ABSTRACT
A double blinded prospective study was conducted in salmaniya medical center [SMC] to asses the effectiveness of intra-operative wound bathing by Bupivacaine HC1 [marcain] in reducing post operative pain. Thirty patients aged 16-65 years who was scheduled for elective inguinal herniorraphy during the period march august 1992 at SMC were randomized into two groups [15 cases and 15 control]. Postoperative pain was assessed according to a scoring scale from 0[no pain] to 10 [severe pain]. It was found that none of the patients who received marcain suffered from moderate or severe pain during the first six hours post operatively compared with 93% of those who did not recive marcain [p<0.0000]. In addition, patients receiving marcain needed less distalgesic tablets [46%] compared to those who did not recive marcain [87%]. It is concluded that intra-operative bathing of wounds with marcain is an effective method in relieving post-operative pain in patients undergoing herniorraphy