Wound infiltration with local anaesthetics in ambulatory surgery

Wound infiltration analgesia using local anaesthetics has been used for several decades. Recently, newer techniques to prolong analgesia have developed, including the use of catheters and injection of local anaesthetics or other adjuvants, and local infiltration analgesia using large volumes of local anaesthetics injected into different tissue planes. The aim of this review is to present the current status of wound infiltration analgesia in management of postoperative pain and to highlight the risks of this technique in clinical practice.

Several studies have shown beneficial effects of local anaesthetics, with or without adjuvant drugs, in the management of postoperative pain. Specifically, the use of local anaesthetics injected via catheters to prolong analgesia reduces postoperative pain, albeit to a limited extent. The use of large volumes of local anaesthetics into tissue planes during surgery is also beneficial in pain management. Single doses of local anaesthetics provide pain relief, but the short duration of effect can be a limiting factor. There is a growing concern about some side-effects associated with the use of local anaesthetics, specifically toxicity when drugs are injected in large doses, chondrotoxicity when bupivacaine is injected intra-articularly in higher concentrations and over a period and finally, infection when using catheters that are retained in situ.

Used correctly and in adequate doses, wound infiltration analgesia can be used in a multimodal analgesic regime without major complications. It offers the benefit of providing analgesia at a low cost when used as a single injection.