Abstract:Objective To investigate the preemptive analgesic effect of hydromorphone combined with parecoxib in radical esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.Methods A total of 106 patients undergoing radical esophagectomy at our hospital from November 2022 to November 2024 were selected. They were divided into a hydromorphone group (n = 53) and a combination group (n = 53) based on anesthesia methods. The hydromorphone group received preemptive analgesia with hydromorphone alone, while the combination group received preemptive analgesia with hydromorphone combined with parecoxib. Clinical data, heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) at different time points, analgesic effects, stress responses, and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results The combination group exhibited shorter spontaneous breathing recovery time, awakening time, lower remifentanil consumption, and fewer patient-controlled analgesia pump presses than the hydromorphone group (P < 0.05). A comparison of HR and MAP between the combination group and the hydromorphone group at the time of entering the operating room, tracheal intubation, 5 minutes after skin incision, and at the end of surgery showed that HR and MAP were different across the time points (P < 0.05) and between the combination group and the hydromorphone group (P < 0.05), and that the change trends of HR and MAP were also different between the two groups (P < 0.05). A comparison of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores between the combination group and the hydromorphone group at 3, 12, and 24 hours after surgery showed that VAS scores differed across the time points (P < 0.05) and between the combination group and the hydromorphone group (P < 0.05), and that the change trends of VAS scores also differed between the two groups (P < 0.05). The differences in adrenocorticotropic hormone, norepinephrine, and cortisol levels before and after treatment in the combination group were smaller than those in the hydromorphone group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion Preemptive analgesia with hydromorphone combined with parecoxib during radical esophagectomy for esophageal cancer effectively improves perioperative parameters, maintains hemodynamic stability, reduces postoperative pain and stress hormone levels, and demonstrates good safety.