Publication:

Comparative study of tramadol and piroxicam as analgesic for postoperative pain in patients operated for inguinal hernia and hydrocele

Background Pain is usually protective, it warns of tissue damage and prompts treatment but postoperatively, it can delay recovery. Postoperative pain is both distressing and detrimental for the patient. Postoperative pain may be a significant reason for delayed discharge from hospital, increased morbidity and reduced patient satisfaction.

Methods This was a hospital based prospective, randomized, comparative, observational study conducted over a period of one year. Patients operated for hydrocele and inguinal hernia were included in the study after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. For the purpose of study, equal numbers of subjects were randomly allocated one of the two analgesic protocols. Pain assessment was done by using visual analog scale (VAS) for the first 72 hours of the postoperative period.

Results When the drugs were compared individually, piroxicam was superior to tramadol in first 24, 48 and 72 hours of postoperative period in case of pain after surgery for hernia. Piroxicam was found to be superior to tramadol in first postoperative 24 hours after surgery for hydrocele with no significant difference first 48 & 72 hours of postoperative period. Piroxicam has the advantage of requiring lesser frequency of administration than tramadol due to prolonged duration of action.

Conclusions Piroxicam provides better and effective analgesia in acute post-operative pain along with the advantage of requiring lesser frequency of administration than tramadol.