Administration of paracetamol versus dipyrone by intravenous patient-controlled analgesia for postoperative pain relief in children after tonsillectomy

We compared the efficacy of intravenous (IV) paracetamol versus dipyrone via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for postoperative pain relief in children. The study was composed of 120 children who had undergone elective tonsillectomy after receiving general anesthesia. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the dosage of postoperative intravenous-patient-controlled analgesia: paracetamol, dipyrone, or placebo. Pain was evaluated using a 0- to 100-mm visual analog scale and 1- to 4-pain relief score at 30min, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24h postoperatively. Pethidine (0.25mgkg−1) was administered intravenously to patients requiring rescue analgesia. Pethidine requirements were recorded during the first 24h postoperatively, and treatment related adverse effects were noted. Postoperative visual analog scale scores were significantly lower with paracetamol group compared with placebo group at 6h (p