Retrospective Analysis of Bleeding and Wound Complications After Preoperative Administration of Ketorolac in Acute Appendicitis

Introduction: Opioids are a mainstay of acute pain management and provide excellent analgesia for severe pain. However, their side effect profile and complication rates raise concerns regarding routine administration. Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study of 1415 patients in a single tertiary care center comparing bleeding and operative complications in patients administered ketorolac prior to appendectomy. Results: There was no difference between the ketorolac and non-ketorolac groups regarding blood loss (0.7% vs 0.6%, p=0.572) and hemoperitoneum (0.4% vs 0.6%, p = 0.43) There was no difference between the groups regarding need for re-exploration (0.6% vs 0.6%, p=0.643). Discussion: The use of the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, ketorolac, did not result in an increase of surgical complications in patients undergoing appendectomy.