POSTARTHROSCOPIC MENISCUS REPAIR ANALGESIA WITH INTRAARTICULAR KETOROLAC OR MORPHINE

Both ketorolac, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, and morphine, an opioid agonist, provide enhanced patient analgesia after arthroscopic knee surgery when administered via the intraarticular route. This stu dy was designed to determine whether ketorolac or morphine results in better patient analgesia and whether their combination would provide s uperior analgesia to either drug alone. Patients undergoing arthroscop ic knee meniscus repair under local anesthesia with sedation were eval uated. Each of the study groups evaluated received ketorolac (either v ia the parenteral or intraarticular route) and morphine (via either th e parenteral or intraarticular route). This study revealed a significa nt benefit from the individual intraarticular administration of both m orphine and ketorolac. The combination of these drugs did not result i n decreased postoperative pain or need for postoperative analgesics, a nd it did not result in an increased analgesic duration. We conclude t hat the use of either intraarticular ketorolac or intraarticular morph ine improves comfort in patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscus repa ir and that their combination offers no advantage over either drug alo ne.