Table 2. . Postoperative opioid consumption in intravenous morphine milligram equivalents.
| Postoperative time (h) | Placebo (n = 20) mean (95% CI) |
150 mg/kg NAC (n = 20) mean (95% CI) |
Difference (Placebo – NAC) mean (95% CI) |
% Decrease (Placebo-NAC) % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 14.6 (5.97, 23.1) | 12.0 (3.43, 20.6) | 2.55 (-9.59, 14.7) | 17.5 |
| 12 | 19.4 (10.8, 28.0) | 15.6 (7.02, 24.2) | 3.75 (-8.39, 15.9) | 19.3 |
| 18 | 25.0 (16.4, 33.6) | 19.9 (11.3, 28.5) | 5.09 (-7.05, 17.2) | 20.4 |
| 24 | 29.6 (21.0, 38.2) | 24.7 (16.2, 33.3) | 4.86 (-7.26, 17.0) | 16.4 |
| 30 | 34.0 (25.4, 42.6) | 27.2 (18.7, 35.8) | 6.77 (-5.37, 18.9) | 19.9 |
| 36 | 37.9 (29.4, 46.5) | 29.7 (21.1, 38.3) | 8.22 (-3.92, 20.4) | 21.7 |
| 42 | 40.9 (32.3, 49.5) | 33.1 (24.5, 41.7) | 7.78 (-4.36, 19.9) | 19.0 |
| 48 | 43.3 (34.7, 51.9) | 34.9 (26.4, 43.6) | 8.31 (-3.75, 20.4) | 19.2 |
Data are reported as mean (95% CI) or mean difference (95% CI) estimated from a linear mixed model of opioid consumption over time including main effects for treatment group, postoperative time, the interaction between treatment group and postoperative time, and a random subject effect.
CI: Confidence intervals; NAC: N-acetylcysteine.