Comparative Study of Intravenous Paracetamol and Tramadol forPostoperative Analgesia Following Infra-Umbilical General Surgeries

Background: Postoperative pain is a common clinical problem, which may compromise recovery and hospitalstay. Proper pain management, preferably in infra-umbilical procedures, is very important to optimize patient’soutcomes. Although opioids such as tramadol are popular, their adverse effects – nausea, vomiting, sedation, andrespiratory depression – do not make them desirable. Intravenous (IV) paracetamol: a non-opioid analgesic, whichis gaining popularity as the potential alternative with favourable safety profile.Aim: To compare intravenous paracetamol and tramadol for efficacy and safety for use in the postoperative periodin patients undergoing infra-umbilical general surgeries.Methods: It was an observational study that took place in Sheikh Bhikari Medical College, Hazaribagh,Jharkhand, India for one year. 52 patients undergoing elective infra-umbilical surgeries were randomly selectedin to the two groups. Group A (IV paracetamol 15mg/kg) and group B (IV tramadol 2mg/kg). The intensity ofpain was measured by the Visual Analogue Scale at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6 hours post operatively. Undesirable effects andneed for rescue analgesia were also noted.Results: The two groups exhibited similar outcomes in the early hours of having their blood. However, Group A(paracetamol) had statistically lower VAS scores reported at 2, 4, and 6 hours. More adverse effects such as nauseaand sedation occurred in Group B (tramadol), which would suggest for better tolerability with paracetamol.Conclusion: IV paracetamol has better analgesic efficacy in the later postoperative period and has fewer sideeffects than tramadol and is thus, a safe drug for the postoperative pain management system on infra-umbilicaloperation.