Does Granisetron Pretreatment Relieve Pain Due to Propofol Injection?

Background: Propofol is the most commonly used induction agent, but causes pain on injection in many patients. Various techniques have been tried and tested for reducing pain due to propofol injection with different results. Objective: To compare the use of pretreatment with granisetron in comparison with lignocaine in reducing pain on propofol injection. Patients and Methods: 104 patients (ASA I-II) posted for elective surgeries under general anesthesia were randomized into two groups and managed as follows: Group G: 2ml (1mg/ml) granisetron, and group L; 2ml of 2% lignocaine pretreatment using tourniquet followed by 2ml (20mg) of propofol injection and pain assessment was done by a independent observer and graded as either severe, moderate, mild or no pain according to the response of the patients to the injection. Results: In lignocaine group the incidence of pain was 21.2% compared to 46.2% in the granisetron group. Conclusion: Pretreatment with lignocaine is more effective in relieving pain on propofol injection than granisetron.