Comparison of celecoxib and acetaminophen for pain relief in pediatric day case tonsillectomy: A randomized double‐blind study

OBJECTIVE: Post‐tonsillectomy pain is a common morbidity in children. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of celecoxib with acetaminophen on pain relief in pediatric day‐case tonsillectomy. METHODS: We compared the analgesic effect of celecoxib (99 patients) with acetaminophen (100 patients) for the management of post‐tonsillectomy pain. Post‐tonsillectomy pain score was evaluated three times a day for 7 days. In addition, the incidence of post‐tonsillectomy bleeding and the rate of patients who returned to regular diet were evaluated. RESULTS: In the first day, we observed lower mean pain score in the celecoxib group, than the acetaminophen group (P = 0.013). The overall pain score in other days was not significantly different between the two groups. In the celecoxib group, more patients resumed regular amount of oral intake within the first 3 days. Also, the rate of post‐tonsillectomy bleeding in the two groups was not statistically different. CONCLUSION: We recommend celecoxib as a more suitable choice than acetaminophen for post‐tonsillectomy pain management in the first day and resuming regular diet within 3 days. Level of Evidence: 1b.