Ketorolac or pethidine for analgesia after elective laparoscopic sterilization

Laparoscopic sterilization is commonly performed as a day surgery procedure despite difficulties in providing adequate postoperative analgesia for all patients. We have examined the analgesic utility of intramuscular ketorolac in this setting by comparing it with intramuscular pethidine, both given after induction in a randomized, double-blind study in sixty such patients. Although the analgesic effects of the two drugs were comparable in the immediate postoperative period, ketorolac provided significantly better analgesia four hours after surgery (pain score of 2.7 v. 4.2, P = 0.006). The recovery times taken to awake, to ambulate and for discharge were all significantly shorter after ketorolac (4.6 v. 8.8 min, P = 0.01; 178 v. 260 min, P = 0.0005; 242 v. 320 min, P = 0.02), and the unplanned admission rate was also significantly less after ketorolac (7% v. 33%, P = 0.01). Ketorolac appears to be a useful supplement for analgesia after laparoscopic sterilization, providing improved analgesia as well as decreased recovery time and fewer unplanned admissions.