RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF MORPHINE AND TRAMADOL ADMINISTERED INTRA-ARTICULARLY FOR POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIA FOLLOWING ARTHROSCOPIC SURGERY

In this randomised, double-blind study, the analgesic efficacy of intra-articular injections of morphine 1 mg and tramadol 10 mg were compared in 86 patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery at 2 centres. Overall, patients who received morphine (n = 41) recorded lower scores for pain on a visual analogue scale and consumed less supplemental analgesia than patients treated with tramadol (n = 45), When the results from the 2 centres were combined, morphine was significantly more effective than tramadol 2 hours after surgery (p = 0.025). Although patient variables such as gender or age did not significantly influence measures of pain, the treatment centre did have a significant effect. It appears that intra-articular administration of morphine or tramadol is a simple, safe and effective means of controlling pain after arthroscopic surgery. Morphine may have an advantage over tramadol in this indication, but further studies are necessary to confirm this finding.