Selective and Nonselective Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in Perianesthesia Pain Management

Despite advances in pain management techniques, there remains room for further improvement in optimizing postoperative patient comfort. Although nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are more selective in the inhibition of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme have become more popular over recent years, the use of traditional nonselective NSAIDs remains efficacious in reducing postoperative pain. Both nonselective and selective NSAIDs have an important role in perianesthesia pain management. This article reviews the benefits and risks of both nonselective NSAIDs and COX-2 NSAIDs in the perianesthesia period.