The purpose of this study is to determine if ceftriaxone administered postoperatively via intravenous injection reduces postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores and narcotic consumption in patients undergoing knee arthroscopy for a cartilage or meniscal injury.
Arthroscopic surgery for cartilage and meniscus injuries are some of the most common orthopaedic procedures currently performed. Post-surgical pain is initiated through an inflammatory response to surgery. The pain response leads to sleep disruption and a further increase in pain and additional sleep disruption. Opioid medications are often used after surgery to treat pain despite the side effect profile. These medications also contribute to poor sleep quality and duration. Early pain and narcotic use can be controlled by mitigating the effects of post-surgical inflammation. Ceftriaxone is a readily available antibiotic and may have the desirable anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, but without the side effects caused by other medications. Since it is highly selective in its inhibition, ceftriaxone is an excellent candidate for reducing immediate post-operative pain and heightened inflammatory response. By doing this study, the investigators hope to learn about the anti-inflammatory effectiveness of the antibiotic ceftriaxone. Ceftriaxone has been shown to inhibit a key enzyme in the post-operative inflammatory process and has been safely used for treatment of infections for years. The investigators would like to gather information about whether ceftriaxone helps reduce pain and inflammation after surgery. Participation in this research will last about 2 months.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
5
single intravenous dose of 1 g of ceftriaxone
1% lidocaine and saline
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Change in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Pain Score
The Visual analog scale scores range from 0 to 10 with greater scores indicative of greater pain.
Time frame: Pre-operative, 2 months post-operative
Change in RU SATED Score
The Regularity, Sleep Quality, Alertness, Timing, Efficiency, Duration scale for sleep (RU SATED) ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better sleep health.
Time frame: Pre-operative, 2 months post-operative
Post-operative Narcotic Use
Post-operative narcotic use will be monitored with self-reported medication consumption at the first post-operative visit, which will take place 5-12 days post-operative. The milligrams of morphine equivalent (MME) will be calculated based on patient responses with greater MME indicative of increased postoperative use of narcotic pain medications.
Time frame: 5-12 days post-operative
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