Bupivacaine Liposomal Injection (Exparel) for Postsurgical Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial

Introduction

Despite the increasing use of patient-controlled anesthesia (PCA) for postoperative pain management, efforts are continuing to find effective methods to relieve pain after abdominal surgery. Some studies have already suggested that infusion with local anesthetics at the wound site can decrease postoperative pain levels. Further, other studies have shown equal amounts of opiate analgesic requirements (administered on patient demand) with placebo and local anesthetic administration. However, varying anesthetic administration techniques used in the different studies may explain why the controversy in the literature exists.

Although opioid is an effective analgesic it has opioid related adverse events (ORAEs). Bupivacaine should reduce postoperative pain but it has relatively shorter duration of action. Liposome bupivacaine (Exparel) has been approved as a single dose infiltration for longer postoperative period analgesic. It provides up to 72 hours analgesia postoperatively; results in lesser opioids usage and reduce the ORAEs.

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a relatively new regional anesthetic technique that targets blockage of the neural afferent of the lower intercostal, iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal nerves in the neurovascular plane between the internal oblique and the transversus abdominis muscle. TAP blocks have been performed to reduce opioid use and control pain in several laparoscopic surgical procedures, including colorectal resections, cholecystectomy and bariatric surgery.

Efficacy of wound infiltration with or without TAP block using immediate-release bupivacaine HCl for acute postsurgical pain is well established; EXPAREL has been proposed as a method for postoperative pain management. Moreover, the administration and the optimal dosage in the bariatric surgical population have not been studied.