The Effect of Perioperative Lidocaine Infusion on Postoperative Pain and Postsurgical Recovery Parameters in Gynecologic Cancer Surgery

Abstract

Objectives: 

The primary objective of this prospective nonblinded randomized study was to investigate the effect of perioperative systemic lidocaine infusion on pain control after major gynecologic oncology surgery. Patient-reported outcomes, postoperative recovery parameters, and complications were secondary endpoints of the study.

Materials and Methods: 

Seventy-five patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists I-III were divided into 3 groups based on perioperative analgesia methods—(1) opioid group: patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine; (2) lidocaine group: perioperative intravenous lidocaine infusion, plus PCA with morphine; and (3) the epidural group: PCA with bupivacaine. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was recorded postoperatively. In addition, nausea-vomiting, time to first oral intake, time to first ambulation, time to first flatus, and length of hospital stay were recorded.

Results: 

VAS scores (rest) at 24 hours and VAS scores (cough) at 12 and 24 hours were significantly lower in the epidural group than in the opioid group (P<0.05). VAS scores were found to be similar between the lidocaine and epidural group. The nausea-vomiting incidence was lower in the lidocaine group than in the opioid group (P˂0.05). Compared with the other 2 groups, the first flatus time was shorter in the lidocaine group (P<0.05).

Discussion: 

Perioperative lidocaine infusion is effective as epidural analgesia, which is often advocated as the gold-standard analgesic technique for abdominal surgery and is superior to the others in terms of time to first flatus and the incidence of nausea-vomiting.