. Patient-controlled analgesia with tramadol has been frequently employed and was well accepted by the patients. There have been only a few studies of oral or spinal application of tramadol in acute pain states. Tramadol has also been used for the control of pain associated with labour and acute myocardial infarction, as well as for the management of trauma pain. In summary, tramadol can be recommended as a basic analgesic for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe pain.