IV Acetaminophen Shown Safe and Effective in Craniotomy Patients

Pain management in craniotomy patients is difficult, shows study.

Physicians avoid prescribing narcotics - typically the medication of choice for pain management - because they impair the evaluation of brain function. Postoperative nausea and vomiting often delay the use of oral medication, and few nonnarcotic intravenous (IV) medications exist. However, the recently approved IV formulation of acetaminophen might present a safe, potent non-opioid choice for craniotomy patients.

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A team of researchers led by Walavan Sivakumar, MD, conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of IV acetaminophen in post-craniotomy patients. Their study, titled Intravenous Acetaminophen for Postoperative Supratentorial Craniotomy - A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial, found that patients received IV acetaminophen after a craniotomy had lower narcotic consumption overall and reported lower pain scores.

Dr. Sivakumar presented the team''s findings today during the 82nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).

Co-authors of the study include Paul House, MD, FAANS; Robert Hoesch, MD, PhD; Julie Martinez, RN; Nancy Duncan, NP-C; Safdar Ansari, MD; and Craig Kilburg, MD.

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Disclosure: The author reported no conflicts of interest.

Media Representatives: The 2014 AANS Annual Meeting Press Kit includes releases on highlighted scientific research, AANS officer and award winners, National Neurosurgery Awareness Week, and other relevant information about this year's program. Those releases also will be posted under the Media area on the 2014 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting website (http://www.aans.org/Annual Meeting/2014/Main/Media.aspx). If you would have interest in a topic related to neurosurgery or would like to interview a neurosurgeon - either onsite or via telephone - during this year's event, please contact John Iwanski, AANS Director of Integrated Marketing and Website Communications, via the onsite press room at 415.978.3603 or e-mail him at [email protected].

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About the 2014 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting: Attended by neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants, allied health professionals and other medical professionals, the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting is the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the nation, with an emphasis on the field's latest research and technological advances. A record-breaking 1,321 scientific abstracts were presented for review at the 2014 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting, and the scientific presentations given at this year's event represent cutting-edge examples of the incredible developments taking place within the field of neurosurgery. Additional information about the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting and the Meeting Program can be found at http://www.aans.org/Annual Meeting/2014/Main/Home.aspx.

Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with nearly 8,600 members worldwide. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. All active members of the AANS are certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Neurosurgery) of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, AC. Neurological surgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system including the spinal column, spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves.

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