The effectiveness of preemptive analgesic techniques on postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing open septorhinoplasty

Abstract
Objectives: This study compared the effects of preincisional intravenous (IV) dexketoprofen trometamol and acetaminophen on postoperative pain, analgesic requirements, hemodynamic parameters, postoperative tramadol consumption, and patient satisfaction in patients undergoing elective septorhinoplasty.

Methods: Sixty patients scheduled for elective septorhinoplasty under general anesthesia were divided into three groups. The groups were comparable in terms of gender, average age, body weight, and the mean duration of surgery and anesthesia (p>0.05). Group D (n=20) received 50 mg of IV dexketoprofen trometamol, Group A (n=20) received 1 g of IV acetaminophen before incision, and Group K (n=20) received no analgesic. Postoperative pain was managed with IV tramadol infusion and a patient-controlled analgesia pump. Pain levels (measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)), total tramadol consumption, and patient satisfaction were assessed at 15 and 30 minutes postoperatively, and then at 1, 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively.

Results: VAS scores were highest in Group K and lowest in Group D (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in tramadol consumption between Group K and Group A, though both groups required more tramadol than Group D (p=0.649 and p<0.05, respectively). The time to first analgesic requirement and incidence of side effects were similar across all groups.

Conclusion: Both preemptive IV dexketoprofen trometamol and acetaminophen were effective for managing postoperative pain in the early period following elective septorhinoplasty under general anesthesia. However, preemptive dexketoprofen trometamol was found to be more effective than acetaminophen in reducing postoperative pain.