Liposomal Bupivacaine Use During Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery Decreases Postoperative Narcotic Usage

Postoperative pain control in adolescent patients following posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) requires a multimodal pain regimen involving a combination of opioids and adjuvant analgesic medications. The purpose of this study was to identify whether the use of the local anesthetic liposomal bupivacaine (LB) at time of closure following PSF reduced postoperative narcotic use in patients when compared with an alternative local anesthetic. Twenty-five patients who received LB at time of wound closure were matched with 25 AIS patients from the year prior to minimize changes in protocol and instrumentation. Charts were retrospectively reviewed, and significant difference was found in age, gender, body mass index, length of stay, visual analog scores for pain, or number of levels fused. However, the LB group had significantly less morphine equivalent totals. Based on the results, the authors would recommend the use of LB during closure of PSF for AIS. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 33(4):219-221, 2024).