“The Utility of Preoperative Acetaminophen in Reducing Postoperative Pain and Narcotic Use in Patients Undergoing Cosmetic Breast Augmentations, During a National Opiate Crisis”

Background: Preoperative use of acetaminophen has become widely adopted across the surgical subspecialties in attempt to maximize analgesia and minimize postoperative narcotic requirements. Whether or not acetaminophen use has an influence on these outcomes in cosmetic breast augmentation needs to be studied. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the differences in reported pain and narcotic use between patients undergoing breast augmentations who received preoperative oral acetaminophen and those who did not. Methods: This was a prospective, single-center study including 59 patients undergoing primary breast augmentation which were divided into 2 groups: control group (did not receive acetaminophen) and a study group (received 1000 g PO acetaminophen), all medications were administered prior to surgery. A self-reported survey was received from all patients which included pain scores as well as number of narcotics taken. Results: Data analysis indicated that the only statistically significant difference in pain was on postoperative day 2 (POD2), with patients who did not receive PO tylenol reporting more pain. There was no significant difference in the number of narcotics required between either group. Conclusions: It appears that preoperative PO acetaminophen did not significantly influence the amount of postoperative narcotic use. The only difference in reported pain was on POD2 and was higher in those who did not receive preoperative acetaminophen. It seems that PO acetaminophen is an inexpensive way of improving postoperative pain in patients undergoing cosmetic breast augmentation; however, it does not reduce narcotic use.