After surgery pain in women who have had a cesarean delivery is a determining factor in the quality and duration of their hospital stay. Insufficient pain relief can lead to longer hospitalization and long term pain, which can result in long term use of pain medication. A classic method to alleviate pain after cesarean delivery is by injecting morphine into the spinal fluid, in the women's back, in addition to prescribing morphine by mouth as needed after the surgery. However, the negative effects associated with morphine and morphine-like drugs, limit the doses used, their pain relief capacity, and can negatively affect the after surgical experience of women. An approach which uses pain relief that acts on different pain pathways to treat after surgery pain helps limit the negative effects of different drugs. The potential benefit of dexamethasone as pain relief in women who have had a cesarean delivery is all the more interesting because of its minimal negative effects compared to morphine-like drugs. Its low cost, its effectiveness to prevent nausea, and its impact on the general condition of patients make dexamethasone even more attractive.
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Visual Analog Pain Score (VAS) 6 hours post-operatively at first rise
Timeframe: 6 hours post-operatively