Analgesics effect of intra-articular bupivacaine injection on pain score in anterior cruciate ligament surgery: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of injection timing and drainage clamps on patient pain scores in intra-articular local anesthetic applications after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Method: Forty patients undergoing arthroscopic ACL reconstruction were randomly allocated to one of the four study groups according to the time of the intraarticular bupivacaine (20 ml) injection and the presence of the drainage clamps as follows: Preoperative injection group (PO) received bupivacaine injection 20 minutes prior to the operation, Drain Open group (DO) received bupivacaine injection following the operation while the hemovac drain was open, Drain closed group (DC) received bupivacaine injection following the operation while the hemovac drain was closed, and the control group in which the subjects did not receive any intraarticular injections. Results: The VAS score for postoperative joint pain was lowest in PO group among all groups at the postoperative 2nd hour. At the 4th and the 6th postoperative hours the VAS score for postoperative joint pain was similar in the PO and DC groups and was lower than that of the DO group and the controls. However, the VAS score at the postoperative 12th hour was lower in DO and DC groups that the PO group and the controls. Conclusion: The VAS score for postoperative joint pain changes with respect to the timing of the injection and the presence or absence of drainage

Keywords

• intra-articular,bupivacaine,postoperative pain scores

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