Abstract
In this study, patients were presented with a questionnaire-based survey about the consumption of analgesics and pain ratings up to the third postoperative day following elective hallux valgus surgery. The aim was to study the consumption of analgesics and to look for factors influencing the need for rescue analgesia. All patients were provided with take-home oral medication, with etoricoxib 120 mg once daily, paracetamol 1 to 4 g daily, and dextropropoxyphene 100 mg provided as add-on rescue analgesics in a stepwise fashion. Thirty-five of the 102 patients responding (response rate 91%) did not take any further analgesics during the entire 4-day follow-up period than the recommended coxib, 67 patients took at least 1 tablet of rescue analgesic, 41 took only paracetamol, and 26 patients (25%) took paracetamol plus at least 1 dextropropoxyphene. There was a significant association between the subjective experience of pain and consumption of analgesics. Female gender and low age were significantly associated with the consumption of analgesics. A stepwise approach based on etoricoxib, paracetamol, and a small number of opioid tablets seems to be a rational approach for take-home medication following a standardized hallux valgus surgery. Female gender and lower age comprise a group that warrants special atten group that warrants special attention.
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