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CompletedNCT01972620LapCholeUpdated Oct 30, 2013

RCT: Multi-modal Analgesia for Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

An interventional study of Bupivacaine in Gallstones, Cholelithiasis and Pain, sponsored by Klinicki Centar Vojvodine. Completed at 1 site in Serbia. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2013-10-30.

Sponsored by Klinicki Centar Vojvodine · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
63
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

Analgesic efficacy of multi-modal analgesia is superior to standard analgesia for patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis. Topical cystic plate and port-site incision 0.25% bupivacaine significantly reduces pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Read the detailed description

Background: Peri-portal nerve stimulation has recently been suggested as a mechanism for pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LapChole). We therefore conducted a PRCT to evaluate whether somatovisceral pain blockade reduces pain after LapChole.

Hypothesis:Analgesic efficacy of multi-modal analgesia is superior to standard analgesia for patients undergoing elective LapChole for symptomatic cholelithiasis. Specifically, topical cystic plate and port-site infiltrationwith0.25% bupivacaine significantly reduces pain after LapChole.

Design: Single-blinded PRCT Setting: Academic medical centers Patients and Methods: Between February and May 2010 we randomly assigned 63 patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis in a 1:1 ratio to institutional standard non-opioid/opioid analgesic combinations (n=32), and institutional standard analgesia plus topical 0.25%bupivacaine spray onto the cystic plate and local 0.25% bupivacaine port-site injection,post-LapChole (n=31). Primary endpoint was patient-reported pain 1, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours, and 1 week post-LapCholeusing the Visual Acuity Score (VAS, 0-10).

Results: Study groups were comparable clinicopathologically. There were no study-procedure-associated adverse events. A statistically significant reduction in mean pain score was apparent in patients receiving multi-modal analgesia at all early (1-6 hours) post-operative time points and at one week following LapChole(p\<0.05).

Conclusion: This PRCT shows significantly improved pain reduction with somatovisceral pain blockade than institutional standard analgesic combinations following LapChole for symptomatic cholelithiasis. For centers not utilizing adjunctive local anesthetic for this operation, this multi-modal analgesic approach can improve patient comfort during recovery.This approach serves as the basis for a planned 4-arm PRCT designed to provide further insights into the role of local anesthetics in multi-modal operative site analgesia.

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Conditions studied

  • Gallstones
  • Cholelithiasis
  • Pain

Keywords

  • gallstones
  • cholelithiasis
  • cholecystectomy, laparoscopic
  • pain
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In context

Gallstones

346 studies on the registry are indexed under Gallstones; 46 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 63 is below the median of 99 across 232 interventional studies indexed under Gallstones.

Browse Gallstones studies →

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Klinicki Centar Vojvodine as lead sponsor.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • symptomatic cholelithiasis undergo elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy
  • non - pregnant women
  • 18 years or older

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • undergoing urgent cholecystectomy
  • patients operated on for indications other than symptomatic cholelithiasisT
  • those having conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy
  • those that withdrew from the study for any reason before the end of the required 7-day follow up (including those that died during that period)
  • those with incomplete data.
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
63 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Multi-modal analgesia

    Thirty-one patients were enrolled in this arm. Standard analgesia according to institutional standard and 50:50 mixture of normal saline (8 ml) and 0.5% Bupivacaine was prepared within a 20 ml syringe (Total volume = 16 ml; Final concentration = 0.25%). Following delivery of the gallbladder specimen 8 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine solution was sprayed onto the cystic plate (gallbladder fossa) with a spinal needle advanced under direct laparoscopic vision via a 5mm right subcostal laparoscopic port. The anesthetic solution was sprayed at an operating distance from the cystic plate of \~ 2 cm. Following evacuation of the pneumoperitoneum, the remaining 8 ml of 0.25% Bupivacaine was infiltrated subcutaneously at each of the 4 laparoscopic port sites (2 ml per port site) prior sutured closure.

    Drug: Bupivacaine

  • No intervention
    Control

    Thirty-two patients were enrolled in this arm. They received standard analgesia according to institutional standard of practice consisted of non-narcotic analgesia with narcotic analgesic rescue after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Interventions

  • DrugBupivacaine

    A 50:50 mixture of normal saline (8 ml) and 0.5% Bupivacaine was prepared within a 20 ml syringe (Total volume 16 ml; Final concentration = 0.25%). Following delivery of the gallbladder specimen in the Multi-modal analgesia group, 8 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine solution was sprayed onto the cystic plate (gallbladder fossa) with a spinal needle advanced under direct laparoscopic vision via a 5mm right subcostal laparoscopic port. The anesthetic solution was sprayed at an operating distance from the cystic plate of \~ 2 cm. Following evacuation of the pneumoperitoneum, again within the Multi-modal analgesia group, the remaining 8 ml of 0.25% Bupivacaine was infiltrated subcutaneously at each of the four laparoscopic port sites (2 ml per port site) prior to standard sutured closure of each incision

    Also known as: Marcaine, Bupivacaine HCL

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Visual Scale Pain VAS

    The primary endpoint was patient-reported pain 1, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours, and 7 days following laparoscopic cholecystectomy using the Visual Acuity Score (VAS, 0-10).

    Time frame: from 0 to 7 postoperative days

Secondary outcomes

  1. nausea

    Surgical outcome data recorded prospectively also included severity of post-operative nausea (measured VAS, 0 none and 10 worst state) on one and six hours post-operatively.

    Time frame: from 0 to 6 hours post-operatively

Other outcomes

  1. mobility

    Surgical outcome data recorded prospectively also included hospital stay (days), impairment of mobility \[measured with VAS, 0 is worst and 10 optimal mobility (pre-operative baseline)\] one and seven days post-operatively,

    Time frame: from 0 to 7 postoperative days

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Study locations

1 site
  • Klinicki Centar Vojvodine
    Novi Sad, Vojvodina 21000, Serbia
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References and documents

Publications

  • Verma GR, Lyngdoh TS, Kaman L, Bala I. Placement of 0.5% bupivacaine-soaked Surgicel in the gallbladder bed is effective for pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Surg Endosc. 2006 Oct;20(10):1560-4. doi: 10.1007/s00464-005-0284-5. Epub 2006 Aug 1. PubMed 16897291 ↗
  • Boddy AP, Mehta S, Rhodes M. The effect of intraperitoneal local anesthesia in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Anesth Analg. 2006 Sep;103(3):682-8. doi: 10.1213/01.ane.0000226268.06279.5a. PubMed 16931681 ↗
  • Mitra S, Khandelwal P, Roberts K, Kumar S, Vadivelu N. Pain relief in laparoscopic cholecystectomy--a review of the current options. Pain Pract. 2012 Jul;12(6):485-96. doi: 10.1111/j.1533-2500.2011.00513.x. Epub 2011 Oct 19. PubMed 22008277 ↗
  • Gupta A. Local anaesthesia for pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy--a systematic review. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2005 Jun;19(2):275-92. doi: 10.1016/j.bpa.2004.12.007. PubMed 15966498 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 30, 2013, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01972620
Lead sponsor
Klinicki Centar Vojvodine
Responsible party
Radovan Veljkovic, M.D., Ph.D. (MD, PhD, ass. prof, Klinicki Centar Vojvodine) — Principal investigator
First posted
Oct 30, 2013
Start date
Feb 2010
Primary completion
Jun 2010
Completion
Jun 2010
Last update
Oct 30, 2013

Study contacts

Radovan Veljkovic, MD, PhD
principal investigator · Clinical Centre of Vojvodina

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

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