Comparative study of tramadol and diclofenac as analgesic for postoperative pain

Introduction: Postoperative pain is both distressing and detrimental for the patient. Postoperative pain may be a significant reason for delayed discharge from hospital, increased morbidity and reduced patient satisfaction. Methods: This study is a hospital based prospective, randomized, comparative, observational study over a period of one year. For the purpose of study, patients were randomly allocated equally between two analgesic protocols for patients operated for hydrocele and inguinal hernia. Pain assessment was done by using Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results: In the first 24,48 and 72 hours of postoperative period, mean VAS scores differed significantly between diclofenac Vs. tramadol (p<0.001). In patients operated for hernia, in the first 24,48 and 72 hours of postoperative period, mean VAS scores differed significantly between diclofenac Vs. tramadol (p<0.001. In patients operated for hydrocele, in the first 24 hours of postoperative period, mean VAS scores differed significantly (p<0.001) but in the first 48 and 72 hours of postoperative period, mean VAS scores did not differ significantly between diclofenac Vs. tramadol. Conclusions: Diclofenac provides effective and better analgesia in acute post operative pain than tramadol. Also, tramadol requires more frequent administration than diclofenac.