Assessment of The Addition of Epinephrine to Intra-articular Bupivacaine for the Control of Acute Pain in Patients underwent to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Objective To evaluate postoperative pain, using the visual analog scale (VAS), in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and receiving intra-articular anesthetic solutions. Methods The present is a randomized clinical trial with a sample of 48 patients divided into 4 groups: Group I (n = 12) - 20 mL of saline solution (control); Group II (n = 12) - 20 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine; Group III (n = 12) - 20 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine + 0.1 mg of epinephrine; and Group IV (n = 12) - 20 mL of saline solution + 0.1 mg of epinephrine. These solutions were injected into the knee at the end of the surgery. Pain was assessed using the VAS immediately and 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours after the procedure. Results The VAS scores were highly variable among the groups. A Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance (ANOVA), considering a level of significance of 5%, revealed that all intra-articular anesthetic solutions influenced the assessment of pain ( p = 0.003), and that Group-III subjects presented less postoperative pain. There was no evidence of a higher or lower use of supplemental analgesic agents, or of adverse effects resulting from these anesthetic solutions. Conclusion Bupivacaine combined with epinephrine was the most effective solution for pain control in patients undergoing ACLR, but with no statistically significant differences when compared to Group II ( p = 0.547). There was no decrease or increase in the use of supplemental analgesics or in the occurrence of adverse systemic effects ( p > 0.05).

Assessment of The Addition of Epinephrine to Intra-articular Bupivacaine for the Control of Acute Pain in Patients underwent to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction / Avaliação da adição da epinefrina à bupivacaína intra-articular no controle da dor aguda em pacientes submetidos a reconstrução do ligamento cruzado anterior

Abstract Objective To evaluate postoperative pain, using the visual analog scale (VAS), in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and receiving intra-articular anesthetic solutions. Methods The present is a randomized clinical trial with a sample of 48 patients divided into 4 groups: Group I (n » 12) - 20 mL of saline solution (control); Group II (n » 12) - 20 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine; Group III (n » 12) - 20 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine þ 0.1 mg of epinephrine; and Group IV (n » 12) - 20 mL of saline solution þ 0.1 mg of epinephrine. These solutions were injected into the knee at the end of the surgery. Pain was assessed using the VAS immediately and 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours after the procedure. Results The VAS scores were highly variable among the groups. A Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance (ANOVA), considering a level of significance of 5%, revealed that all intra-articular anesthetic solutions influenced the assessment of pain (p » 0.003), and that Group-III subjects presented less postoperative pain. There was no evidence of a higher or lower use of supplemental analgesic agents, or of adverse effects resulting from these anesthetic solutions. Conclusion Bupivacaine combined with epinephrine was the most effective solution for pain control in patients undergoing ACLR, but with no statistically significant differences when compared to Group II (p » 0.547). There was no decrease or increase in the use of supplemental analgesics or in the occurrence of adverse systemic effects (p > 0.05).

Resumo Objetivo Avaliar primariamente a dor pós-operatória, por meio da escala visual analógica (EVA), nos pacientes submetidos a reconstrução do ligamento cruzado anterior (RLCA) que receberam soluções anestésicas intra-articulares (IAs). Métodos Ensaio clínico randomizado com uma amostra de 48 pacientes, divididos em 4 grupos: Grupo I (n » 12) - 20 ml de solução fisiológica (controle); Grupo II (n » 12) - 20 ml de bupivacaína a 0,5%; Grupo III (n » 12) - 20 ml de bupivacaína a 0,5% þ 0,1 mg de epinefrina; e Grupo IV (n » 12) - 20 ml de solução fisiológica þ 0,1 mg de epinefrina, injetados no joelho ao término da cirurgia. A dor foi avaliada pela EVA imediatamente e 6, 12, 24 e 48 horas após o procedimento. Resultados Observou-se grande variabilidade nos resultados da EVA entre os pacientes avaliados em cada grupo. Verificou-se, pela análise de variância (analysis of variance, ANOVA) de Kruskal-Wallis, considerando um nível de 5% de significância, que as soluções anestésicas IAs de cada grupo influenciaram na avaliação da dor desses pacientes (p » 0,003), sendo os do Grupo III os que apresentaram menor dor pósoperatória. Não se evidenciou um maior ou menor consumo de drogas analgésicas suplementares, ou efeitos adversos das decorrentes das soluções empregadas. Conclusão A solução combinada de bupivacaína e epinefrina foi a mais eficaz no controle da dor nos pacientes submetidos a RLCA, mas sem diferenças estatisticamente significativas com relação ao grupo II (p » 0,547). Não se observou diminuição ou aumento no consumo de analgésicos suplementares, ou o aparecimento de efeitos sistêmicos adversos (p > 0,05).