[Postoperative analgesia using epidural administration of bupivacaine plus lidocaine]. / Analgesia postoperatoria con administración epidural de bupivacaína + lidocaína.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the postoperative analgesia of bupivacaine + lidocaine versus lidocaine in lower abdominal surgery. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. METHODS: Thirty patients, scheduled for lower abdominal surgery and epidural anesthesia (EA) were randomly assigned to receive EA with 30 mg of bupivacaine plus 240 mg of lidocaine (group A) or 300 mg of lidocaine (group B). A lumbar epidural catheter in L1-L2 or L2-L3 was inserted, and a bolus with total dose was given. The periods of latency and postoperative analgesia, the hemodynamic variable and the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative data were recorded. RESULTS: Fifteen patients per group were included. There were no differences intergroup in age, height, weight, hemodynamic variables and surgical data. The period of latency was similar in the groups but postoperative analgesia was longer in group A and the postoperative pain scores were higher in group B in the first 120 minutes after surgery. There were no serious complications. In newborns of cesarean section, the Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes after delivery were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The mixture of bupivacaine + lidocaine proved be an effective alternative for epidural use in lower abdominal surgery.