Effects of intramuscular and peritonsillar injection of tramadol before tonsillectomy: a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Our objective was to investigate the efficacy of intramuscular injection and peritonsillar infiltration of tramadol to prevent pain in children undergoing tonsillectomy. METHODS: In a double-blinded trial, 45 children were randomized into three groups: infiltration anesthesia with tramadol (2 mgkg(-1)) to the peritonsillar area (INF group, n=15), intramuscular analgesia with tramadol (2 mgkg(-1)) (IM group, n=15), and the placebo controls (PL group, n=15). Visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain assessment, heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) during and after anesthesia were recorded. RESULTS: Mean HR values were higher in INF than PL group at 10th, 20th, and 30th minutes of operation (P<0.05). Nine children required analgesics within the first hour after surgery in PL compared to 1 child in INF group (P=0.036). VAS scores on awakening were significantly better in INF than PL group (P=0.015). The difference between IM and PL groups was not significant for any of the parameters. CONCLUSION: Peritonsillar infiltration with tramadol provided good intraoperative analgesia, less postoperative pain on awakening and lower analgesic requirement within the first hour after surgery.