Analgesic Efficacy and Adverse Effects of Meperidine in Managing Postoperative or Labor Pain: A Narrative Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Meperidine, a synthetic opioid, has a rapid onset and short duration of action. Mounting evidence has challenged meperidine's analgesic benefits, and concerns have been raised about its safety profile. Despite recommendations to restrict the prescription of meperidine, the drug remains frequently used. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of meperidine for acute postoperative and labor pain. STUDY DESIGN: This was a narrative review of the analgesic efficacy and side effects of meperidine compared to other analgesic drugs for acute postoperative and labor pain in adults. SETTING: Randomized controlled trials that compared the analgesic efficacy and side effect profile of meperidine versus another analgesic drug in adult patients were evaluated. METHODS: A systemized search of randomized controlled trials studying meperidine for acute postoperative or labor pain in the adult patient population from PubMed, Medline, and EMBASE was performed. Included studies reported on different routes of meperidine administration including intramuscular, intravenous, and patient-controlled analgesia in various surgical procedures such as abdominal surgery, Cesarean section, gynecological surgery, orthopedic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, as well as for labor analgesia. Meperidine's analgesic efficacy and safety profile were compared to other opioids (morphine, tramadol, fentanyl, buprenorphine, nalbuphine, and pentazocine), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ketorolac, diclofenac, and indomethacin), dipyrone, ketamine, and bupivacaine. RESULTS: A total of 62 randomized controlled trials published between 1972 and 2018 were reviewed. Meperidine had a similar or inferior analgesic efficacy compared to other analgesics for acute postoperative or labor pain. Meperidine was associated with more sedation and respiratory depression. LIMITATIONS: The sample sizes of many clinical studies were small, and therefore probably insufficiently powered to detect differences in uncommon side effects, such as central nervous system toxicity. In addition, some of the included clinical studies were old. CONCLUSION: Considering the availability of other effective analgesics with potentially fewer side effects, the use of meperidine for acute postoperative or labor pain should not be recommended. KEY WORDS: Acute postoperative pain, adverse effects, labor analgesia, meperidine, pethidine.

Oral Oxycodone for Acute Postoperative Pain: A Review of Clinical Trials.

BACKGROUND: Opioids are the mainstay of pain management for acute postsurgical pain. Oral oxycodone is an opioid that can provide effective acute postoperative pain relief. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the use of oral oxycodone for acute postoperative pain management. STUDY DESIGN: This is a narrative review based on published articles searched in PubMed and Medline from 2003 to 2015 on oral oxycodone for acute postoperative pain management. METHODS: Clinical trials related to the use of oral oxycodone for acute postoperative pain management were searched via PubMed and Medline from 2003 to 2015. The search terms used were "oral strong opioids," "postsurgical," "postoperative," "post-surgical," and "post-operative." Treatment interventions were compared for analgesic efficacy, rescue medication use, side effects, recovery, length of hospital stay, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: There were 26 clinical trials included in the review. Oral oxycodone showed superior postoperative analgesic efficacy compared with placebo in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, abdominal or pelvic surgery, bunionectomy, breast surgery, and spine surgery. When compared with intravenous opioids, oral oxycodone provided better or comparable pain relief following knee arthroplasty, spine surgery, caesarean section, laparoscopic colorectal surgery, and cardiac surgery. One study of dental postsurgery pain reported inferior pain control with oral oxycodone versus rofecoxib. (withdrawn from the US market due to cardiac safety concerns). In many studies, the demand for rescue analgesia and total opioid consumption were reduced in the oxycodone treatment arm. Patients receiving oral oxycodone experienced fewer opioid-related side effects than those on other opioids, and had a similar occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting as patients on placebo. Furthermore, oral oxycodone did not prolong hospital stay and was associated with lower drug costs compared with epidural and intravenous analgesics. Oxycodone administered as part of a multimodal analgesic regimen produced superior pain relief with fewer side effects and a reduced hospital stay. LIMITATIONS: There is a limited number of randomized double blinded studies in individual surgical operations, thus making it more difficult to come up with definitive conclusions. CONCLUSION: Oral oxycodone appears to offer safe and effective postoperative analgesia, and is a well-accepted and reasonable alternative to standard intravenous opioid analgesics.Key words: Postoperative, pain, analgesia, oral oxycodone, opioid.