Study: Could IV Acetaminophen Reduce the Need for Opioid Medication After Hip Replacement?

When considering joint replacement, many patients worry about how much pain they’ll experience after surgery. It’s a valid concern. Pain control is important not only to avoid discomfort. It’s also essential to get a handle on pain early on so patients can move around and engage in a physical therapy program.  

At Hospital for Special Surgery, we’ve studied pain control at length and have excellent pain management protocols for patients who have joint replacement.  We generally strive to lower patients’ use of narcotic medications known as opioids. Although these medications do a good job at controlling pain, they can have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness and constipation, which are not only unpleasant, but can make physical therapy more difficult.

At Hospital for Special Surgery, we just launched a study to see if intravenous (IV) acetaminophen can reduce the amount of opioid pain medicine needed after hip replacement surgery. Currently, joint replacement patients generally receive opioids along with the pill form of acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol.

We decided to undertake this study because research shows that giving acetaminophen in IV form reaches a higher peak concentration in the blood much faster than oral acetaminophen. Therefore, it may be better at reducing pain than the pill form. 

All study patients will receive the standard pain control protocol, with one group getting IV acetaminophen, while the other group receives the oral pill form. Our goal is to see if intravenous acetaminophen works better than the pill form and can lead to lower doses of opioid medication and more rapid attainment of physical therapy goals.

In addition to seeing if IV acetaminophen can reduce the need for opioid medication, we will be measuring sedation effects, length of hospital stay, and the achievement of physical therapy milestones in patients given intravenous vs. oral acetaminophen.  

Because of its efficacy, general safety and lower risk of adverse effects compared to other pain medications, IV acetaminophen could be an attractive component of the overall pain management plan. If we find that the IV form safely reduces the need for opioid medication, it would be advantageous for hip replacement patients.

 For more information about Dr. Westrich and hip replacement, visit: www.westrichmd.com

© 2016 Geoffrey Westrich, MD. All rights reserved.  

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