Better late than never? Impact of local analgesia timing on postoperative pain in laparoscopic surgery: a systematic review and metaanalysis

• Published in: Surgical endoscopy Vol. 24; no. 12; pp. 3167 - 3176
• Main Authors: Coughlin, Shaun M., Karanicolas, Paul J., Emmerton-Coughlin, Heather M. A., Kanbur, Bilge, Kanbur, Savas, Colquhoun, Patrick H. D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer-Verlag 01.12.2010; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abdominal Surgery; Analgesia - methods; Anesthesia; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Clinical trials; Gastroenterology; Gynecology; Hepatology; Hospitals; Humans; Laparoscopy; Local anesthesia; Local anesthesia. Pain (treatment); Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pain; Pain, Postoperative - prevention & control; Proctology; Surgeons; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the digestive system; Systematic review; Textbooks; Time Factors; Validity; Laparoscopic surgery; Systematic review; Postoperative pain; Local anesthesia; Preemptive analgesia; Metaanalysis; Postoperative; Endoscopic surgery; Pain; Treatment; Review; Timing
• ISSN: 0930-2794; 1432-2218
• DOI: 10.1007/s00464-010-1111-1

Background This study aimed to determine the effect of local anesthesia administered before laparoscopic surgery (preemptive anesthesia) on postoperative pain. Methods The authors searched Medline, EMBase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, as well as reference lists of textbooks and relevant articles. They contacted experts in the field of anesthesia and laparoscopic surgery for randomized controlled trials comparing preemptive administration of local anesthesia at the incision site or intraperitoneally with postoperative anesthesia administration or placebo. Trials were systematically assessed for eligibility and validity, and data were extracted in duplicate. The data were pooled across studies using a random effects model. Results The 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. Preemptive incisional local anesthetic was superior to placebo in terms of visual analog pain scores (VAS) at 4 h (weighted mean difference [WMD], −9.49 mm; 95% confidence interval [CI], −15.50 to −3.48) and 24 h (WMD, −4.75 mm; 95%CI, −8.90 to 0.60). However, no difference was found between these measures and those for postoperative incision-site infiltration. Preemptive intraperitoneal local anesthetic was superior to placebo in terms of VAS at 4 h (WMD, 5.76 mm; 95%CI, −11.27 to −0.25), 8 h (WMD, −9.64 mm; 95%CI, −13.68 to −5.60), 12 h (WMD, −4.68 mm; 95%CI, −5.86 to −3.49), and 24 h (WMD, −5.57 mm; 95%CI, −8.35 to −2.79), and superior to postoperative anesthesia administration at 8 h (WMD, −7.42; 95%CI, −13.40 to −1.45), 12 h (WMD, −7.27 mm; 95%CI, −10.26 to −4.28), and 24 h (WMD, −7.95 mm; 95%CI, −12.33 to −3.56). Conclusion Preemptive administration of local anesthetic at the incision site reduces postoperative pain compared with placebo but achieves an analgesic effect similar to that of postincisional anesthetic infiltration. Preemptive local anesthetic administered intraperitoneally decreases postoperative pain compared with both placebo and postoperative infiltration. Surgeons should use local analgesia in laparoscopic surgery to decrease postoperative pain, but the timing of administration is significant only for intraperitoneal infiltration.