Postoperative morphine requirements, nausea and vomiting following anaesthesia for tonsillectomy. Comparison of intravenous morphine and non‐opioid analgesic techniques

Abstract

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been shown to be as effective as opioid analgesia following tonsillectomy in children. Opioids are still frequently used but tonsillectomy is associated with a high incidence of vomiting. This study has attempted to assess postoperative analgesic consumption and nausea and vomiting after general anaesthesia for tonsillectomy using either paracetamol premedication, paracetamol plus a NSAID or intravenous morphine to provide postoperative analgesia. Some children required a rescue dose of morphine in the recovery room, including some who had received intravenous morphine at induction. Least supplementary morphine was required by those who had received paracetamol plus ketorolac. Postoperative nausea and vomiting was significantly less in the two groups which were not given intraoperative morphine. The number of vomiting incidents was also much less. We conclude that the preoperative administration of paracetamol alone provides satisfactory analgesia in many children but that supplementary analgesia is still required for some.