Control of post-surgical pain; comparison between tramadol and meperidine after emergency cesarean section

ABSTRACT

There are many complications for patients with post cesarean section relative pain. So it delays in discharging or increasing in hospital stay. The objective of this study was a comparison between Tramadol and Meperidine according to pain relief or other possible complications in post cesarean section pain control. This study was a double blind clinical trial. It arranged for 240 parturients who scheduled for emergency cesarean section with pain after surgery in spite of spinal anesthesia. All patients were in ASA class I. They were divided randomly in two groups. Meperidine [M] and Tramadol [T] groups with 120 patients in each group. After beginning of pain in post anesthesia care unit [VAS> or=4], in group [T] tramadol 1.5 mg/kg and in group [M] meperidine 0.5 mg/kg were injected intravenously. Apart from pain, other drug complications such as shivering, blood pressure changes, itching, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness were recorded one and two hours after injection. Data were analyzed by chi-square test, Relative frequency rate [RFR] of 50% decrease in pain score one hour after intravenous injection was 56.7% in group [T] and 69.2% in group [M] [P=0.054]. RFR for respiratory depression after one hour was 5.8% in [M] group and 0 in [T] group [P=0.007]. RFR for nausea after one hour was 39.2% in [T] group and 23.3% in [M] group [P=0.008]. RFR for vomiting after one hour was 23.3% in [T] group and 13.3% in [M] group [P=0.045]. RFR for drowsiness after one hour was 25% in [M] group and 3.3% in [T] group [P=0.007]. There was no statistically significant relationship after 2[nd] hour for pain relief, nausea, vomiting and drowsiness between two groups. There was no difference between two groups in RFR for shivering, blood pressure changes and itching in both two groups. This study illustrates both remedies Meperidine and Tramadol which were effective for pain relief and shivering after cesarean section. But according to high incidence of nausea and vomiting with Tramadol and more analgesic effects of Meperidine than Tramadol, administration of Meperidine is better than Tramadol after cesarean section for pain control