Efficacy of Intravenous Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen on Postoperative Pain and Tramadol Consumption in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Prospective, Randomized, Double-blinded Clinical Trial

Background: Many techniques, including multimodal analgesia, have been used to manage postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Although the number of studies using intravenous ibuprofen (IV) is still limited, ibuprofen has been shown to have a potential role in managing postoperative pain. The primary outcome of this study is to evaluate and compare the impact of IV forms of ibuprofen and acetaminophen on 24-hour postoperative opioid consumption and pain management in patients undergoing LC. The second outcome of the study is to evaluate the impact of ibuprofen and acetaminophen on opioid-related adverse events (ORAE). Materials and Methods: This study was a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Following ethical committee approval, 70 patients aged 18 to 65, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score I- II, and those scheduled for LC were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The control group (n=35) received 800 mg IV ibuprofen (group I) in 100 mL saline during surgery, while the acetaminophen group (n=35) received 1000 mg (group A). In the postoperative period, all patients received a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device with tramadol. The PCA device was set to a bolus dose of 10 mg and had a lockout time of 15 minutes. A blinded pain nurse assessed postoperative analgesia at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours using a numerical rating scale (NRS). The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), total tramadol consumption, and the need for additional analgesics during the 24-hour postoperative period were recorded. Results: Seventy patients who underwent LC participated in this study. The use of analgesic medications was statistically lower in group I than in the other group A. NRS scores between the IV ibuprofen and acetaminophen groups were statistically similar at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively (P>0.05). 24-hour opioid consumption was statistically significantly higher in group A than in group I (P0.05). PONV rates were similar in the ibuprofen and acetaminophen groups (P>0.05). ORAEs were similar between groups. Conclusion: Ibuprofen as part of tramadol-based multimodal analgesia reduced tramadol consumption compared to acetaminophen during the first 24 hours postoperatively following elective LC surgery. The IV ibuprofen-tramadol combination appeared superior to an acetaminophen-tramadol combination. ORAEs were similar in both groups.