Combined pre- and post-surgical bupivacaine wound infiltrations decrease opioid requirements after knee ligament reconstruction.
OBJECTIVE
To test the efficacy of a combination of selective pre- and post-surgical local anesthetic infiltrations of the knee, compared with standard intra-articular injection at the end of surgery alone, to reduce postoperative opioid requirements following arthroscopic cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).


METHODS
In a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, we studied 23 patients (ASA I or II) scheduled for elective ACLR under general anesthesia. The treatment group (n = 12) received infiltrations with bupivacaine 0.25% with epinephrine 1:200,000 presurgically (10 ml into the portals, 10 ml at the medial tibial incision site, 10 ml at the lateral femoral incision site, and 10 ml intra-articularly) and postsurgically (5 ml at the medial tibial incision and 10 ml at the lateral femoral incision). The control group (n = 11) received infiltrations with saline 0.9% in the same manner. All patients received a standard intra-articular local anesthetic instillation of the knee (25 ml of bupivacaine 0.25% with epinephrine 1:200,000) at the completion of surgery.


RESULTS
Postoperative opioid requirements were lower in the treatment group (5.8 +/- 2.9 mg morphine equivalent) than in the control group ( 13.7 +/- 5.8 mg; P = 0.008). Treatment patients were ready for discharge approximately 30 min earlier than control patients (P = 0.046). There were no adverse events in the treatment group. In the control group, 2/11 patients vomited and a third experienced transient postoperative diaphoresis, dizziness and pallor.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that a combination of selective pre- and post-surgical wound infiltration with bupivacaine 0.25% provides superior analgesia compared with a standard post-surgical intra-articular injection alone.
Butterfield
N N
NN
Clinical Pharmacology Research Organization, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Schwarz
S K
SK
Ries
C R
CR
Franciosi
L G
LG
Day
B
B
MacLeod
B A
BA
D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery*; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D009020:Morphine; D002045:Bupivacaine