KETOROLAC DOES NOT DECREASE POSTOPERATIVE PAIN IN ELDERLY MEN AFTER TRANSVESICAL PROSTATECTOMY

Purpose: To assess the postoperative analgesic efficacy and morphine-s paring effect of ketorolac in elderly patients. Methods: Sixty ASA-phy sical status I to III men, aged 60-88 gr, undergoing transvesical pros tatectomy were studied according to a randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind study protocol. A standard general anaesthetic was admini stered Thirty minutes before concluding the surgical procedure either ketorolac 60 mg or an equal volume of saline was administered im. post operative pain was assessed hourly for six hours using a 100 mm visual analog score (VAS) and a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device. R esults: Hourly PCA-demands, actual morphine delivered, and patient gen erated VAS pain scores were unaffected by the treatment modality. On c onclusion of-the study the total PCA morphine delivered was 11.9 mg +/ - 1.38 and 10.8 mg +/- 1.52 for the saline and ketorolac groups, respe ctively. Conclusion: The intraoperative administration of ketorolac, 6 0 mg, im, was nor associated with postoperative morphine-sparing or im proved analgesia in this elderly population.