Sufentanil does not preempt pain after abdominal hysterectomy

We compared the effect of intravenous (i.v.) sufentanil on postoperative pain and analgesic requirements, when given before or after abdominal hysterectomy. Patients were assigned in a random blind manner to receive 1 mu g/kg of sufentanil 5 min before induction of anaesthesia (group A, n = 18) or after ligation of the round ligaments of the uterus (group B, n = 21). General anaesthesia was induced with midazolam, thiopental and vecuronium and maintained with isoflurane and N2O in oxygen. Propoxyphene and paracetamol, or pethidine for overnight or if pain was uncontrollable, were prescribed on request. Pain was assessed with VAS and a verbal rating scale (VRS: 1 = no pain and 6 = intolerable pain) immediately before the first analgesic administration and 4, 8, 12, and 24 h postoperatively. VAS or VRS scores did not differ between the two groups at any time: neither did propoxyphene, paracetamol, and pethidine requirements. These results suggest that preinjury i.v. sufentanil is not more beneficial for postoperative pain control than the postinjury administration.