Post operative analgesia following elective abdominal surgery

Laparotomy is a commonly performed surgical operation. Baseline information regarding post-op analgesia was obtained to detect the deficiencies in the current management of pain to optimize post-op pain management.The aim of this to study the patterns of prescription and administration of analgesic drugs for post-op pain after abdominal surgery, prevalence and the severity of post-op pain, assess the adverse effects of drugs and assess the patient satisfaction.Methodology: Prospective observational study conducted in a tertiary care hospital in South India over 2 years. Results:Out of the 289 elective laparotomies,upper midline (191/289) and lower midline (64/289) were the common incisions employed. Intramuscular morphine with ketorolac (99/289; 34.25%) was the commonest analgesic used postoperatively. Conclusion:NSAIDs and opioid (median score was 1,2,1 at 6,12 & 24 hrs), Epidural analgesia with supplemental intramuscular ketorolac ( median score was 1,2,2 at 6,12 & 24 hrs) and PCEA groups (median score was 2,2,1 at 6,12& 24 hrs ) provided effective pain relief with high satisfaction score (median score-3) and were associated with low sedation and least side effects.