Preemptive oxycodone is superior to equal dose of sufentanil to reduce visceral pain and inflammatory markers after surgery: a randomized controlled trail

BackgroundPostoperative visceral pain is common after surgery and previous studies have demonstrated that oxycodone is an effective treatment. In this study, we compared the effects of preemptive oxycodone to equal dose of sufentanil on postoperative pain and serum level of inflammatory factors (TNF-, IL-6, IL-10) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.MethodsForty patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomized into preemptive oxycodone group or preemptive sufentanil group.Patients were given either oxycodone 0.1mg/kg (oxycodone group, n=20) or sufentanil 0.1 g/kg (sufentanil group, n=20) for preemptive analgesia. We evaluated pain/sedation scores at 0h, 0.5h, 2h, 4h, 6h, 8h and 24h after surgery and measured serum concentrations of TNF-, IL-6 and IL-10 before surgery and at 0h, 6h and 24h after surgery.ResultsTwenty patients were recruited in each group. Numerical rating scale (NRS) of visceral pain in the oxycodone group at 2h when resting (0.5(0,2.75) vs 3(2,4), P=0.008) and moving (0.5(0,3) vs 3(2.25,4), P=0.015) and 4h when moving (2(0,3) vs 3(0,4.75), P=0.043) after surgery were significantly lower than the sufentanil group. Serum concentrations of TNF- at 6h (38.6810.49 vs 73.0216.27, P<0.001) and 24h (43.12 +/- 8.40 vs 74.00 +/- 21.30, P<0.001) in the oxycodone group were lower than the sufentanil group.Conclusions Preemptive oxycodone 0.1mg/kg administration could effectively suppress visceral pain at 2h and 4h after surgery and had lower inflammatory marker, serum TNF-, level when compared to equal dose of sufentanil.Trial registration Clinical trials registration number: ChiCTR-IOR-17013738http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=17346. Date of registration: 6th December 2017.