Local Infiltration of Tramadol versus Bupivacaine for Post Cesarean Section Pain Control: A Double-Blind Randomized Study

Background: Postoperative pain control after cesarean section (C/S) is important because inadequate postoperative pain control can result in a prolonged hospital stay. In this study, we compared postoperative somatic wound pain control between patients receiving tramadol and bupivacaine, infiltrated at the wound site. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 98 patients, eligible for elective C/S under general anesthesia, were randomly allocated to 2 groups. Before wound closure, 20 cc of 0.025% bupivacaine and 2 mg/kg of tramadol, diluted to 20 cc, were infiltrated at the wound site in groups A and B, respectively. After surgery, the pain score was measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Additionally, 24-hour total morphine consumption, nausea and vomiting, and respiratory depression were compared after 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours between the 2 groups. The data were analyzed using SPSS with the Student independent t test, χ2 test, Fisher exact test, and repeated measure test. Results: Postoperatively, there was no significant difference between these 2 groups in their VAS scores until 16 hours (P>0.05). However, at the 16th and 24th hours, the mean VAS scores were 3.20±2.24 and 2.51±2.55 in the bupivacaine group and 2.51±0.99 and 1.40±0.88 in the tramadol group, respectively (P<0.05). There was no difference in nausea and vomiting during the 24-hour period between the 2 groups. Also, no respiratory depression was detected in the both groups. Conclusion: Local infiltration of tramadol (2 mg/kg) at the incision site of C/S was effective in somatic wound pain relief without significant complications.