Safety of Ibuprofen for Postoperative Pain After Palatoplasty: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the safety of ibuprofen used for postoperative pain control following palatoplasty in pediatric patients.

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

SETTING

Tertiary care, pediatric hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients who received ibuprofen for postoperative pain control after palatoplasty.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of doses of ibuprofen given during hospitalization and the presence of postoperative primary or secondary bleeding following palatoplasty. Detection of postoperative hemorrhage was obtained from (1) chart review from inpatient hospitalization after palatoplasty, (2) chart review of each patient's 3-week postoperative clinic visit, and (3) phone call to caretakers from primary author.

RESULTS

Thirty-two patients underwent palatoplasty who received ibuprofen for control of postoperative pain. Mean number of inpatient doses given was 4.8 (range: 1-17). None (0%) experienced hemorrhage in the hospital before discharge. Thirty-two (100%) patients were seen at a 3-week follow-up and no (0%) episodes of postoperative hemorrhage were noted. Seventeen (53%) caretakers of patients responded to contact by phone and confirmed no subsequent bleeding.

CONCLUSIONS

Ibuprofen may not increase postoperative hemorrhage after palatoplasty. Further studies will be needed to evaluate safety on a larger scale.