Effective analgesia after bilateral tubal ligation

Postpartum bilateral tubal ligation is a brief surgical procedure with minimal tissue injury, yet postoperative recovery times and analgesia requirements are often disproportionately large. To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of local anesthetic infiltration, 20 parturients scheduled for elective minilaparotomy and bilateral tubal ligation with either spinal or epidural anesthesia participated in this prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. All patients received IV metoclopramide 10 mg and ketorolac 60 mg intraoperatively, as well as preincisional infiltration of the infraumbilical skin incision with 0.5% bupivacaine. Infiltration of bilateral uterine tubes and mesosalpinx was performed with either 0.5% bupivacaine (n = 10) or isotonic sodium chloride solution (saline) (n = 10). IV meperidine (25 mg every 3 min as needed) was given to treat pain in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). The total amount of meperidine administered in the PACU was significantly larger in the saline group than in the bupivacaine group. Pain scores at 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 min postoperatively and on the seventh postoperative day were significantly lower in the bupivacaine group than in the saline group. During tubal ligation, infiltration of uterine tubes and mesosalpinx with 0.5% bupivacaine significantly enhanced analgesia both in the immediate postoperative setting and on the seventh postoperative day compared with infiltration with sodium chloride.

During bilateral tubal ligation with either spinal or epidural anesthesia, preemptive analgesia using IV ketorolac, IV metoclopramide, and infiltration of the incised skin and uterine tubes with 0.5% bupivacaine allowed 9 of 10 patients to recover with no pain, nausea, vomiting, or cramping and to maintain good analgesia for 7 days postoperatively.