Intraperitoneal Bupivacaine versus Nalbuphine in Postoperative Pain Relief after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Randomised Clinical Study

Introduction: The rationale for using an intraperitoneal route for instilling a drug, local anaesthetic or opioid is that the exposure of peritoneum to visceral nociceptive conduction provides additional mechanism of analgesia.

Aim: To compare the effectiveness of intraperitoneal bupivacaine and nalbuphine for postoperative pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Materials and Methods: The present study was a randomised clinical study in which 80 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, received either bupivacaine (n=40) or nalbuphine (n=40) intraperitoneally. Each patient was monitored postoperatively, as per the institution protocol. Severity of pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at rest and at movement Immediately After Recovery (IAR), after one hour and every four hours thereafter. The time to first rescue analgesic was compared. The data analysis was carried out with unpaired Student’s t-test and Chi-square test using software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 20.0 version.

Results: The study included 35 males and 45 females, with a mean age of 42.8±7.1 years. Both groups were well-matched demographically. There was no significant difference in the Heart Rate (HR) or Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) between the groups postoperatively. However, VAS score was significantly lower in nalbuphine group at one hour (2.52±0.640) as compared to bupivacaine group (2.88±0.791, p=0.028), but on movement at 16 hours it was lower in bupivacaine group (1.43±0.501), as compared to nalbuphine group (1.67±0.474, p=0.030). The mean time of first rescue analgesic in nalbuphine group was 20.25±7.983 minutes, while in bupivacaine group it was 26.9±6.95 minutes (p-value-0.0002). Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) was significantly higher with nalbuphine (35% vs 12.5%). No other significant complication was noted in either group.

Conclusion: Intraperitoneal instillation of nalbuphine is an effective and safe way to reduce postoperative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.