Administration of intravenous ibuprofen

Abstract

An effective dose of intravenous ibuprofen administered every 6 hours in surgery patients is a safe and effective way to reduce both pain and the need for morphine. In preferred embodiments, the administration of intravenous ibuprofen starts with the onset of anesthesia.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A method for reducing surgical pain in human patients, consisting of
 (i) treating post-surgical pain by administering a first dose of intravenous ibuprofen solution in an amount of about 800 mg prior to the start of surgery on the patients,   (ii) intravenously administering a further dose of about 800 mg dose of intravenous ibuprofen about every six hours post-operatively to the patients at least until 24 hours after surgery and about every 6 hours from about 24 hours after surgery up to about 5 days after surgery; and   (iii) administering an opioid analgesic(s) post-operatively to the patients in an amount which is reduced by about 20% or more within the first 24 hours after surgery than that typically required to control pain in human patients having undergone the same surgical procedure without said administration of ibuprofen, such that the human patients receiving intravenous ibuprofen experience about a 30% reduction in mean opioid consumption and also experience a reduction in post-operative pain of from about 15 to about 42% as measured by the VAS with movement and at rest area under the curve.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the patients experience a significant reduction in pain as measured by the VAS with movement and/or the VAS at rest area under the curve for time points within the first 24 hours after surgery. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , which provides a reduction in at least one side effect associated with the administration of opioid analgesics. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the patients undergo a surgical procedure selected from orthopedic surgery, gynecologic surgery, major abdominal surgery, lower abdominal, and general investigative surgery. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the patients undergo orthopedic surgery. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the patients undergo gynecologic surgery. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the patients undergo major abdominal surgery. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the patients undergo lower abdominal surgery. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the patients undergo general investigative surgery. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the opioid analgesic comprises morphine. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the ibuprofen being intravenously administered after surgery improves the time to ambulation and significantly reduces pain scores in the patients, as compared to such patients receiving opioid analgesics without said administration of ibuprofen. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the opioid analgesic is delivered by patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the side-effect is a gastrointestinal disorder. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the ibuprofen is infused over 30 minutes. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the opioid analgesic comprises morphine. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the patients undergo orthopedic surgery. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the patients undergo gynecologic surgery. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the patients undergo abdominal surgery. 
     
     
         40 . A method for reducing surgical pain in human patients, comprising
 (i) treating post-surgical pain by administering a first dose of intravenous ibuprofen solution in an amount of about 800 mg prior to the start of surgery on the patients,   (ii) intravenously administering a further dose of about 800 mg dose of intravenous ibuprofen about every six hours post-operatively to the patients at least until 24 hours after surgery and about every 6 hours from about 24 hours after surgery up to about 5 days after surgery; and   (iii) administering an opioid analgesic(s) post-operatively to the patients in an amount which is reduced by about 20% or more within the first 24 hours after surgery than that typically required to control pain in human patients having undergone the same surgical procedure without said administration of ibuprofen such that the patients experience a reduction in post-operative pain of from about 15 to about 42% as measured by the VAS with movement and at rest area under the curve.   
     
     
         41 . A method for reducing surgical pain in human patients, consisting of
 (i) treating post-surgical pain by administering a first dose of intravenous ibuprofen solution in an amount of about 800 mg prior to the start of surgery on the patients,   (ii) intravenously administering a further dose of about 800 mg dose of intravenous ibuprofen about every six hours post-operatively to the patients at least until 24 hours after surgery and about every 6 hours from about 24 hours after surgery up to about 5 days after surgery; and   (iii) administering an opioid analgesic(s) post-operatively to the patients in an amount such that the human patients receiving intravenous ibuprofen experience about a 30% reduction in mean opioid consumption and experience a reduction in post-operative pain of from about 15 to about 42% as measured by the VAS with movement and at rest area under the curve compared to the amount of opioid analgesic(s) typically required to control pain in human patients having undergone the same surgical procedure without said administration of the ibuprofen.