Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from poppy-derived thebaine. It is a narcotic analgesic generally indicated for relief of moderate to severe pain. Although developed in an attempt to improve on the existing opioids, the adverse effects of oxycodone are those that are typically found in opioids. In recent years, the use of the opioid oxycodone has increased markedly and replacing morphine as the first line choice of opioid in several countries. There are formulations for oral immediate, oral extended release and intravenous use. In 2013, intravenous oxycodone was approved for marketing by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), with the indication of postoperative intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PAC). Simulation study of oxycodone demonstrated that minimum effective analgesic concentration (MEAC) of oxycodone was most quickly reached with higher loading dose and IV PCA with background infusion, which may reduce the necessity of rescue analgesics during immediate postoperative period. Previous studies for postoperative pain management with intravenous oxycodone are limited in sample size, mostly less than 100 patients, which may not be large enough to assess safety of intravenous oxycodone. The effectiveness and tolerability of IV PCA with oxycodone should, therefore, be evaluated in large scale clinical trials in Korean populations.