Effect of Administration of Ketorolac and Local Anaesthetic Infiltration for Pain Relief after Laparoscopic-assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy

Analgesia for Gynecologic Oncologic Surgeries: A Narrative Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Gynecologic oncologic malignancies are amongst the most common cancers affecting women across the world. This narrative review focuses on the current state of evidence around optimal perioperative pain management of patients undergoing surgeries for gynecologic malignancies with a specific focus on cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent improvements in postoperative pain management following all types of gynecologic procedures, including minimally invasive, open-abdominal, or CRS + HIPEC, have been implemented through enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols. These protocols encompass the use of preemptive analgesia, neuraxial and regional techniques, local anesthetic infiltration, and multimodal analgesia. The severity of postoperative pain varies for minimally invasive cancer surgery to open debulking procedures. Therefore, an individualized perioperative analgesic plan is critical depending on the surgical approach. For CRS + HIPEC, neuraxial techniques such as thoracic epidurals and opioid sparing multimodal analgesics have shown efficacy in the perioperative period. However, future research is needed as many of these patients develop chronic pain with very limited research done in this realm.

The effect of subcutaneous and intraperitoneal anesthesia on post laparoscopic pain: a randomized controlled trial

A few modes of perioperative local analgesia have been studied in order to reduce postoperative pain after laparoscopy, including preemptive local anesthetics in the trocar sites and intraperitoneal anesthetics administration at the end of the surgery. However, the evidence regarding their efficacy are conflicting. In addition, the combination of both aforementioned methods has been rarely studied. Our aim was to evaluate whether subcutaneous trocar site and/or intraperitoneal analgesia reduce pain after gynecologic operative laparoscopy. This was a single-centered, randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial. The patients were randomly assigned to one of four equally sized groups: group 1-subcutaneous and intraperitoneal analgesia; group 2-subcutaneous analgesia and intraperitoneal placebo; group 3-subcutaneous placebo and intraperitoneal analgesia; Group 4-subcutaneous and intraperitoneal placebo. The patients, the surgeons, and the pain evaluators were all blinded to the patient's allocation. Included were patients who underwent elective operative laparoscopy. Exclusion criteria were: active infection, pregnancy, known sensitivity to Bupivacaine-Hydrochloride, chronic pelvic pain, surgeries with additional vaginal procedures, conversion to laparotomy, and malignancy. A total of 9 ml of Bupivacaine-Hydrochloride (Marcaine) 0.5%, or Sodium-Chloride 0.9%, as a placebo, were injected subcutaneously to the trocar sites (3 ml to each trocar site), prior to skin incision. In addition, 10 ml of Bupivacaine-Hydrochloride 0.5%, diluted with 40 ml of Sodium-Chloride 0.9% (a total of 50 ml solution), or 50 ml of Sodium-Chloride 0.9%, as a placebo, were injected intraperitoneally at the end of the surgery. By utilizing the 10 cm Visual-analogue-scale (VAS) we assessed post-operative pain at rest at 3, 8, and 24 h, and during ambulation at 8 and 24 h. The study was approved by the local Institutional Review Board and has been registered at clinicaltrials.gov. We conformed to the CONSORT recommendations. Between December 2016 and July 2019, a total of 119 patients were included in the study. Demographic and interventional characteristics were similar among the groups. The level of postoperative pain, either at rest or with change of position, was not significantly different between the groups, at all-time points. Application of subcutaneous and/or intraperitoneal analgesia is not effective in reducing pain after gynecologic operative laparoscopy.Clinical trial identification number: NCT02976571. Date of trial registration 11/29/2016. URL of the registration site: https://clinicaltrials.gov .

Enhanced Recovery and Surgical Optimization Protocol for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery: An AAGL White Paper

This is the first Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guideline dedicated to standardizing and optimizing perioperative care for women undergoing minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. The guideline was rigorously formulated by an American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists Task Force of US and Canadian gynecologic surgeons with special interest and experience in adapting ERAS practices for patients requiring minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. It builds on the 2016 ERAS Society recommendations for perioperative care in gynecologic/oncologic surgery by serving as a more comprehensive reference for minimally invasive endoscopic and vaginal surgery for both benign and malignant gynecologic conditions. For example, the section on preoperative optimization provides more specific recommendations derived from the ambulatory surgery and anesthesia literature for the management of anemia, hyperglycemia, and obstructive sleep apnea. Recommendations pertaining to multimodal analgesia account for the recent Food and Drug Administration warnings about respiratory depression from gabapentinoids. The guideline focuses on workflows important to high-value care in minimally invasive surgery, such as same-day discharge, and tackles controversial issues in minimally invasive surgery, such as thromboprophylaxis. In these ways, the guideline supports the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists and our collective mission to elevate the quality and safety of healthcare for women through excellence in clinical practice.

Pain management after laparoscopic hysterectomy: systematic review of literature and PROSPECT recommendations

Background and objectives

Laparoscopic hysterectomy is increasingly performed because it is associated with less postoperative pain and earlier recovery as compared with open abdominal hysterectomy. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available literature regarding the management of pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Strategy and selection criteria

Randomized controlled trials evaluating postoperative pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy published between January 1996 and May 2018 were retrieved, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, from the EMBASE and MEDLINE databases and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials. Efficacy and adverse effects of analgesic techniques were assessed.

