[Pre-emptive ketoprofen for postoperative pain relief after urologic surgery].

Background: Effective multimodal postoperative analgesia is one of determinants of patient satisfaction after successful surgery. Following the recommendations of non-steroidal antiinflammatory agents (NSAIDs) for pre-emptive analgesia, we assessed the efficacy of ketoprofen administered before urological surgery.

Methods: Fifty-two ASA I and II adult patients, scheduled for elective urologic procedures under general anaesthesia, were enrolled in this prospective, double blind study. They were randomized to receive intravenously either 100 mg ketoprofen or placebo (0.9% saline), one hour before the procedure, and at 8, 24, 36 and 48 h after. Pethidine was given for rescue analgesia. VAS was used for pain scoring.

Results: Pain scores were similar in both groups and identified as severe (VAS >4) during the first 48 h after surgery. There was no difference in the number of patients requiring rescue pethidine analgesia, mostly required during the first 12 postoperative hours.

Conclusion: Pre-emptive analgesia with intravenous ketoprofen was ineffective in patients undergoing urological surgery.