Evaluation of the use of of intraperitoneal bupivacaine on postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy will help to provide the general goals of this surgical method. We conducted this study to investigate influence of intraperitoneal bupivacaine on visceral and shoulder pain with bupivacaine infiltration in abdominal wall incisions in both study and control groups in order to obscure somatic pain. 66 patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly divided into two groups. Anesthesia induction was the same in both groups. In study group, 20cc of 0.25% bupivacaine was injected into peritoneum at the beginning and at the end of surgery by the surgeon under direct vision. After taking out the trocars, 5cc bupivacaine 0.25% was injected into each surgical incisions of abdominal wall in both studied and control groups. Within first four hours after operation, intensity of pain at 1 hour intervals, time of patient's request to extra narcotic (Tramadol) and total narcotic dose were recorded. No statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were observed between both groups in compared parameters such as intensity of pain at 1st, 2st, 3st, 4st hour after operation, average time of narcotic request and total consumed narcotic. This study didn not confirm the usefulness of intraperitoneal bupivacaine as a pain relief method after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.