The adverse effects with ibuprofen after major orthopedic surgeries: A protocol for the PERISAFE randomized clinical trial

INTRODUCTION: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are recommended for pain treatment after elective hip and knee arthroplasties. However, evidence regarding the incidence of adverse effects with short-term NSAID treatment following surgery is limited. We, therefore, aim to assess the adverse effects with an eight-day postoperative treatment with ibuprofen after elective hip and knee arthroplasties.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: PERISAFE is a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded multicenter trial with 90-day and one-year follow-up. Eligible patients undergoing elective hip or knee arthroplasty are allocated 1:1 to either ibuprofen 400 mg ×3/day or identical placebo ×3/day for eight days after surgery. The primary outcome is a composite of either death, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis, renal failure, major bleeding, re-operation, gastrointestinal ulcer, or readmission within 90 days postoperatively. Secondary outcomes are hospital-free days within 90 days postoperatively, a composite of ibuprofen and opioid-related adverse reactions based on eight-day postoperative diary, and health related quality of life after 90 days postoperatively. A total of 2904 patients are needed to demonstrate a relative risk reduction of 33% in the placebo group, accepting a risk of type I error of 5% and type II error of 20% and a proportion of serious adverse events in the ibuprofen group of 8%. The primary analysis will be in the modified intention-to-treat population.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The trial is approved by the Danish Medicine Agency and the Research Ethics Committee (EU CT no. 2022-502, 502-32-00). We plan to submit for publication in a major international peer-reviewed journal and present results at scientific meetings.