Effectiveness of tramadol/paracetamol compared with etoricoxib as postoperative analgesia in daycare surgery

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a fixed, tramadol/paracetamol combination when compared with etoricoxib as postoperative analgesia following day care surgery. Design: This was a prospective, randomised, single-blind study. Setting and subjects: Sixty-two patients were randomised to receive either etoricoxib (n = 29) or tramadol/paracetamol (n = 33) by mouth prior to surgery. Patients were given general anaesthesia with fentanyl for intraoperative and rescue analgesia. Outcome measures: The primary efficacy variables that were investigated were total pain relief and sum of pain intensity differences at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 24 and 48 hours. Data were collected by an independent observer through an interview or by telephone after discharge. Results: Total pain relief (p-value 0.001) was significantly different between the two groups for the first four hours. The total dose of fentanyl use was comparable between the two groups. There was also a significant difference in the occurrence of nausea with tramadol/paracetamol (p-value 0.001), and dizziness with etoricoxib (p-value 0.024). Conclusion: Tramadol/paracetamol provided significantly better pain relief than etoricoxib in the early postoperative period.