A Comparison of Gender Differences in the Effects of Preemptive Ketamine on Percieved Pain in Males and Females Undergoing Selected Ear, Nose, and Throat Surgical Procedures

Abstract

Postoperative pain leads to increased morbidity, length of stay, and health care costs. Several studies have shown that preemptively administered N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, such as ketamine, are effective in decreasing perception of post operative pain. To date, there have not been any human studies to investigate a gender difference in NMDA receptor antagoism. The purpose of this study was to compare the gender differences in the effects of preemptive ketamine on perceived pain in males and females undergoing selected ENT surgical procedures. This prospective, double-blinded study compared perceived pain in male and female subjects drawn from a convenience sample of patients at a major military medical center. The surgeries there patients were presenting for were tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) and uvulopalatoparyngoplasty (UPPP). 41 subjects were randomly assigned to either a treatment group receiving .lmg/kg ketamine or a control group receiving a placebo of .9% saline. The study drug was administered between induction and incision. Pain perception following surgery was measured using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) on arrival to the post anesthesia care unit (PACU), and at four subsequent data points (1, 4, 12, 24 hours after PACU arrival time). ANOVA and Friedman tests were used to analyze the NRS scores. The ANOVA test did not show a significant difference (p = .768) in postoperative pain perception between males and females who received preemptive ketamine. The Friedman test did not show a significant difference (p = .27) in the level of postoperative pain perception within the groups over the five data data collection points.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA426620

Entities

People

  • Carrie L. Pike
  • Dennis R. Turner
  • Robert N. Ladd

Organizations

  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Analgesia
  • Anesthesia
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Data Analysis
  • Drug Abuse
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Pain
  • Pain Management
  • Patient Care
  • Peripheral Nervous System
  • Surgery
  • Therapy

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Gender and Food Studies
  • Regression Analysis.
  • Trauma or Military Medicine