Diclofenac and/or propacetamol for postoperative pain management after cesarean delivery in patients receiving patient controlled analgesia morphine.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

A multimodal approach to postcesarean pain management may enhance analgesia and reduce side effects after surgery. This study evaluates the postoperative analgesic effects of propacetamol and/or diclofenac in parturients undergoing elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia.

METHODS

After randomization, 80 healthy parturients received the following: placebo (group M), 100 mg diclofenac rectally every 8 hours (group MD), 2 g propacetamol intravenously every 6 hours (group MP), or a combination of 2 g propacetamol and 100 mg diclofenac (group MDP) as described above. Drugs were administered for 24 hours after surgery. Postoperative pain was controlled with a patient controlled analgesia pump, using morphine. The visual analog scale (VAS) at rest and on coughing, as well as the morphine consumption, were evaluated at 2, 6, and 24 hours postoperatively. Also, the side effects experienced after undergoing the different regimens were compared.

RESULTS

The patients' characteristics did not differ significantly between the 4 groups. VAS score at 2 hours, both at rest and on coughing were lower in group MDP and MD compared with group M (P <.05). At 24 hours, there was still a tendency toward lower pain scores in the groups MDP and MD; however, this difference was only statistically significant at rest between the MDP group and the MP and M groups. Morphine consumption at 2, 6, and 24 hours was lower in the MDP and MD groups compared with the MP and M groups (P <.05). The morphine-sparing effect was higher in groups MDP and MD compared with group MP (57% and 46%, respectively, v 8.2%, P <.05). The incidence of side effects was similar in all groups. However, the power of the study was too low to permit an evaluation of potential side effects.

CONCLUSION

Diclofenac after cesarean delivery improves analgesia and has a highly significant morphine-sparing effect. We were unable to demonstrate significant morphine-sparing effect of propacetamol or additive effect of propacetamol and diclofenac in this group of patients.