Background: Effective pain relief therapy after caesarean section is essential for the parturient's comfort and early ambulation. Paracetamol has an excellent safety profile when compared to opioids.
Aim: To assess and evaluate the effect of oral, rectal, and intravenous infusion of paracetamol for post-operative analgesia in women undergoing caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia.
Settings and design: We conducted a prospective, randomized controlled study (18-35 years of age) of the ASA- I and II parturient scheduled for lower segment caesarean section were included.
Methods and materials: They were randomly allocated to 3 groups of 50 each. Group A received oral paracetamol tablet 650mg (1 tablet) 20min before shifting to operation room, group B received rectal paracetamol suppository 35-45 mg/kg immediately after spinal anaesthesia and group C received i.v. paracetamol infusion of 10-15mg/kg over 15min duration 20min before finishing the operation. Duration of analgesia was evaluated as primary outcome and other parameters as secondary outcome.
Statistical tests: All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS statistical package 17.0 version. Results were analyzed using Chi Square test for non-parametric data and ANOVA for parametric data. P value of less than 0.05 was considered significant and less than 0.001 as highly significant.
Results: Duration of analgesia was significantly longer in group B as compared to group A and C. The requirement of supplemental rescue analgesia was also lower in group B compared to group A and C. No significant haemodynamic derangements and adverse effects were noted among all the three groups.
Conclusion: Paracetamol when given rectally improves the quality and duration of postoperative analgesia to a greater extent as compared to oral and intravenous route of paracetamol without any side effects.
Keywords: Cesarean section; paracetamol; postoperative pain.