ABSTRACT

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of oral tramadol in term of postoperative pain and compare it with intravenous analgesics in patients underwent cesarean sections.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Services Institute of Medical Sciences Lahore from 1st March 2019 to 31st August 2019.

Methods: Two hundred and twenty patients undergoing lower segment cesarean section were enrolled in this study. All the patients were divided equally in to two groups. Group I contains 110 patients and received oral tramadol and group II with same number of patients received intravenous analgesics. Pain score was examined and compare between two groups by using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 2, 6, 12 and 24 hours postoperatively. Adverse effects of drugs were examined and compare between both groups.

Results: The mean age of patients in group I and II was 30.02±5.24 years and 30.65±5.05 years. No significant difference was observed in term of pain score between both groups at 2 hours p-value >0.05 (group I 6.42±2.25, group II 6.36±1.98). At 6 hours mean pain score in group I patients was 4.85±1.68 and in group II it was 3.06±0.74, a significant difference was observed with p-value <0.001. At 12 and 24 hours no significant difference was observed between both groups regarding mean pain score with p-value >0.05. Drowsiness was the commonest adverse effect in both groups [(group I 16 (14.55%), group II 14 (12.73%)]. No significant difference was observed regarding adverse effects of drugs between both groups with p-value >0.05.

Conclusion: Oral tramadol is safe and effective for the management of postoperative pain and should be used as an alternate of intravenous analgesics.

Keywords: Cesarean section, Postoperative pain, Oral tramadol, Intravenous analgesics