Intravenous versus oral paracetamol for postoperative analgesia: A systematic review
Abstract
Paracetamol is a widely used analgesic agent that can be given by several different routes of administration. In the surgical setting, intravenous infusions of paracetamol are used, but an alternative is using oral paracetamol as a premedication. This systematic review is the first to compare the relative efficacy of intravenous and oral paracetamol at providing postoperative analgesia. Nine relevant studies were identified. Intravenous paracetamol resulted in a postoperative pain score of 0.5 points lower than in those receiving oral paracetamol premedication. Patients receiving intravenous paracetamol also had a small reduction in postoperative opioid requirements, but the time at which rescue analgesia was required did not differ. These results suggest that intravenous paracetamol may offer a small advantage over oral paracetamol premedication at providing postoperative analgesia.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Effect of dexamethasone as an analgesic adjuvant to multimodal pain treatment after total knee arthroplasty: randomised clinical trial
- Effect of a Postoperative Multimodal Opioid-Sparing Protocol vs Standard Opioid Prescribing on Postoperative Opioid Consumption After Knee or Shoulder Arthroscopy: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- Comparison of the Post-Caesarean Analgesic Effect of Adding Dexmedetomidine to Paracetamol and Ketorolac: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- A triple-blind randomized clinical trial of different associations between dexamethasone and non-steroids anti-inflammatories for preemptive action in third molar extractions
- An open label randomized clinical trial of Indomethacin for mild and moderate hospitalised Covid-19 patients
- Oral paracetamol and/or ibuprofen for treating pain after soft tissue injuries: Single centre double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.