Bupivacaine Use After Posterior Colporrhaphy to Reduce Postoperative Pain: A Multicenter, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine if injection of bupivacaine into levator muscles after posterior colporrhaphy reduces postoperative pain.Methods: This study was a multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of 130 participants, comparing bilateral infiltration of puborectalis and iliococcygeus muscles with 0.5% bupivacaine without epinephrine or normal saline after vaginal prolapse repair that included a posterior colporrhaphy. Primary outcome was the 24-hour cumulative Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score (measured as a sum of VAS pain scores at postoperative hours 0, 4, 8, 16, and 24) across intervention allocations. Secondary outcomes include the individual VAS pain scores per postoperative times 0, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours and at 1 and 2 weeks, morphine equivalent use, postoperative void trial success, and time to first bowel movement.Results: Sixty-eight participants received bupivacaine, and 62 participants received normal saline. No significant differences were identified in the 24-hour postoperative cumulative VAS pain scores for the bupivacaine and normal saline arms, 19 and 18 (P = 0.71); individual pain scores per each postoperative assessment time; opiate use (24-hour use was 42 vs 48, P = 0.39; 48-hour use was 75 vs 37, P = 0.09); length of hospital stay (26 hours vs 22 hours, P = 0.069); hours to passing void trial (10 hours vs 12 hours, P = 0.17); or hours to first postoperative bowel movement (18 hours vs 12 hours, P = 0.78).Conclusions: Use of bupivacaine for muscle block after posterior colporrhaphy does not reduce postoperative pain, opiate use, and time to first bowel movement, or increase void trial success.