Are analgesics necessary for women at home following laparoscopic gynaecological day surgery?

This study sought to discover whether day-surgery patients found it necessary to take analgesics to relieve the pain and discomfort experienced after discharge following gynaecological laparoscopic procedures. Pre-operative anxiety was also assessed as a possible contributory factor to post-operative nausea and headaches. The results showed that 65 per cent of the sample required analgesics post-operatively for up to three days, and a minority for nearly a week. Of those taking analgesics, 50 per cent recorded pain or discomfort in more than one of the four body areas monitored, namely the abdomen, shoulders, back and head. On assessment by anaesthetists, 82 per cent of the sample showed some degree of pre-operative anxiety, but the study was unable to show any obvious link between anxiety and post-operative headaches or nausea.