Early administration of ketorolac after cardiac surgery and postoperative complications: Analysis of the MIMIC‐IV database

Abstract Inflammation may contribute to postoperative cardiac complications and ketorolac, an anti‐inflammatory agent inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX), shows promise in enhancing cardiac graft patency by suppressing endothelial cell proliferation in animal studies. However, the safety of postoperative ketorolac use remains controversial. This study investigates the association between early ketorolac application and complications following cardiac surgery. Data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care‐IV (MIMIC‐IV) database fueled this retrospective cohort study. The primary outcome is a composite of mortality, pulmonary insufficiency, severe acute kidney injury (AKI), hemorrhage or hematoma, infection, cardiogenic shock, and cerebrovascular infarction postcardiac surgery. Propensity score matching (PSM; 1:1 match, caliper 0.2), multivariate logistic regression, interaction stratification analysis, pairwise algorithmic, and overlap weight model analyses were employed. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, 7143 patients who underwent valvular surgery or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were included. PSM created a balanced cohort of 3270 individuals (1635 in the ketorolac group). The matched cohort exhibited an 8.1% overall rate of postoperative complications, with a lower composite outcome rate in patients receiving ketorolac within 48 h of surgery compared with those without (PSM, OR 0.70 95% CI, 0.54–0.90). Consistent associations were observed in total cohort analyses, sensitivity, and subgroup analyses. Early ketorolac use within 48 h post‐CABG or valvular procedures in adults is independently associated with a lower incidence of composite postoperative adverse events. Prospective trials are warranted to assess causality.