“Role of pre-emptive analgesia in reduction mammaplasty”

Pre-emptive analgesia is an antinociceptive treatment that prevents altered central excitability from high intensity noxious stimuli. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efcacy of pre-emptive analgesia in patients due to have elective breast reduction that usually requires drugs for postoperative pain control. Sixty women, ASA grades I–II, were randomly divided into two groups: 30 patients were given ropivacaine in ltration 1.5 mg/ml plus adrena- line 1/200 000 in normal saline 100 ml before the skin incision, and 30 had normal saline 100ml plus adrenaline 1/200 000 in ltrated. Postoperative pain was evaluated by an observer who was unaware of the treatment given, and scored on a visual analogue score (VAS) during the rst 72 hours postoperatively. Analgesic requirements were recorded. There was a statistically signi cant difference between groups in the amount of additional pain control required during the early postoperative period, which suggests that pre-emptive analgesia reduces pain after reduction mammaplasty.