Publication:

Efficacy of single dose preoperative intravenous dexamethasone for postoperative pain relief in tonsillectomy patients

Background Tonsillectomy is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in otolaryngology. For managing post tonsillectomy pain, different modalities like use of intravenous opioids, NSAIDS, local anaesthetics, nerve blocks and steroids are available. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of single dose preoperative intravenous dexamethasone for postoperative pain relief in patients undergoing tonsillectomy.

Methods This study was conducted with 120 patients who underwent tonsillectomy. Patients were divided into two groups of 60, where one group received preoperative dexamethasone. Postoperative pains of both groups were assessed.

Results There is significant difference in pain in both the groups in 6th and 12th postoperative hours, but in 2nd hour there is no significant difference.

Conclusions A single dose of preoperative intravenous dexamethasone significantly decreased the postoperative pain in tonsillectomy patients.