ABSTRACT
Aim The study aimed to compare the effects of 0.5% bupivacaine injection at pre-incisional port sites and intraperitoneal application on postoperative pain in laparoscopic cholecystectomy cases. Methods After taking ethical clearance, a total of 60 patients of the American Society of Anaesthesia (ASA) grades 1 and 2 scheduled to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy were enrolled in the study and were randomized into two groups. Group 1 (n=30) received 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine infiltration subcutaneously over the port sites before being given incision. Group 2 (n=30) received 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine applied in the intraperitoneal subdiaphragmatic space and in the gall bladder fossa after removal of the gall bladder. The efficacy in terms of abdominal pain, hemodynamics, complications, and total analgesic requirements were assessed at regular intervals throughout the postoperative period for 24 hours. Results No significant difference in terms of demographic variables in the groups. The mean visual analog score (VAS) score for abdominal pain was found to be significantly lower in group 1 from the first postoperative hour till the twenty-fourth hour. Also, no significant difference was seen between the groups regarding hemodynamic parameters. No significant difference between the groups was seen regarding postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The supplemental analgesic requirement was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1. Conclusion It was observed from this study that pre-incisional infiltration of a local anesthetic agent produces effective postoperative analgesia in the immediate postoperative hours and reduces additional analgesic requirements without causing any adverse reactions.
