Abstract

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of the topical application of Ropivacaine versus Bupivacaine for pain control in the post-tonsillectomy.
Methodology: This comparative study was conducted at Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Niazi Welfare Foundation teaching hospital, from November 2023 to May 2024. Patients for elective tonsillectomies, aged ≥10 years, with ASA I-II, were included in the study. Those undergoing associated surgeries like adenoidectomies etc. were excluded from the study. There were 48 patients (96 fossae), in each patient, one fossa was packed with a swab soaked in Bupivacaine (Group A) and the other with Ropivacaine (Group B), as a double-blind trial. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to assess the pain intensity. SPSS version 25 was used for statistical analysis.
Results: The male-to-female ratio was 1.18:1 with a mean age of 19.58±7.08 (range 10-43) years. In the initial 8 hours, the mean pain score in Group A was 7.12±0.42 at rest and 7.37±0.30 on swallowing. In group B, it was 6.25±0.44 on rest and 6.57±0.42 on swallowing.
Conclusion: Topical application of Ropivacaine was more effective than Bupivacaine in controlling post-tonsillectomy pain.

Key words: Bupivacaine, odynophagia, ropivacaine, tonsillectomy.