Postoperative management
NRS, pain
All patients received 1g of IV paracetamol 30min before surgery and another 1g every 8 h in the hospital. A numeric rating scale (NRS) was used to measure the pain level. Patients were informed about the NRS scoring system (0 points, indicating no pain; 10 points, indicating the worst pain imaginable) during the preoperative period, and if their NRS score at rest was greater than 3, they were informed that they could request painkillers from the patient-controlled analgesia device (PCA). Patients were monitored in the post-anesthesia care unit after extubation. Both groups of patients received an IV-PCA (Bodyguard 575 pain manager, UK) device containing 0.5–1mg/mL of morphine. The PCA settings were adjusted to 1-mg morphine bolus, 8-min lock time, and 24mg 4h limit time.