RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evolution of postoperative pain and convalescence in a group of patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under a multimodal anesthesia-analgesia treatment protocol. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Eighty-four consecutive patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were given intramuscular ketoprofen during induction, anesthesia, with minimal use of opioids, and intraperitoneal irrigation with bupivacaine. We assessed the rate of conversion to hospitalization, hospital stay in hours, duration of the pain-free interval, oral analgesics per day at home, and intensity of postoperative pain and physical activity daily on a visual analog scale. RESULTS: The procedures were carried out on an outpatient basis in 90.5% of the cases, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 7.2 +/- 0.9 hours. Eight patients required an overnight stay. No postoperative analgesics were required by 27.3% of the patients. Patients requiring analgesics had pain-free intervals lasting 17.3 +/- 11.8 hours after discharge. On the third day after surgery 80% had used no analgesics and over 75% had no pain or only minor pain. On the fourth postoperative day 50% were able to perform activities of daily living without help, and 50% returned to work on the eleventh day after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The multimodal analgesia-anesthesia treatment proposed allows a high percentage of laparoscopic cholecystectomies to be performed on an outpatients basis. The protocol provides good control of postoperative pain and nausea and rapid return to habitual activity.