Ketorolac
Trade names

Toradol

Clinical data
Drug class

NSAID

Uses

Post-op pain

Contraindications

Renal disease or injury, peptic ulcer disease, GI bleeding

Routes of administration

IV, IM, oral

Dosage

IV or IM: 30mg once, if needed can repeat q6h up to 120mg daily

Dosage
Pharmacodynamics
Mechanism of action

Inhibition of COX (COX-1 > COX-2)

Pharmacokinetics
Onset of action

10-15 minutes

Duration of action

2-4 hours

Physical and chemical data
Article quality
Editor rating
In development
User likes
0

Ketorolac is a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) that is frequently used intra-op for management of post-op pain.

Uses

  • Post-op pain management

Contraindications

Absolute contraindications

  • GFR < 30mL/min

Precautions

  • Chronic renal disease
  • AKI
  • GI bleeding
  • Peptic ulcer disease

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

Mechanism of action

  • NSAID that inhibits COX
  • Of the NSAIDs, most selective for COX-1 inhibition over COX-2

Adverse effects

  • COX-1 selectivity increases risk for GI tract irritation and bleeding
  • Thromboembolic disease is always a consideration when using NSAIDs, although ketorolac has lower risk for exacerbating thromboembolic disease compared to more COX-2 selective agents like celecoxib

Pharmacokinetics

  • Highly protein bound
  • Almost completely renally eliminated

Chemistry and formulation

History

References

[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

  1. Toda C, Naguib M. Peripherally acting analgesics. In: Flood P, Rathmell JP, and Urman RD (eds). Stoelting’s Pharmacology & Physiology in Anesthetic Practice. Sixth edition. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wolters Kluwer; 2022: 257-65.
  2. "Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs".
  3. Colvin L. Physiology and pharmacology of pain. In: Thompson, JP, Moppett IK, and Wiles M (eds). Smith and Aitkenhead’s Textbook of Anaesthesia. 7th ed. Edinburgh; Elsevier; 2019: 99-120.
  4. Aronson JK. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In: Aronson, JK. Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs: the International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions. Sixteenth edition. Amsterdam, Netherlands; Elsevier; 2016: 236-72.
  5. Hurley R, Elkassabany NM, Wu CL. Acute postoperative pain. In: Miller’s Anesthesia. 9th ed. Philadelphia; Elsevier; 2020:2620-22.
  6. Mahmoodi, Ahmad N.; Kim, Peggy Y. (2024), "Ketorolac", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 31424756, retrieved 2024-02-14
  7. Buckley, Micaela M.-T.; Brogden, Rex N. (1990-01-01). "Ketorolac". Drugs. 39 (1): 86–109. doi:10.2165/00003495-199039010-00008. ISSN 1179-1950.