title: Pain relief in day care arthroscopic knee surgery: A comparison between intra-articular ropivacaine and levobupivacaine: A prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Post-operative pain frequently hampers implementation of day care arthroscopic knee surgery in spite of so many analgesic, local anesthetic drugs and routes of administration.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was carried out to compare the efficacy of ropivacaine and levobupivacaine when administered through intra-articular route in controlling pain after day care arthroscopic knee surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  It was a prospective, double-blinded and randomized controlled study.
  
  
  METHODS
  April 2008-December 2008, 60 patients of both sex, of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I and II, undergoing day care arthroscopic knee surgery were randomly assigned into two groups (R, L). Group R received 10 ml of 0.75% ropivacaine, whereas group L received 10 ml of 0.50% levobupivacaine through intra-articular route at the end of the procedure. Pain assessed using visual analog scale (VAS) and diclofenac sodium given as rescue analgesia when VAS >3. Time of first analgesic request and total rescue analgesic were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  based on comparable demographic profiles; time for the requirement of first post-operative rescue analgesia (242.16 ± 23.86 vs. 366.62 ± 24.42) min and total mean rescue analgesic requirement was (104.35 ± 18.96 vs. 76.82 ± 14.28) mg in group R and L respectively. Group R had higher mean VAS score throughout the study period. No side effects found among the groups. These two results were clinically and statistically significant (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hence, it was evident that intra-articular levobupivacaine give better post-operative pain relief, with an increase in time of first analgesic request and decreased need of total post-operative analgesia compared with ropivacaine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Anjan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, NRS Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Saikat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majumdar
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Ratul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kundu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Bangur Institute of Neurology, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Tapobrata
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitra
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, NRS Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Anindya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, NRS Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Bimal Kumar
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Hajra
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, R.G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Soumyadip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.affiliation: Department of G & O, College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Sandip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chattopadhyay
keywords: Intra-articular; levobupivacaine; rescue analgesia; ropivacaine