Postoperative management of pain by the use of ponstel (mefenamic acid), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent.
Early, painfree ambulation is one of the primary goals for postoperative foot patients. Often patients remain in bed, not because of pain but because of side effects of narcotic analgesic agents. Ambulation can be dangerous, but if it is delayed, the prolonged bed rest can lead to circulatory complications. For this reason, and to minimize the use of addictive narcotics, the author has used a non-narcotic, anti-inflammatory agent called Ponstel (mefenamic acid) as the mainstay in postoperative management of pain. Ponstel has been in constant use for 12 years for hospital and office surgical procedures. A review of 192 cases performed over a 4-year period in Westbury General Hospital, Houston, Texas, suggests that this agent is safe, well tolerated, and minimizes the need for narcotic analgesic agents during the early postoperative period.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000601:surgery*; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008528:Mefenamic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D008528:Mefenamic Acid