Evaluation of the analgesic effect of metoclopramide after opioid-free analgesia.

Abstract

Metoclopramide may enhance opioid analgesia, but it is not known if the drug is analgesic itself. This question was examined in a double-blind, randomized study of 38 patients undergoing knee arthroscopy with opioid-free anaesthesia comprising propofol, isoflurane and nitrous oxide in oxygen. At the end of surgery, patients received either metoclopramide 0.5 mg kg-1 or placebo i.v. After operation, they received patient-controlled analgesia with pethidine for 3 h, during which period, pain score was assessed on a visual analogue scale (VAS). There were no significant differences between the groups in the patterns of pethidine consumption. However, the VAS-pain scores tended to be smaller in the metoclopramide group; this difference was significant 30 min after operation. These results do not demonstrate conclusively a clinically relevant analgesic action of metoclopramide.