文摘
Purpose We aimed to investigate the frequency and severity of pain associated with intravenous injection of nefopam and to determine whether a slow rate of administration can effectively reduce such pain. Methods We used a solution containing 30?mg nefopam diluted to 20?ml in saline. In all, 102 adult patients undergoing minor surgery were randomly allocated to one of three administration groups: A (60?ml/h, n?=?34); B (120?ml/h, n?=?34); or C (180?ml/h, n?=?34). All patients scored the maximal pain experienced during the 120-s infusion period, using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the verbal pain score (VPS). Adverse events including phlebitis were recorded. Results Eighty-three patients (29 in group A, 27 each in groups B and C) were included in the final analysis. The incidence of injection pain was lower in group A (86.2?%) than in groups B (96.3?%) and C (100?%), but this difference was not statistically significant. The proportion of patients with a tolerable level of pain (VAS 0- and VPS 0-) was significantly higher in group A (79.3?%) versus groups B (7.4?%) and C (3.7?%). The mean VAS scores for groups A, B, and C were 2.2?±?1.3, 5.1?±?1.6, and 7.2?±?1.7, respectively, and these differences were statistically significant. Conclusions At the slower rate of infusion (60?ml/h) of the 1.5?mg/ml nefopam solution, injection pain intensity was attenuated to a significantly greater degree than at the faster rates.