Nimesulide 90 mg orally twice daily does not influence postoperative morphine requirements after major chest surgery.

Background: Cyclooxygenase 2 inhibition has proven analgesic efficacy in a variety of surgical procedures. We postulated that perioperative cyclooxygenase 2 inhibition significantly reduces postoperative morphine requirements after major thoracic surgery and investigated the site of this potential analgesic effect.

Methods: Ninety-two patients participated in this single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial.