Ondansetron Pretreatment to Alleviate Pain Produced by Propofol: A Randomized Controlled Double Blind Study
Abstract
Introduction: Propofol is a popular drug for the induction of anesthesia. It has the disadvantage of causing pain or discomfort
on injection. Many methods were used to alleviate the pain by using larger veins, and various drugs have been used to nullify
the pain. We conducted randomized, double-blind study of injection ondansetron pretreatment to know whether it reduces pain
produced by propofol injection.
Materials and Methods: 100 American Society of Anaesthesiologists I and II patients posted for minor obstetric procedures
were randomly divided into two groups and one group receiving injection ondansetron. 4 mg (2 ml) and the second group
receiving 0.9% saline intravenously. The venous drainage was blocked at mid arm manually. One-fourth of the total dose of
propofol was injected over a period of 5 s. Pain scores of 0-3 which correspondence to no pain, mild pain, moderate and severe
pain were assessed by blind investigator.
Results: Pain was signifi cantly reduced in the ondansetron group with no signifi cant side effects. The results can be compared
with studies conducted by others.
Conclusions: We concluded that injection of ondansetron 4 mg as pretreatment was effective in alleviating the pain produced
by propofol injection. Ondansetron has got the added advantage of reducing chances of nausea and vomiting.
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