Intravenous acetaminophen for postoperative supratentorial craniotomy pain: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

ABSTRACT

Acute pain control after cranial surgery is challenging. Prior research has shown that patients experience inadequate pain control post-craniotomy. The use of oral medications is sometimes delayed because of postoperative nausea, and the use of narcotics can impair the evaluation of brain function and thus are used judiciously. Few nonnarcotic intravenous (IV) analgesics exist. The authors present the results of the first prospective study evaluating the use of IV acetaminophen in patients after elective craniotomy. Patients who received postoperative IV acetaminophen after craniotomy did not have significantly decreased narcotic consumption but did experience significantly lower pain scores after surgery. The drug was well tolerated and safe in this patient population.

CITATION

Sivakumar, W., Jensen, M., Martinez, J., Tanana, M. J., Duncan, N., Hoesch, R., Riva-Cambrin, J., & Ansari, S. (2019). Intravenous acetaminophen for postoperative supratentorial craniotomy pain: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Neurosurgery, 130(3), pp. 675-1038.

Go to journal article

 

Blog Search