Efficacy of early intravenous bolus oxycodone or fentanyl in emergence from general anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A randomized trial

Abstract

Objectives: To compare prospectively the efficacy of early intravenous bolus of oxycodone or fentanyl in providing analgesia at emergence from general anaesthesia following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 0.08 mg/kg oxycodone (Group O) or 1 µg/kg fentanyl (Group F), 20 min before the end of surgery. Postoperative pain was evaluated using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The time to first postoperative analgesic dose, requirement for analgesia and side-effects were assessed in the postanaesthesia care unit (PACU). Results: The VAS scores at 0 min and 30 min and requirement for analgesia were significantly lower in Group O (n = 28) than in Group F (n = 26). The time to first analgesia dose was significantly longer in Group O than Group F. There were no significant between-group differences in the incidence of side-effects. Conclusions: Oxycodone relieves immediate postoperative pain significantly better than fentanyl, and is not associated with an increase in side-effects in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.