Efficacy of Intravenous Paracetamol Infusion for Prolongation of Analgesia under Spinal Anesthesia for Myomectomy

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of intravenous (iv) paracetamol (PCM) infusion in prolonging the duration of analgesia following spinal anesthesia and to determine patients’ satisfaction with pain relief. Materials and Methods: This was a double-blind, randomized, controlled study. A total of 126 adult American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II women scheduled for elective myomectomy under spinal anesthesia were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups. PCM group (group A) [n = 63] received 100mL of 1g PCM and Normal saline group (group B) [n = 63] received 100mL of normal saline after spinal anesthesia was established. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 17. Results: There was no statistical difference between the groups in terms of age, weight, and body mass index. The mean time to first analgesic demand was 4.75 ± 1.59 h in group A and 2.23 ± 0.15 h in group B (P < 0.001), while the mean dose of additional analgesic was significantly lower in group A (11.81 ± 2.50 µg) when compared to group B (255.49 ± 140.80 µg), P < 0.001. In group A, 75.8% expressed excellent satisfaction with pain relief while 62.9% of patient in group B reported poor satisfaction with pain relief (χ2 = 87.600, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Intravenous infusion of 1g PCM is effective in prolonging the duration of analgesia following spinal anesthesia for myomectomy.