Efficacy of Intravenous Ibuprofen versus Intravenous Ketorolac for Postoperative Pain Following Septorhinoplasty

Abstract

Background: Septorhinoplasty is a common surgery patients seek for functional or aesthetic purposes. This study aimed to compare the effects of intravenously administered ibuprofen and intravenously administered ketorolac on postoperative pain relief following septorhinoplasty. Methods: This study is a double-blind randomized trial. Two equal groups of twenty patients each were randomly selected from a total of forty adult patients of both sexes, ASA I and ASA II, ranging in age from 18 to 60, who were scheduled for elective septorhinoplasty under general anesthesia. Group I and group K were given intravenous ibuprofen ( 800 mg) and intravenous ketorolac (30 mg) respectively every 6 hours starting from induction of anesthesia. Both groups received pethidine as rescue analgesia. VAS evaluations and data on opioid use were documented up to 24 hours postoperatively. Both groups were also compared for intraoperative analgesia and medication-related adverse effects.Results: Ibuprofen group had lower VAS scores than ketorolac group (p <0.05). While the first call for rescue analgesia was comparable in both groups (p = 0.779), the total dosages and frequency of rescue analgesia consumption were significantly reduced in the ibuprofen group (p = 0.036 and 0.048, respectively). Both groups had no difference regarding heartburn (p = 0.235). However, there was more nausea& vomiting, and intraoperative blood loss in ketorolac group (p = 0.038 and 0.007, respectively). Conclusion: Intravenous ibuprofen, compared to ketorolac, is associated with lower postoperative VAS scores and less opioid consumption when used to alleviate postoperative pain following septorhinoplasty.