[Use of ketorolac in patient controlled analgesia (PCA) in postoperative pain]

The investigators analyzed postoperative analgesia quality by randomizing 28 patients (ASA I-II) in two group. I group (14) received ketorolac 120 mg throughout a 24 hs observation period via a pump (20 mg initial bolus, 2 mg demand bolus, 5 min lock-out time 4 mg/h continuous infusion, 48 mg maximum dose not including initial bolus. II group (14 patients) were treated with ketorolac 30 mg im every 6 hs. During the study several parameters were recorded: MR, SAP, RR, SatO2 and pain level by noting' pts' filuing VAS. In the I group pain level dramatically dropped from 6.37 +/- 1.44 to 3.5 +/- 1.11 (p < 0.01) during the first 3 hrs. Pain level continued to decrease in a significant way up to 6 hs after the end of the surgical procedure (p < 0.01). Even in the II group patients the pain level drop in the first 3 hrs was significant (p < 0.01), never the less it did not show any further change throughout the following observation period. RR decreased from 19.7 +/- 3.7 to 15.9 +/- 3.2 (p < 0.01) in the first group, in the first 3 hrs, while in the II group patients lowered from 26.4 +/- 2.2 to 23.6 +/- 2.4 (p < 0.01) in the same time fraction. Results show a significant analgesic effect in both groups of patients in the first 3 hs. However pain control is more dramatic and stable up to the 6 hs in the patients of I group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)