Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Different Doses of Propacetamol for Postoperative Pain Control after Breast Surgery

Intravenous propacetamol has been shown to be effective for postoperative pain control. However, the recommendations regarding propacetamol doses for pain control are vague. The present study was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of propacetamol at a dose of 1 g or 2 g. After breast-conserving surgery, patients received 1 g or 2 g intravenous propacetamol. Treatment efficacy for pain control was assessed using a 100 mm visual analog scale at 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes and 4 hours after surgery, and global evaluation was assessed by a 4-point categorical scale at the end of the 4-hour study period. Safety was monitored through adverse event reporting. Patients were allowed rescue analgesia, and the timing of requests was recorded. A total of 111 patients were enrolled in the study. There were no differences in efficacy variables, including visual analog scale, the 4-point categorical scale, and requests for rescue analgesia, between propacetamol doses of 1 g and 2 g. Adverse events were similar in the two groups. Intravenous propacetamol at a dose of 2 g is not superior to the lower dose of 1 g with regard to postoperative analgesia or the incidence of side effects in breast-conserving surgery.