Preprocedural intravenous Ibuprofen for post-repair pain relief after traumatic wound management: A randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Introduction: Wound repair may cause extra pain and inflammation leading to post-repair discomfort. Previous studies showed that Pre-operative use of NSAIDs may reduce pain after surgery but data on traumatic wound repair are lacking. Methods: This is a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 194 participants were randomly assigned to either intervention or control groups. In the intervention group Ibuprofen 800 mg in 100 cc normal saline infused before wound repair while the control group received 100 cc normal saline. Numeric pain scores were recorded at the beginning of wound repair and 30 minutes after that. Patients’ satisfaction with analgesia was also recorded 15 minutes after drug infusion, during wound repair, and 6 hours after wound repair. Results: Mean pain scores during wound repair, before local anesthesia with lidocaine, were similar in both groups mean pain score 30 minutes after the repair was significantly lower in patients who received Ibuprofen, 3.86±1.93 vs 4.46±1.89 (p=0.043). Patients’ satisfaction with pain management 6 hours after wound repair was higher in the intervention group (p=0.000). Conclusion: use of IV Ibuprofen before wound repair can reduce pain score after repair and is accompanied by improved patients’ satisfaction.