2016 AAOS Annual Meeting: Randomized Prospective Trial Comparing the Use of IV versus PO Acetaminophen with Total Joint Arthroplasty

120 patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty were randomized to receive either intravenous or oral administration of acetaminophen as part of their postoperative multimodal analgesic regimen. The purpose of this study was to compare the two routes of administration in terms of narcotic use and pain in the initial 24 postoperative hours. The results displayed that intravenous and oral administration of acetaminophen were comparable in terms of pain scores and narcotic use over 24 hours postoperatively.