Cardiothoracic & vascular anesthesia
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs as Part of a Multimodal Postoperative Pain Management Strategy in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Meta-Analysis of 11 Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors' conclusion
NSAID use was associated with modestly reduced VAS scores at 12, 18, 24, and 48 hours, while opioid consumption was significantly lower at 24 and 48 hours postoperatively.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing cardiac surgery11 articles
- Participants
- 1,463 patients
- Comparison
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) combined with opioids vs control after cardiac surgery
- Outcome
- Pain intensity (VAS, 0 to 10 scale)
- Follow-up
- 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 hours
Methodological detailsrandom-effects model
- Random-effects model
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
VAS pain score
NSAID vs ControlMD (95% CI)P value
12 h
−1.19(−1.83 to −0.56)
P < 0.00118 h
−1.43(−2.58 to −0.28)
P = 0.0124 h
−0.61(−0.97 to −0.24)
P = 0.00148 h
−0.68(−0.87 to −0.49)
P < 0.001Further pooled results
| Outcome | MD (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total opioid consumptionNSAID vs Control · 24 h | −8.10 (−10.60 to −5.61) | P < 0.001 | |
| Total opioid consumptionNSAID vs Control · 48 h | −7.13 (−12.44 to −1.82) | P = 0.009 | |
| −15−10−505Difference (linear scale) |
Total opioid consumption
- No differences at 6 h and 12 h
Safety
GI bleeding, AF, MI, acute kidney injury (AKI)
- No significant differences between NSAID and control
Original publication
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs as Part of a Multimodal Postoperative Pain Management Strategy in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Meta-Analysis of 11 Randomized Clinical Trials. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. Published 23 September 2025. doi:10.
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