Effects of intravenously infused lidocaine on analgesia and gastrointestinal function of patients receiving laparoscopic common bile duct exploration

Objective: to evaluate the effects of intravenously infused lidocaine on analgesia and gastrointestinal function of patients receiving laparoscopic common bile duct exploration. methods: seventy-eight patients with cholelithiasis were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group (n=39) that all had laparoscopic common bile duct exploration. the treatment group was intravenously infused with 1.5 mg/kg lidocaine by using a venous pump under anesthesia induction at the speed of 2 mg•kg-1•h-1 until the end of surgery, while the control group was given normal saline with the same volume. results: all patients successfully completed the surgery, with similar surgical time, incision length and intraoperative blood loss. the required lidocaine concentrations of the treatment group were 2.64±1.23 μg/ ml, 1.14±0.4 μg/ml and 0.93±0.32 μg/ml respectively 2 hour, 12 hour and 48 hour after surgery. pain score of the treatment group, which was significantly lower than that of the control group at the postoperative 2 hour (p<0.05), was similar to those of the control group at the postoperative 12 hour and 48 hour. with extended time, the pain score significantly decreased (p<0.05). the treatment group had significantly shorter first anal exhaust time and first defecation time than those of the control group (p<0.05). adverse reactions, such as nausea and vomiting, dizziness, headache, subcutaneous emphysema and fat liquefaction of incision, occurred similarly in the two groups, which were alleviated by symptomatic treatment. conclusion: laparoscopic common bile duct exploration is a promising minimally invasive surgery for patients with cholelithiasis, during which intravenously infused lidocaine can rapidly recover the gastrointestinal function and exert short-term analgesic effects, with mild adverse reactions also.