Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
Single-Port Robotic-assisted Transaxillary Breast-conserving Surgery: A Prospective, Single-arm, Non-randomized Phase IIa Clinical Trial
Published on: August 19, 2025
Randomized clinical trial of ropivacaine wound infusion following laparoscopic colorectal surgery
S E Moore1, K C Reid, B D Draganic
1John Hunter Hospital, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Background:
Wound infusions with local anaesthesia have been used with varying success following laparotomy for colonic resections. This trial sought to determine the efficacy of ropivacaine wound infusion following laparoscopic colonic surgery.
Methods:
Forty-eight consecutive patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colorectal resection were randomized to receive either a local anaesthetic wound infusion (ropivacaine 0.5%) or normal saline for a period of 72 h. The primary endpoint was postoperative pain as assessed by analgesic consumption, while secondary endpoints assessed were visual analogue pain scores, respiratory function, gastrointestinal function, length of stay and postoperative complications.
Results:
There was no difference in mean postoperative analgesic consumption between the two groups over 72 h (143 mEq morphine control vs 94 mEq intervention; p = 0.108). Likewise, there was no difference in daily postoperative analgesic consumption or visual analogue pain scores between the two groups. Patients in the ropivacaine group experienced less reduction in their postoperative forced expiratory volume at 1 s on day 1 (mean difference FEV1 0.4 l; p = 0.015). There was no difference between the two groups with respect to return of gut function and postoperative complications.
Conclusions:
In this study, local anaesthetic wound infusion with ropivacaine following elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery improves early respiratory function, but does not appear to provide an improvement in postoperative analgesia or other clinically relevant postoperative outcomes.
