Search strategy and selection criteria
PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Database, and SinoMed database were searched from the inception dates to June 2022, without language restrictions, using the term “ibuprofen” and keywords shown in the Supplementary Table 2. We also searched clinicaltrials.gov and the World Health Organization clinical trials portal for ongoing or recently completed trials. We only identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in postoperative pain or fever adults comparing IVIB with placebo, or other analgesic and antipyretic agents. An additional search of the reference lists of relevant studies was performed to identify the eligible RCTs. Four reviewers (Z.P.X., C.L., H.L.Z., T.S.X.) independently screened the reports against pre-designed eligibility criteria, and any disagreements were resolved through discussion, consulting another reviewer (Z.S.D.).
For pain relief, the primary outcomes included the visual analogue scale (VAS) score within postoperative 24h and the difference in cumulative opioid medication consumption at postoperative 24h and 48h. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of adverse events (AEs) and the usage rate of rescue analgesic medication. For fever relief, we identified the change of temperature as the main outcome and the incidence of adverse events (AEs) as the secondary outcome.