Results

Of the 281 studies initially identified, 56 were included. Of these, 31 assessed analgesic or anesthetic interventions and 25 assessed surgical interventions. Acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and dexamethasone reduced opioid consumption. Limited evidence hindered recommendations on alpha-2-agonists. Inconsistent evidence was found in the studies investigating pregabalin and transversus abdominis plane block, and no evidence was found for intraperitoneal local anesthetics, port site infiltration, or single-port laparoscopy. Measures to lower peritoneal insufflation pressure or humidify or heat insufflated gas seem to reduce the incidence of shoulder pain, but not abdominal pain.

Conclusions

The baseline analgesic regimen for laparoscopic hysterectomy should include acetaminophen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone, and opioids as rescue analgesics.

Intra-incisional liposomal bupivacaine and its impact on postcesarean analgesia: a retrospective study

PURPOSE

The efficacy of long-acting intraincisional bupivacaine in reducing postoperative opioid use among women who have undergone a cesarean is currently unknown.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective case-control study with a 1:1 allocation. We identified 40 patients in each group, for a total of 80. The treatment group was administered 266 mg of liposomal bupivacaine after completion of the cesarean and was compared to historical controls. Data regarding anesthesia administered, opioid consumption, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory use, acetaminophen use, type of cesarean, reason for cesarean, and length of postoperative stay were recorded.

RESULTS

The treatment group used 41.51 mg of morphine equivalents, while the control group consumed 69.90 mg (p < .001); multivariate analysis demonstrated a mean difference of 26.52 mg (95%CI 12.76-40.28). Univariate analysis demonstrated mean difference in intravenous (IV) ketorolac (40.77 mg, p < .001) and IV acetaminophen (1333.33 mg, p < .001) was different and greater in the treatment group; this was controlled for in the multivariate model. There was no difference in oral and IV ibuprofen or oral acetaminophen use between groups. There were no differences between the type of anesthesia, length of stay, reason for cesarean, and classical sections between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Incisional administration of liposomal bupivacaine may be an effective adjunct in reducing opioid use postoperatively and may be a useful adjunct within an enhanced recovery program.

Single-Port vs Multiport Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Numerous studies have compared the surgical outcomes of single-port laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) and conventional multiport LH, but the results are conflicting. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the safety and efficacy of single-port LH and multiport LH for benign gynecologic conditions based on published reports. PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Embase were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Outcome measures included intraoperative and postoperative complication rates, postoperative pain, conversion rate, operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), and length of hospital stay. Pooled outcome measures (risk ratio [RR] and weighted mean difference [WMD]) were pooled with either a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model. Six RCTs encompassing 624 patients were included. There were no significant differences between single-port LH and multiport LH in terms of intraoperative complication rate (RR, 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.14-7.05; p = .00), postoperative complication rate (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.63-1.44; p = .82), postoperative pain (WMD, -0.42; 95% CI, -0.99 to 0.15; p = .15), conversion rate (p = .11), EBL (p = .51), or length of hospital stay (p = .27). However, single-port LH was associated with an average of 13.13 minutes longer operative time than multiport LH (p = .02). Our findings show that single-port LH is a safe and effective technique for benign gynecologic conditions, although it may require a longer operative time than multiport LH. Further large, prospective RCTs with long-term follow-up are needed to determine whether single-port LH really offers such benefits as better cosmetic outcome over multiport LH.

Regional anesthesia for laparoscopic surgery: a narrative review

Laparoscopic surgery has advanced remarkably in recent years, resulting in reduced morbidity and shorter hospital stay compared with open surgery. Despite challenges from the expanding array of laparoscopic procedures performed with the use of pneumoperitoneum on increasingly sick patients, anesthesia has remained largely unchanged. At present, most laparoscopic operations are usually performed under general anesthesia, except for patients deemed "too sick" for general anesthesia. Recently, however, several large, retrospective studies questioned the widely held belief that general anesthesia is the best anesthetic method for laparoscopic surgery and suggested that regional anesthesia could also be a reasonable choice in certain settings. This narrative review is an attempt to critically summarize current evidence on regional anesthesia for laparoscopic surgery. Because most available data come from large, retrospective studies, large, rigorous, prospective clinical trials comparing regional vs. general anesthesia are needed to evaluate the true value of regional anesthesia in laparoscopic surgery.

Systematic review and metaanalysis of intraperitoneal instillation of local anesthetics for reduction of pain after gynecologic laparoscopy

We reviewed the effectiveness of intraperitoneal instillation of local anesthetic on pain after gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. Sources included the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, and Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations databases, and abstracts, reference lists, and randomized controlled trial (RCT) registries. The 7 included RCTs compared pain scores after administration of intraperitoneal analgesics or placebo/control during gynecologic laparoscopic surgery with benign indications. Outcome measures were pain scores (per visual analog scale) at 1 to 2, 4 to 6, and 24 hours postoperatively. Pain scores were significantly lower in the groups receiving local anesthesia at 1 to 2 hours (weighted mean difference [WMD], -1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.55 to -1.08]) and 4 to 6 hours postoperatively (WMD, -2.00; 95% CI, -3.64 to -0.35), but were similar at 24 hours (WMD, -1.43; 95% CI, -1.15 to 0.96). Local analgesia instilled intraperitoneally significantly decreased pain during a 6-hour interval after gynecologic laparoscopy.