Wound infiltration with local anaesthetic after abdominal hysterectomy

The study was performed to investigate if wound infiltration with 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine after abdominal hysterectomy improved analgesia and reduced morphine requirements from a patient-controlled analgesia system during the first 6 h after operation. Forty patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy were allocated randomly to one of two groups. The study was performed in a double-blind controlled manner. Morphine requirements in the first 6 h after operation were similar in both the control (30.3 mg) and bupivacaine (29.0 mg) groups. Cumulative hourly morphine requirements did not differ significantly between the two groups. Pain scores assessed by visual analogue were similar in both groups.