Comparison of postoperative analgesic effect of tramadol and bupivacaine subcutaneous infiltration in patients undergoing cesarean section.

Cesarean section is associated with significant postoperative pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of tramadol versus bupivacaine administration at wound closure on postoperative pain relief in patients undergoing cesarean section. Sixty women undergoing cesarean deliveries were randomly assigned to receive either 10 mL of bupivacaine 0.5% (n = 30) or 50 mg of tramadol in 10 mL of normal saline (n = 30), both as local wound infiltration prior to skin closure at the end of operation. Postoperative pain was evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS: 0-10) at 1, 2 and 6 hours after operation. Time to first analgesic administration and analgesic consumption in 24 hours after operation were recorded and compared between the two groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 15 and p < 0.05 was considered significant. The VAS score did not differ significantly between the two groups at 1 and 2 hours after cesarean section, but it was higher in bupivacaine group than tramadol group 6 hours after operation (p < 0.05; Fisher exact test). Postoperative consumption of analgesic was higher in bupivacaine group than tramadol group but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05; Fisher exact test). No side effects were reported in either group. This study showed that subcutaneous administration of tramadol provided analgesic effect equal to bupivacaine with longer pain relief after cesarean section.