Etoricoxib Can Reduce Post-Operative Morphine Consumption and Pain Score in Patients Undergoing Lumbar Laminectomy Compare to Acetaminophen: A Randomized Trial

STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVES: This prospective trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of etoricoxib and acetaminophen in terms of post-operative morphine consumption and pain score in patients undergoing lumbar laminectomy. METHODS: Forty lumbar-laminectomy patients aged between 18 and 50 years were enrolled, randomized, and allocated into either the etoricoxib group or the acetaminophen group. The measures assessed were the amount of morphine consumed and pain visual analog score (VAS) at 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery. Adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: Patients in the etoricoxib group had statistically significantly lower morphine consumption than those in the acetaminophen group at 12 hours (P-value = .006), 24 hours (P-value = .006) and 48 hours (P-value = .011). Patients in the etoricoxib group had lower VAS scores than those in the acetaminophen group at 0, 12, 24, 48 hours, the difference being statistically significant at 48 hours (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to acetaminophen, etoricoxib can significantly reduce post-operative morphine consumption and improve the pain score at 12, 24, and 48 hours.