Post-laparoscopic cholecystectomy pain: Effects of intraperitoneal local anesthetics on pain control - A randomized prospective double-blinded placebo-controlled trial

Postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is generally less than open cholecystectomy, however, the postoperative shoulder and abdominal pain experienced by patients still causes preventable distress. Intraperitoneal irrigation of the diaphragmatic surface and gallbladder fossa using normal saline, bupivacaine, or lignocaine may effectively control visceral abdominal pain after an LC. Two hundred patients with similar demographics undergoing elective LC were randomized to one of four groups of 50 patients each, including Group A placebo control, Group B with isotonic saline irrigation, Group C with bupivacaine irrigation, and Group D with lignocaine irrigation. All patients received preperitoneal abdominal wall infiltration with 0.25 per cent bupivacaine to control parietal (somatic) abdominal pain. The visual analogue and verbal rating pain scores at 0, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours for both shoulder and abdominal pain were recorded in a prospective double-blind fashion at four points during the first 24 postoperative hours. Analgesia requirements, vital signs, blood glucose, and incidence of nausea and vomiting were also recorded. Patients in each group demonstrated a significant difference in visual analogue and verbal rating pain scores and analgesic consumption when compared with controls. Lignocaine controlled pain significantly better than saline or bupivacaine. Bowel function recovery was similar in all patients, and there were no significant complications. We conclude that intraperitoneal irrigation with either saline, bupivacaine, or lignocaine can significantly reduce visceral abdominal pain after LC. Lignocaine was the most efficacious local anesthetic in this trial and has a high safety profile when used at recommended doses.