'Scheduled' dosing of lornoxicam provides analgesia superior to that provided by 'on request' dosing following craniotomy.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of 'scheduled' analgesia with analgesia 'on request in patients after craniotomy.


METHODS
We performed a prospective randomized study comparing 'scheduled' analgesia with analgesia 'on request' on 126 patients aged 16-70 years undergoing craniotomy for a variety of reasons. Patients were randomized to one of two groups; group 1 (68 patients) received lornoxicam 'on request', and group 2 (58 patients) received 8 mg of lornoxicam preoperatively, immediately after intubation, then 8 mg again 6-8 h after the first injection and 8 mg repeated every 8 h for 48 h postoperatively. Subgroup analysis was performed for patients with supratentorial and infratentorial craniotomy. We measured pain scores (visual analogue scale), mean blood pressure and heart rate at 6, 18, 30, 42 and 54 h after surgery and compared differences in these parameters between groups and amongst subgroups.


CONCLUSIONS
Group 1 visual analogue pain scale scores were significantly higher than those in group 2 (P < 0.05). Group 1 patients with infratentorial craniotomy showed higher pain scores than supratentorial craniotomy patients (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in mean blood pressure between groups and subgroups (P > 0.05). We found no correlation between visual analogue scale scores, mean blood pressure and heart rate (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
'Scheduled' analgesia with lornoxicam was more effective for treating post-craniotomy pain than 'on request' analgesia with lornoxicam.
Dolmatova
Elena V
EV
Faculty of Basic Medicine, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. atoshka@yandex.ru
Imaev
Alexander A
AA
Lubnin
Andrey Y
AY
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000758:Anesthesia; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D003399:Craniotomy; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010894:Piroxicam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014147:Tramadol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D010894:Piroxicam; D014147:Tramadol; C059451:lornoxicam