Recovery from outpatient laparoscopic tubal ligation is not improved by preoperative administration of ketorolac or ibuprofen

The analgesic efficacy of a single dose of ketorolac or ibuprofen given preoperatively was assessed in healthy outpatients undergoing general anesthesia for laparoscopic tubal ligation. Fifty patients were randomized to receive either ketorolac 60 mg intravenously (IV), ibuprofen 800 mg orally, or placebo in a double-blind manner. Anesthesia was induced with fentanyl μg/kg, thiopental 5 mg/kg, and either vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg or succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg IV and was maintained with nitrous oxide 67% in oxygen and isoflurane. Patients were assessed at 15-min intervals in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) and treated for pain with IV morphine by protocol. Patients were evaluated for pain, analgesic requirements, side effects, and recovery times. After discharge, patients completed questionnaires to assess pain, analgesic use, and side effects 6 and 24 h postoperatively. Parenteral morphine was required in 80% of patients in the control group, and 73% of patients in both treatment groups, and the difference was not statistically significant. The dose of parenteral morphine required in the PACU was not different between the control (7 ± 1.2 mg), ibuprofen (5.7 ± 1.4 mg), and ketorolac (6.1 ± 1.4 mg) groups. There was no difference between groups in terms of pain visual analog scale (VAS) scores, fatigue VAS scores, recovery times, or the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. The preoperative administration of either parenteral ketorolac or oral ibuprofen did not decrease postoperative pain or side effects when compared to placebo in this outpatient population.