الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 97 |  |  |
| | | from | 97 | | |
Abstract
Paracetamol has a well-established safety and analgesic profile, few contraindications, and lacks significant drug interactions. Intravenous paracetamol has significantly reduced the postoperative opioid requirement, and improved the quality of analgesia in many fields of surgery. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of repeated administration of intravenous paracetamol on the fast-track technique used in open heart surgery for single valve replacement..Sixty patients were involved in this study. They were randomly assigned into 2 equal groups: (1) Control group (n = 30): the patients received placebo (100 ml saline infused over 15 min) before closure of the sternum and every 6 hours in the ICU (4 doses). (2) Paracetamol group (n = 30): the patients received a ready-to-use formulation of i.v. paracetamol (1g in 100 ml solution infused over 15 min) before closure of the sternum and every 6 hours in the ICU (4 doses ).It was found that intravenous paracetamol significantly decreased the total postoperative morphine consumption and pain score in the paracetamol group within the first 24 hours after surgery in comparison to the control group. Moreover, time to extubation was shorter in the paracetamol group than the control group. While, PaO2 was significantly higher in the paracetamol group than in the control group at 12 hours from ICU admission with simultaneously reciprocal changes in PaCO2. Indeed, plasma cortisol significantly decreased in the paracetamol group 24 hours postoperative when compared to the control group.