Influence of perioperative nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on complications after gastrointestinal surgery: A meta-analysis

Background

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a key part of multimodal perioperative analgesia. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of perioperative NSAIDs application on complications after gastrointestinal surgery by using meta-analysis.

Methods

A systematic review of published literature was conducted by searching computerized databases including PubMed, CBM, Springer, Chinese Academic Journals, and China Info since the databases were published until June 2015. The articles and retrospective references regarding complications after gastrointestinal surgery were collected to compare postoperative complications associated with NSAIDs or other analgesics. After they were assessed by randomized controlled trials and extracted by the standard of the Jadad systematic review, the homogeneous studies were pooled using RevMan 5.3 software. The meta-analysis was performed on five postoperative complications: postoperative anastomotic leak, cardiovascular events, surgical site infection, nausea and vomiting, and intestinal obstruction.

Results

Twelve randomized controlled trials involving 3829 patients met the inclusion criteria. The results of meta-analyses showed the following: (1) postoperative anastomotic leak: NSAIDs (including selective and nonselective NSAIDs) increased the incidence of anastomotic leak [odds ratio (OR) = 3.02, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.16–4.23, p = 0.00001]. Further results showed that nonselective NSAIDs significantly increased the incidence of anastomotic leak (OR = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.99–4.42, p < 0.00001), and selective NSAIDs had no significant difference as compared with the control group using other analgesics (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 0.68–7.56, p = 0.18); (2) postoperative cardiovascular events: NSAIDs (selective and nonselective NSAIDs) had no difference when compared with other analgesics (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.23–1.12, p = 0.09); (3) postoperative surgical site infection: NSAIDs (selective and nonselective NSAIDs) and other analgesics had no difference in surgical site infection (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.52–1.15, p = 0.20); (4) postoperative nausea and vomiting: NSAIDs (selective and nonselective NSAIDs) decreased the incidence of nausea and vomiting (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.34–0.81, p = 0.003); (5) postoperative intestinal obstruction: NSAIDs (selective and nonselective NSAIDs) decreased the incidence of intestinal obstruction (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.13–0.89, p = 0.03).

Conclusions

The meta-analysis suggests that postoperative NSAIDs, especially nonselective NSAIDs, could increase the incidence of anastomotic leak. NSAIDs could decrease postoperative nausea and vomiting and intestinal obstruction, but showed no difference in cardiovascular events and surgical site infection as compared with other analgesics.