Intravenous Lidocaine and Postoperative Pain Management

Postoperative pain and ileus are primary reasons for delayed patient recovery and longer hospital stays after abdominal surgery. Opioids have been widely used to treat pain in this patient population. However, opioid administration can exacerbate postoperative ileus and further delay patient recovery. Multimodal approaches and adjunctive therapies are therefore recommended for pain control after abdominal surgery to reduce opioid consumption and opioid-related adverse effects. Studies have reported that systemically administered lidocaine has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hyperalgesic effects. Several clinical trials have been published that evaluated systemically administered lidocaine for postoperative pain management and recovery after surgery. However, the evidence for beneficial effects of systemic lidocaine for postoperative recovery remains controversial. Therefore, the investigators performed this study to evaluate the efficacy of systemic administration of lidocaine for postoperative analgesia and gastrointestinal recovery after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The investigators primary hypothesis is that systemic lidocaine administration reduces pain intensity following surgery.