A Randomized Control Trial On Comparison Between Ketoprofen And Diclofenac Transdermal Patch As Post-Operative Analgesia For Patients Undergoing Abdominal Hysterectomy

Abstract

Introduction: Post-operative pain management has been crucial for recovery after abdominal hysterectomy and the multi-modal approach instead of a single drug has gained attention to ensure adequate pain management without side effects. This trial was thus aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ketoprofen and diclofenac transdermal patches in managing post-operative pain.
Materials and Methods: A randomized double-blinded control trial was conducted in NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur in department of anaesthesia among 80 participants who underwent abdominal hysterectomy at a tertiary care center from October 2022 to May 2024. After ensuring surgical protocol and conducting a physical examination, participants were recruited randomly into two groups – a study group (transdermal ketoprofen/TDK) and control group (transdermal diclofenac/TDD) and patches were administered for response monitoring. The vital parameters and post-operative assessment were conducted in both groups at regular time points for 24 hours and the reports were recorded for assessment.
Results: Forty participants were recruited in each group and their demographic characteristics were similar where most patients in both groups belonged to the mean age of 54. The vital parameters were normal in both groups and pain response was higher in the TDD group after a 4-hour time point (4.7) than in the TDK group. 95% of TDK participants required first- rescue analgesia after 10 hours and did not require any additional analgesic, while 90% of TDD participants required first-rescue analgesic within 10 hours and needed additional analgesia of 2 grams of paracetamol.
Conclusion: Thus, the transdermal ketoprofen patch in comparison to the transdermal diclofenac has a safe and non-invasive approach and has also offered better efficacy in pain management.