Continuous Infusion of Local Anesthetic for Post-operative Pain Control in Ukraine

Ukraine is a newly sovereign country in Eastern Europe with a large burn population. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, burn programs have become decentralized and resources for maintaining facilities have dwindled. Patients frequently present with debilitating burn injuries and often do not receive necessary treatment secondary to limited resources and cost of treatment.

The investigators have established an annual medical mission, outreach clinic and telemedicine relationship with hospitals and burn centers in Ukraine in an effort to improve burn care. One focus is post-operative pain control. The investigators have noticed a pattern of anxiety with children from the Ukraine surrounding dressing changes which they believe this is secondary to inadequate pain control in the immediate post-operative period including the initial dressing changes.

The goal is to provide wound catheters with a continuous infusion of procaine in an attempt to reduce the pain experienced in the early post-operative period and specifically with dressing changes.

There will be 200 participants, 12-65 years old who are receiving reconstructive plastic procedure with split-thickness skin grafts from lateral thigh in the study. 100 will receive the standard pain management Analgin/Metamizole 1 g IM; Ketorolac 3%- 30 mg IM regimen and 100 will receive wound catheters with continuous procaine infusion for 48 hours with the standard Analgin/Metamizole 1 g IM; Ketorolac 3%- 30 mg IM available for breakthrough pain. Pain scores will be assessed prior to dressing change, during dressing changes and at 30 minutes and 1 hour after dressing change.