Postoperative analgesic efficacy of preemptive and postoperative lornoxicam in femoropopliteal bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVES

In this study, we analyzed the effect of the application time of intravenous (IV) lornoxicam in preventing postoperative pain.

METHODS

This placebo-controlled study was conducted on 72 patients undergoing elective femoropopliteal bypass surgery. The patients were randomly divided into three groups. Group I (n=25) was administered IV 8 mg lornoxicam 20 minutes before incision and IV 2 mL saline at the end of the surgery; Group II (n=24) was administered IV 2 mL saline 20 minutes before incision and IV 8 mg lornoxicam at the end of the surgery; Group III (n=23) was administered IV 2 mL saline 20 minutes before incision and IV 2 mL saline at the end of the surgery. All patients used IV morphine via a patient-controlled analgesia device. Postoperative pain was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS), and patients with a VAS score >3 were administered intramuscular 75 mg naproxen sodium.

RESULTS

The VAS scores were significantly higher in Group III compared with Group I at the 0th, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hours and with Group II at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hours (p<0.05). As far as 24-hour morphine and naproxen sodium consumption were concerned, there was a significant statistical difference between the three groups (p<0.05); comparing Group I and II, there was no difference (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Regardless of the time it is applied, lornoxicam reduces postoperative pain and consumption of opioids within the initial 3 hours.