Study on the analgesic effect of methylene blue after costal cartilage removal
10.3760/cma.j.cn114453-20240512-00124
- VernacularTitle:亚甲蓝用于肋软骨采取术后的镇痛效果研究
- Author:
Qingqian WEI
1
;
Meiyang HE
;
Jun ZHUANG
;
Xueshang SU
;
Ziming ZHANG
;
Jintian HU
Author Information
1. 中国医学科学院北京协和医学院整形外科医院唇腭裂科，北京 100144
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Methylene blue;
Analgesia;
Randomized controlled trial;
Autologous costal cartilage transplantation;
Postoperative pain management;
Visual analogue scale;
N
- From:
Chinese Journal of Plastic Surgery
2025;41(9):939-944
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the effectiveness of methylene blue in pain management after costal cartilage removal.Methods:A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted from June 2023 to March 2024. Female patients undergoing rhinoplasty with autologous costal cartilage transplantation were randomly divided into a methylene blue group and a control group. Before costal cartilage harvesting, patients in the methylene blue group received a 5 ml injection of 0.1% methylene blue solution into the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the costal cartilage donor site at the lower edge of the seventh costal cartilage or below the breast contour. Patients in the control group received an equal volume of normal saline injected into the same area. Postoperative management included routine observation and pain control (using oral analgesics and topical analgesia). Pain scores were assessed 24 hours after surgery using a visual analog scale (VAS, 0-10 points, higher scores indicate more severe pain) and a numerical rating scale (NRS, 0-10 points, higher scores indicate more severe pain), as well as the frequency of oral analgesics. Patients were followed up for postoperative complications within one month after surgery, and patient satisfaction with pain control was assessed using a self-made 5-point questionnaire (higher scores indicate greater patient satisfaction). Quantitative data were compared between groups using the independent sample t-test; qualitative data were compared between groups using the chi-square test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 112 female patients were enrolled. Fifty-six patients were in the methylene blue group, aged (35.4 ± 5.6) years (range, 18-55 years), and 56 patients were in the control group, aged (36.1 ± 6.0) years (range, 19-54 years). The methylene blue group had significantly lower oral analgesic use 24 hours after surgery than the control group [(1.5±0.5) times vs. (4.7±1.2) times], with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). The methylene blue group also had significantly lower VAS scores (3.2±1.2 vs. 5.8±1.3) and NRS scores (3.5±1.0 vs. 6.2±1.1) 24 hours after surgery than the control group ( P<0.05). At one-month follow-up, the incidence of postoperative complications in the methylene blue group was significantly lower than that in the control group [10.7% (6/56) vs. 21.4% (12/56)]. Patient satisfaction in the methylene blue group was significantly higher than that in the control group [4.5 ± 0.6 vs. 3.2 ± 0.8]. The differences were statistically significant ( P< 0.05). No serious adverse reactions were observed in either group. Conclusion:Methylene blue has a good analgesic effect after costal cartilage transplantation, reducing the need for analgesics, and no significant adverse reactions were observed.
