Preoperative But Not Postoperative Flurbiprofen Axetil Alleviates Remifentanil-induced Hyperalgesia After Laparoscopic Gynecological Surgery

Acute remifentanil exposure during intraoperative analgesia might enhance sensitivity to noxious stimuli and nociceptive responses to innocuous irritation. Cyclooxygenase inhibition was demonstrated to attenuate experimental remifentanil-induced hyperalgesia (RIH) in rodents and human volunteers. The study aimed to compare the effects of preoperative and postoperative flurbiprofen axetil (FA) on RIH after surgery.Ninety patients undergoing elective laparoscopic gynecologic surgery were randomly assigned to receive either intravenous placebo before anesthesia induction (Group C); or intravenous FA (1.0 mg/kg) before anesthesia induction (Group F1) or before skin closure (Group F2). Anesthesia consisted off sevoflurane and remifentanil (0.30 μg/kg/min). Postoperative pain was managed by sufentanil titration in the postanesthetic care unit, followed by sufentanil infusion via patient-controlled analgesia. Mechanical pain threshold (primary outcome), pain scores, sufentanil consumption, and side-effects were documented for 24 hours postoperatively.Postoperative pain score in Group F1 was lower than Group C. Time of first postoperative sufentanil titration was prolonged in Group F1 than Group C (P=0.021). Cumulative sufentanil consumption in Group F1 was lower than Group C (P<0.001), with a mean difference of 8.75 (95% confidence interval, 5.21-12.29) μg. Mechanical pain threshold on the dominant inner forearm was more elevated in Group F1 than Group C (P=0.005), with a mean difference of 17.7 (95% confidence interval, 5.4-30.0) g. Normalized hyperalgesia area was decreased in Group F1 compared to Group C (P=0.007). No statistically significant difference was observed between Group F2 and Group C.Preoperative FA reduces postoperative RIH in patients undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery under sevoflurane-remifentanil anesthesia.