Intravenous Ibuprofen in Postoperative Pain and Fever Management in
Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled
Trials
Abstract
Aims: Intravenous ibuprofen (IVIB) has been approved in the treatment of
postoperative pain and fever in adults, but the application of multiple-
or single- dosage IVIB remains divergent in clinical practice. This
study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IVIB in the management
of postoperative pain and fever in adults who were unable to take oral
medicine. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted
based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding postoperative
pain and fever management comparing IVIB with placebo, or other
analgesic and antipyretic agents from 8 databases. Risk of bias and
quality of evidence assessment were performed. The primary outcomes
mainly included visual analogue scale (VAS) score within postoperative
24h and the reduction of temperature. Results: Twenty-three RCTs with
3716 participants were included. For postoperative pain, moderate-to-low
certainty evidence indicated that IVIB was associated with lower
postoperative VAS scores than placebo, with MD ranging between -3.53
(95% CI, -4.32 to -2.75) at 0 minute to -0.96 (95% CI, -1.35 to -0.57)
at 24 hours. Compared to intravenous acetaminophen, IVIB appeared lower
VAS scores (MD, -1.54 at 0min; -0.36 at 24h). For fever, IVIB appeared
satisfactory antipyretic efficiency in a short period of time, but there
was no difference between IVIB and intravenous acetaminophen.
Moderate-to-low certainty evidence indicated that IVIB was well
tolerated in both pain and fever management. Conclusions:
Moderate-to-low certainty evidence supported that adults with
postoperative pain and fever who were unable to take oral medicine would
benefit from IVIB.