Oral paracetamol premedication effect on maternal pain in amniocentesis: a randomised double blind placebo-controlled trial

摘要

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of oral paracetamol premedication in decreasing the maternal pain during amniocentesis. A randomised double blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Two hundred and forty participants were equally allocated into two groups (one paracetamol and one placebo). Seven patients were excluded due to their incomplete information. The basic characteristics between the two groups were statistically similar. The pain score anticipated by both groups were not significantly different (VAS score = 5.41 +/- 1.97 vs. 5.48 +/- 1.83; p = .771). The differences were significant for the pain scores during and after the amniocentesis. Concerning the pain scores during the amniocentesis, they were 3.00 +/- 1.90 and 3.79 +/- 1.78 for the paracetamol group and the placebo group, respectively (p = .001). As for pain scores two hours after the amniocentesis, they were 0.32 +/- 0.76 for the paracetamol group and 2.00 +/- 1.55 for the placebo group (p .001). In conclusion, oral paracetamol premedication is effective in decreasing maternal pain both during and two hours after amniocentesis.