COMPARISON OF INTRAVENOUS KETOROLAC WITH MORPHINE FOR POSTOPERATIVE PAIN IN CHILDREN

Ninety-two children from 3 to 12 years of age were given intravenous morphine or ketorolac by titration, or ketorolac by bolus injection for moderate or severe postsurgical pain in a double-blind randomized parallel-group study. Pain scores were assessed every 5 minutes until pain relief was complete, and then every 15 minutes for 8 hours or until pain returned. Twenty-nine of 30 patients receiving morphine and 25 of 30 patients in each group receiving ketorolac achieved pain relief. The subjects in the morphine group required statistically fewer doses for analgesia than the subjects in the ketorolac groups. The sums of pain intensity differences calculated from the start of the study numerically favored morphine, but the sum of pain intensity differences from pain relief until 50% withdrew were significantly better in the ketorolac groups. Median durations of analgesia from initial drug administration were 170, 190, and 225 minutes in the morphine, ketorolac titration, and ketorolac bolus groups, respectively. The most common side effect was injection site pain. Analgesia after intravenous ketorolac developed more slowly but was sustained better than morphine.