Postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomized clinical trial comparing intraperitoneal bupivacaine versus intravenous pethidine.

Pain is the most common complaint of patients on the first day after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). This clinical trial compared the effects of intraperitoneal (IP) bupivacaine and intravenous (IV) pethidine on this pain. Forty-eight patients who underwent LC were randomly assigned to 2 groups of IP bupivacaine and IV pethidine. Postoperative pain, oral analgesic consumption, peak expiratory flow rate, and presence of nausea or vomiting was recorded at baseline and 4, 8, and 24 hours after surgery. Patients who received IP bupivacaine showed a significantly lower pain score (P = 0.022) and improved peak expiratory flow rate (P = 0.006), and received lower doses of ibuprofen (P = 0.003) within the first 24 hours after surgery. Likewise, the presence of nausea/vomiting was significantly lower in bupivacaine groups 1 and 4 hours after surgery (P = 0.003 and 0.005, respectively). Our results indicate that IP instillation of bupivacaine is more beneficial than traditional IV pethidine for pain reduction after LC.