Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants assigned to therapeutic suggestions by audiotape during surgery (intervention) or to a blank audiotape (n=385). Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Intervention group (n=191) | Control group (n=194) |
|---|---|---|
| Median (interquartile range) age (years) | 52 (43-62) | 54 (46-62) |
| Women | 115 (60) | 110 (57) |
| Median (interquartile range) preoperative score: | ||
| NRS (0-10) | 0 (0-1) | 0 (0-2) |
| STAI-S (range 20-80) | 41.0 (33-51) | 39.5 (33-50) |
| Type of surgery: | ||
| Thyroid gland | 36 (19) | 30 (15) |
| Abdominal hernia | 23 (12) | 24 (12) |
| Spinal* | 19 (10) | 23 (12) |
| Cholecystectomy | 19 (10) | 17 (9) |
| Laparoscopy | 17 (9) | 13 (7) |
| Hysterectomy | 17 (9) | 9 (5) |
| Colorectal | 9 (5) | 13 (7) |
| Adrenalectomy | 7 (4) | 6 (3) |
| Fundoplication | 7 (4) | 15 (8) |
| Pelvic floor repair | 6 (3) | 1 (0.5) |
| Other† | 31 (16) | 43 (22) |
| High pain surgeries‡ | 136 (71) | 147 (76) |
| Patient controlled analgesia | 78 (40) | 79 (40) |
| Median (interquartile range) duration of surgery (mins) | 95 (69-140) | 106 (74-141) |
| Intraoperative drugs: | ||
| Median (interquartile range) fentanyl (mg), n=85/93 | 0.5 (0.4-0.5) | 0.5 (0.5-0.6) |
| Median (interquartile range) sufentanil (µg), n=106/101 | 50 (40-64) | 50 (40-70) |
| Median (interquartile range) non-opioids (% of MDD§) | 33 (25-50) | 31 (25-50) |
| Patients with non-opioids | 165 (86) | 161 (83) |
| Patients with clonidine | 22 (1) | 35 (18) |
NRS=numerical rating scale; STAI-S=state trait anxiety inventory scale22; MMD=maximum daily dose.
Herniated intervertebral disc, lumbar spinal stenosis.
Inter alia prostatectomy, oophorectomy, nephrectomy, living kidney donation, hemorrhoidectomy, gastrectomy, vaginal surgery, and skin and soft tissue surgery.
Gynaecology, orthopaedics, abdominal general surgery, according to Gerbershagen et al.24
Calculated to correct for different non-opioid analgesics with various half-lives (MDD of metamizole=4000 mg, paracetamol=4000 mg, ibuprofen=2400 mg, diclofenac=150 mg, etoricoxib=120 mg, from information provided by manufacturers).