To compare methods used in our operating room for alleviating tourniquet pain

Objective: To compare the efficacy of different methods used to alleviate tourniquet pain in operating rooms as well as assess their effect on post-operative pain.Methods: The study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi from June to August 2010. All patients who came for elective orthopaedic surgery in whom a tourniquet application was planned were included in the study. Information was collected through a pre-designed data form. Qualitative data was expressed as mean ± standard deviation, while qualitative data was presented as frequency and percentage.Results: In the 106 patients studied, opioids were administered in 90 (85%) cases, paracetamol in 73 (69%) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in 11 (10.4%) cases. Efficacy was determined by means of the effect on the blood pressure and heart rate of the patient before and after the drug administration. Intravenous paracetamol was found to be the most effective in reducing both blood pressure and heart rate (p 0.001). The effect on post-operative pain was insignificant.Conclusions: Intravenous paracetamol is a cost-effective and safe analgesic, especially when combined with a multi-modal regimen, and has potential effect on the alleviation of tourniquet pain