• Qing Yang, Zhi Zhang, Wenqi Xin, and Aixiang Li.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Huaihe Hospital, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2017 Nov 1; 96 (47): e8804.

BackgroundA systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were performed to assess the efficacy and safety of preoperative intravenous glucocorticoids versus controls for the prevention of postoperative acute pain and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA).MethodsA computer literature search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and China Wanfang database, was conducted to identify the relevant RCTs comparing preoperative intravenous glucocorticoids versus placebos for reducing acute pain and PONV in THA patients. The primary outcomes included the use of the visual analog scale (VAS) with rest or mobilization at 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours and the occurrence of PONV. The secondary outcome was total morphine consumption. We calculated the risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for dichotomous outcomes, and the weighted mean difference (WMD) with a 95% CI for continuous outcomes.ResultsPooled data from 7 RCTs (411 THAs) favored preoperative intravenous glucocorticoids against acute pain intensity at 4, 24, and 48 hours (P < .05). There was no significant difference between the VAS with rest or mobilization at 72 hours (P > .05). Subsequently, preoperative intravenous glucocorticoids provided a total morphine-sparing effect of 9.36 mg (WMD = -9.36, 95% CI = -12.33 to -6.38, P = .000). In addition, preoperative intravenous glucocorticoids were associated with a significant reduction of the occurrence of PONV (RR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.30-0.57, P = .000).ConclusionIntravenous glucocorticoids can decrease early pain intensity and PONV after THA. However, the low number of studies and variation in dosing regimens limits the evidence for its use. Thus, more high-quality RCTs are still needed to identify the optimal drug and the safety of intravenous glucocorticoids.Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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