Influence of Ketorolac Supplementation on Pain Control for Knee Arthroscopy: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

INTRODUCTION: The efficacy of ketorolac supplementation on pain control for knee arthroscopy remains controversial. We conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis to explore the impact of ketorolac supplementation on pain intensity after knee arthroscopy. METHODS: We search PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases through September 2018 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of ketorolac supplementation vs placebo on pain management after knee arthroscopy. This meta‐analysis is performed using the random‐effect model. RESULTS: Ten RCTs involving 402 patients are included in the meta‐analysis. Overall, compared with control group for knee arthroscopy, ketorolac supplementation is associated with notably reduced pain scores at 1 h (MD = −0.66; 95% CI = −1.12 to −0.21; P = 0.004) and 2 h (MD = −0.90; 95% CI = −1.74 to −0.07; P = 0.03), prolonged time for first analgesic requirement (MD = 1.94; 95% CI = 0.33 to 3.55; P = 0.02) and decreased number of analgesic requirement (RR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.23 to 0.75; P = 0.003), but has no obvious impact on analgesic consumption (MD = −0.56; 95% CI = −1.14 to 0.02; P = 0.06), as well as nausea and vomiting (RR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.12 to 0.21; P = 0.21). CONCLUSIONS: Ketorolac supplementation is effective to produce pain relief for knee arthroscopy.