Injection of Local Anesthetic to Trocar Insertion Sites After Laparoscopy

Infiltration of Bupivacaine Local Anesthetic to Trocar Insertion Sites After Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

The primary objective of this study is to assess if injection of local anesthetic to the laparoscopic trocar sites after a hysterectomy will make a difference in a patient's pain after surgery.

The growing interest in minimally invasive gynecologic surgeries have increased the number of patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomies. Although many patients are being discharged home the same day of surgery, majority of patients complain of immediate postoperative pain after a laparoscopic hysterectomy. Since postoperative pain is usually transient and improves over a short period of time, infiltration of local anesthetic to trocar insertion sites might alleviate the patient's discomfort during the recovery period. Immediate post-operative pain relief further facilitates early discharge and faster patient recovery. Published data regarding the effects of preemptive port site local anesthesia in gynecologic operative laparoscopy have been limited and controversial. Visceral pain control through afferent nerve block could minimize pain perception especially during the first postoperative hours. This study aims to assess the influence of infiltration of local anesthetic to trocar insertion sites after laparoscopic hysterectomy on postoperative pain.

The "No Treatment" group includes patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy without local infiltration of bupivacaine.

The "Bupivacaine Arm" includes all patients who will receive bupivacaine injection on their trocar sites after the laparoscopic hysterectomy is completed. Bupivacaine (0.25%) will be injected through the closed incisions ensuring subcutaneous tissue, fascia, muscle and pre-peritoneal space of the trocar incision sites are infiltrated. All incisions 8 mm and greater are injected with 10 cc while all incisions 5 mm or less are infiltrated with 5 cc.

Bupivacaine (0.25%) will be injected through the closed trocar incisions after completion of the laparoscopic hysterectomy case.

Postoperative pain is measured on day of surgery after trocar incisions are closed and injected with local anesthetic. Postoperative pain is evaluated with the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) at 4 hrs after the surgery. The Numerical Rating Scale is a scale from 0 to 10 that measures pain severity, where 0 equates to "no pain" and 10 equates to "unable to move".

Postoperative pain is measured on day of surgery after trocar incisions are closed and injected with local anesthetic. Postoperative pain is evaluated with the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) at 6 hrs after the surgery. The Numerical Rating Scale is a scale from 0 to 10 that measures pain severity, where 0 equates to "no pain" and 10 equates to "unable to move".

Postoperative pain is measured on day of surgery after trocar incisions are closed and injected with local anesthetic. Postoperative pain is evaluated with the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) at 24 hrs after the surgery. The Numerical Rating Scale is a scale from 0 to 10 that measures pain severity, where 0 equates to "no pain" and 10 equates to "unable to move".

Estimated blood loss will be measured in (mL) on the day of surgery after completing the procedure. Blood loss will be categorized as >200 mL vs. <= 200 mL.

Intraoperative complications include injury to bowel, bladder, blood vessels, nerves and hemorrhage. Perioperative complications include urinary tract infections, urinary retention, ileus, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary edema, atelectasis, pneumonia, renal and cerebrovascular morbidity, thromboembolic complications (DVT and PE). Postoperative complications include pulmonary, renal, and cerebrovascular morbidity, wound and vaginal vault complications (infection, separation, and dehiscence), septicemia, thromboembolic events, and re-operation.

Length of hospital stay will be measured on the day of surgery after completing the procedure to when the patient is discharged from the hospital. Length of stay will be categorized as less than 24 hours vs. greater than or equal to 24 hours.

Histopathologic diagnosis describes the findings seen on tissue pathology and microscopy and is defined as one of the following: endometriosis, leiomyoma, adenomyosis, or other.

The primary intra-operative finding found during surgery, defined as one of the following: endometriosis, pelvic adhesive disease, leiomyoma, or other.

Inclusion Criteria: Patients who are scheduled for a laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign indications at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology's Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center will be included. Exclusion Criteria: Patients who are scheduled for a hysterectomy through the vaginal or abdominal approach will be excluded. Patients with preoperative indications of endometriosis or chronic pelvic pain will also be excluded since these patients could potentially have higher thresholds of pain.

Einarsson JI, Sun J, Orav J, Young AE. Local analgesia in laparoscopy: a randomized trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Dec;104(6):1335-9. doi: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000146283.90934.fd.

Kim JH, Lee YS, Shin HW, Chang MS, Park YC, Kim WY. Effect of administration of ketorolac and local anaesthetic infiltration for pain relief after laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy. J Int Med Res. 2005 Jul-Aug;33(4):372-8. doi: 10.1177/147323000503300402.

Saleh A, Fox G, Felemban A, Guerra C, Tulandi T. Effects of local bupivacaine instillation on pain after laparoscopy. J Am Assoc Gynecol Laparosc. 2001 May;8(2):203-6. doi: 10.1016/s1074-3804(05)60578-6.

Ghezzi F, Cromi A, Bergamini V, Raffaelli R, Crotti S, Segredini R, Bolis P. Preemptive port site local anesthesia in gynecologic laparoscopy: a randomized, controlled trial. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2005 May-Jun;12(3):210-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2005.03.007.

Marks JL, Ata B, Tulandi T. Systematic review and metaanalysis of intraperitoneal instillation of local anesthetics for reduction of pain after gynecologic laparoscopy. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2012 Sep-Oct;19(5):545-53. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2012.04.002. Epub 2012 Jul 3.

Chou YJ, Ou YC, Lan KC, Jawan B, Chang SY, Kung FT. Preemptive analgesia installation during gynecologic laparoscopy: a randomized trial. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2005 Jul-Aug;12(4):330-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2005.05.005.

Fong SY, Pavy TJ, Yeo ST, Paech MJ, Gurrin LC. Assessment of wound infiltration with bupivacaine in women undergoing day-case gynecological laparoscopy. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2001 Mar-Apr;26(2):131-6. doi: 10.1053/rapm.2001.21836.

Ke RW, Portera SG, Bagous W, Lincoln SR. A randomized, double-blinded trial of preemptive analgesia in laparoscopy. Obstet Gynecol. 1998 Dec;92(6):972-5. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(98)00303-2.

Salman MA, Yucebas ME, Coskun F, Aypar U. Day-case laparoscopy: a comparison of prophylactic opioid, NSAID or local anesthesia for postoperative analgesia. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2000 May;44(5):536-42. doi: 10.1034/j.1399-6576.2000.00508.x.

Goldstein A, Grimault P, Henique A, Keller M, Fortin A, Darai E. Preventing postoperative pain by local anesthetic instillation after laparoscopic gynecologic surgery: a placebo-controlled comparison of bupivacaine and ropivacaine. Anesth Analg. 2000 Aug;91(2):403-7. doi: 10.1097/00000539-200008000-00032.