Perioperative analgesia with a buprenorphine transdermal patch for hallux valgus surgery: a prospective, randomized, controlled study

PURPOSE: Hallux valgus surgery often results in significant postoperative pain. Adequate control of pain is essential for patient satisfaction and improves the outcome of the procedure. This study aimed to investigate the perioperative analgesic effect of a buprenorphine transdermal patch in patients who underwent hallux valgus surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 90 patients were randomly divided into the following three groups based on the perioperative analgesic method: flurbiprofen axetil intravenous injection (Group F), oral celecoxib (Group C), and buprenorphine transdermal delivery system (BTDS) (Group BTDS). The pain status, degree of satisfaction, adverse effects, and administration of tramadol hydrochloride for uncontrolled pain were recorded on the night before surgery, postoperative day 1, postoperative day 2, and postoperative day 3. RESULTS: The BTDS could effectively control perioperative pain for patients undergoing hallux valgus surgery. The analgesic effect of the BTDS was better than that of oral celecoxib. In addition, statistically significant differences were not observed in the visual analog scale (VAS) scores, adverse effects, and rescue analgesia between the patients who received the BTDS and the patients who received the flurbiprofen axetil intravenous injection. However, the degree of patient satisfaction of the BTDS group was significantly higher (P<0.05) than that of the other two groups. CONCLUSION: The BTDS (a preemptive analgesia regimen) could exert an analgesic effect during the perioperative period for patients who had received hallux valgus surgery, and this effect is beneficial for sustaining postoperative physiological and psychological states and promoting functional rehabilitation.