A comparative study of the analgesic effect of intravenous pethidine vs. Ketorolac after inguinal hernia surgery in children under general anesthesia

Abstract

Introduction: Postoperative pain due to tissue damage caused during surgery not only causes discomfort for the patients, but can also result in prolonged hospitalization, increased morbidity and respiratory disorders, and readmission to the hospital. For postoperative pain control, numerous methods and medications have been suggested, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and narcotics. Pethidine, as a narcotic analgesic, and ketorolac, as an NSAID, are widely used for pain control. Thus, in this study, the effects of these two drugs were studied and compared in terms of pain control after inguinal hernia surgery in children of 1-12 years of age. Materials and Methods: Sixty-six children undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups. The first group received 0.5 mg/kg ketorolac and the second group received 1 mg/kg pethidine during extubation. Postoperative pain (using Wong Baker pain scale) and complications were measured until 24 hours after surgery. Results: Mean and standard deviations of postoperative pain 1 hour after surgery in the pethidin and ketorolac groups were 5.06 ± 1.41 and 3.88 ± 0.93, respectively. The scale was significantly lower in the ketorolac group (P <0.001). Postoperative pain intensity 2 hours after surgery in these two groups was 4.48 ± 1.52 and 3.55 ± 1.15, respectively, and the difference between the two groups was significant (P = 0.006). The variation in postoperative pain intensity in the ketorolac group was statistically lower than the pethidin group (P = 0.020). © 2016, American University of Beirut. All rights reserved.