PREOPERATIVE NAPROXEN SODIUM REDUCES POSTOPERATIVE PAIN FOLLOWING ARTHROSCOPIC KNEE SURGERY

This study war undertaken to assess the efficacy of a single preoperative dose of naproxen sodium in reducing postoperative pain and length of day surgery stay in patients undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. A randomized, double-blind clinical trial war carried out on 66 ASA I and ASA II patients scheduled for arthroscopic knee surgery. The treatment group (n = 26) received two capsules containing 275 mg of naproxen sodium each, and the control group (n = 40) received placebo. Preoperative and postoperative visual analogue pain scores, postoperative analgesic requirements in hospital as well as 24 hr after discharge, and length of day surgery stay were studied. There was a decrease in postoperative pain, both in hospital (naproxen 0.7 +/- 1.2 vs placebo 2.2 +/- 2.3) and at 24 hr after discharge (naproxen 0.8 +/- 1.9 vs placebo 3.8 +/- 3.2) (P = 0.0001). There war no difference in the need for in-hospital postoperative analgesics or in the lime to discharge. However, there war a difference in the use of analgesics after discharge (naproxen group 30.4%, vs placebo group 71.4%) (P < 0.01). The results of this study suggest that a single preoperative dose of 550 mg naproxen sodium is effective in reducing postoperative pain in arthroscopic knee surgery, both in the immediate postoperative period and for up to 24 hr after the completion of surgery.