Study Summary

One hundred and ten patients undergoing elective ambulatory arthroscopic shoulder surgery were randomized to receive triple therapy with oral metamizole, paracetamol, and ibuprofen (n=55) or paracetamol and ibuprofen only (n=55). The primary outcome of interest was post-operative pain intensity during movement on a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) on post-operative day 1. Secondary outcomes of interest included post-operative pain intensity at rest and during movement up to 7 days post-operation, piritramide consumption, analgesic pain relief, adverse events, and adherence to study medication. No differences in pain scores at rest or during movement were observed between the two groups. The incidence of nausea was significantly higher in the triple therapy group. No other differences were observed, suggesting that the addition of metamizole did not provide any clinical benefit.