In people undergoing rigid hysteroscopy, intravenous administration of paracetamol yield comparable postoperative pain scores as fentanyl, as elucidated from a recent prospective randomized controlled trial. Researchers undertook this trial for comparing the efficacy of fentanyl and paracetamol for intra-surgery and postsurgery analgesia for hysteroscopy in ambulatory surgery.

Overall, 60 participants (age 18-65 years) were randomly assigned to either paracetamol group (n=30) or fentanyl group  (n=30). The anaesthesia induction technique was standardized. In the paracetamol group, 15mg/kg paracetamol was given 15-30 minutes pre-surgery.  In the fentanyl group, 2mcg/kg fentanyl was given at anaesthesia induction. With the help of alterations in heart rate, and blood pressure (mean arterial, diastolic, systolic), determination of intra-operative pain was done.

Using visual analogue scale (VAS), an evaluation of postoperative pain was done. In comparison with fentanyl-treated people, paracetamol-treated people exhibited a major mean arterial blood pressure at 20 min, mean systolic blood pressure at 10,15, 20, 25 and 30 min, and mean diastolic blood pressure at 20, 25 min. Both the groups displayed comparable postsurgery pain scores at 0, 15 and 30 minutes, as shown in Figure 1: