A better postoperative quality of recovery (QoR) was reported in women who received perioperative systemic lidocaine compared to the control group who received perioperative saline infusion, according to the findings of a randomized controlled trial. Investigators aimed to assess the impact of lidocaine infusion on QoR and postoperative pain.

Overall, 50 women (18-55 years of age) scheduled to undergo ambulatory gynecological surgery were recruited and randomly segregated to group L and group NS. The participants in group L were administered 1.5 mg/kg lidocaine intravenously at the initiation of anesthesia. This was followed by a subsequent infusion of 2 mg/kg/hour until surgery completion.

The participants were given normal saline infusion in group NS. Evaluation of  analgesic consumption over 24 hours, Post Anaesthetic Discharge Scoring System (PADSS) score in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU), nausea/vomiting, pain score in PACU and at 24 hours, and the Global Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) score at 24 hours was done and analyzed. Utilizing Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 software,  data assessment was done.

Similar demographic data was witnessed in both groups. The mean Global QoR-40  in group L vs. group NS is depicted in Table 1:

Compared to group NS, the mean time to obtain PADSS ≥9 was 50 min less in group L. There was a substantial decrease in vomiting, nausea, and anti-emetic need in group L contrasted to group NS. This was similar to the reduction in mean pain score over 24 hours and the total analgesic consumption beyond the first 24 hours post-surgery.

Hence, intraoperative use of intravenous lidocaine is safe, cheap and associated with improvement in QoR after gynecological laparoscopic surgery.  It may prove to be a highly efficacious strategy to enhance QoR and analgesia following ambulatory surgery.