Effect of preoperative intravenous oxycodone on sufentanil consumption after laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of preoperative intravenous oxycodone on sufentanil consumption by patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) after laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.

METHODOLOGY: Forty-six patients scheduled for laparoscopic radical gastrectomy were randomly divided into two groups: group O (n = 23) received intravenous oxycodone (0.1 mg/kg) 10 minutes before surgery over 2 minutes and group C (n = 23) received normal saline as a placebo. A standardized general anesthesia and intravenous sufentanil PCIA were applied to all patients. Postoperative sufentanil doses delivered by PCIA, rescue analgesia, Ramsay sedation scale, visual analog scale (VAS) scores at rest, the overall satisfaction, and side effects were assessed.

RESULTS: The numbers of sufentanil doses delivered by PCIA were significantly fewer and VAS scores at rest were significantly lower in group O than in group C at various time points after operation. The overall satisfaction degree was higher in group O than in group C. The incidences of side effects were similar between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative intravenous oxycodone can reduce postoperative pain and sufentanil consumption after laparoscopic radical gastrectomy without an increase of side effects.