Postoperative intravenous administration of lysine acetylsalicylate: effect on pain relief and platelet function.

The effects of lysine acetylsalicylate, a new injectable salicylate, on postoperative pain relief and platelet function were studied in ten men who had surgery for peptic ulcer. Four of five patients receiving lysine acetylsalicylate had satisfactory pain relief. One patient required an additional injection of 15 mg of pentazocine. Of the five patients in the control group, an average (+/- SD) dose of 90 +/- 23.7 mg of pentazocine was required to achieve adequate postoperative pain relief. Lysine acetylsalicylate decreased platelet aggregability but without resulting in hemorrhage. We concluded that this new salicylate administered intravenously to patients in the postoperative period provided adequate analgesia while allowing effective hemostasis despite its inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation.