• Patrizia Papacci, Giovanni De Francisci, Tiziana Iacobucci, Carmen Giannantonio, Maria Pia De Carolis, Enrico Zecca, and Costantino Romagnoli.
• Department of Paediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Catholic University Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. patrizia.papacci@tin.it
• Paediatr Anaesth. 2004 Jun 1;14(6):487-92.

BackgroundKetorolac is a powerful nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug widely used for pain control in children and adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate its safety and analgesic efficacy in the neonate.MethodsKetorolac was used in a group of 18 spontaneously breathing neonates presenting with chronic lung disease, for the control of postsurgical pain and pain from invasive procedures. Pain scores (Neonatal Infant Pain Scale) were assessed before and after i.v. administration of 1 mg.kg(-1) of ketorolac.ResultsTotal pain control was achieved in 94.4% of the neonates. None of the neonates had haematological, renal or hepatic changes prior to treatment, and these complications did not occur after treatment. No neonate had systemic haemorrhage or bleeding from injection and blood withdrawal sites.ConclusionsKetorolac could represent an efficacious analgesic alternative to opioids, particularly in neonates. It would avoid the side-effects associated with opioid analgesics, especially respiratory depression.

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