Perioperative Intravenous Acetaminophen in Pediatric Tonsillectomies

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of perioperative intravenous (IV) acetaminophen on opioid requirements in pediatric patients undergoing tonsillectomy at a single center. Methods: This retrospective chart review included patients who were less than 18 years old and underwent an outpatient tonsillectomy procedure. Patients who received non-Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved dosing of IV acetaminophen, without documented weights, and on chronic pain medications at the time of the procedure were excluded. The primary outcome was opioid requirements postoperatively prior to discharge measured as morphine equivalents per kilogram. Descriptive statistics were used to compare differences between groups. A multivariate analysis was performed, accounting for differences between groups in baseline and procedural characteristics. Results: In total, 157 patients were included in this study, of whom 55 had received IV acetaminophen and 102 had not. The average IV acetaminophen dose for was 14.5 mg/kg for patients weighing less than 50 kg (n = 22); the remaining patients received the maximum 1 g dose. Patients who received IV acetaminophen were less likely to be administered postoperative opiates as compared with those did not (45.5% vs 63.7%, odds ratio = 0.48, P = .036). There was a trend toward a decrease in total amount of opiates administered with IV acetaminophen (0 vs 0.033 mu g/kg, P = .61). After adjusting for age and documented pain assessment, IV acetaminophen administration remained a significant factor for postoperative opiate administration. Conclusions: Perioperative administration of IV acetaminophen was associated with less frequent administration of symptom-directed opiates in pediatric tonsillectomies. This finding indicates that the agent may have an opioid-sparing effect in this patient population.