Intraperitoneal bupivacaine plus fentanyl after laparoscopic pyeloplasty

Objective Laparoscopic surgery has decreased the severity of postoperative pain. However, patients often experience abdominal and shoulder pain, requiring significant amounts of opioids and potentially prolonging their hospitalization. This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of intraperitoneal bupivacaine plus fentanyl in reducing postoperative pain without incidence of postoperative complications in patients undergoing laparoscopic pyeloplasty. Patients and methods After hospital ethics committee approval and obtaining written informed consent, 50 consecutive patients undergoing unilateral laparoscopic pyeloplasty were enrolled in this prospective randomized trial. Patients were randomly divided into two groups using the sealed envelope technique: the BF group (25 patients) received induction with 30 ml of bupivacaine (0.25%) plus fentanyl (20 μg) intraperitoneally just before trocar removal, and the saline group (25 patients) received induction with saline (30 ml). Pain scores, time to first analgesic requirement, postoperative opioid requirements, and occurrence of adverse effects were all recorded. Results There was a significant reduction in 24 h of postoperative opioid utilization and visual analog scale scores in the BF group compared with the saline group at all time points. The time to first opioid consumption was significantly longer in the BF group compared with the saline group. The incidence of complications was not significantly different between the study groups. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly lower in the BF group compared with the saline group. Conclusion The administration of intraperitoneal bupivacaine plus fentanyl just before trocar removal appears to be a simple, effective, and low-cost method to reduce postoperative pain in adults undergoing laparoscopic pyeloplasty.