Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Comparison of Local Anesthetic Infusion Pump Versus DepoFoam Bupivacaine For Pain Management After Unilateral Deep Inferior Epigastic Perforator Free Flap Reconstruction

Critical to patient recovery, and can contribute to faster patient mobilization, shorter hospital stays and reduced health care costs. The administration of local anesthetics via wound infiltration is standard of care and an effective practice for post surgical pain management, However this method only provides relatively brief analgesia, usually lasting only 12 hours. Other FDA approved delivery systems using an indwelling fusion pump catheter (On-Q pump) are currently being used in our practice and may be used to extend the duration of action of locally administered analgesia by continuously infusing anesthetic into the wound. Alternatively, a depot form of bupivacaine has been FDA approved and currently used to deliver a single dose administered via wound infiltration for prolonged analgesia by allowing for the diffusion of the drug over an extended period of time. Both of these products are used as a standard practice during DIEP free flap reconstructions. However, no studies compare the efficacy of these two methods patients undergong unilateral DIEP flap reconstructions has been done in a prospective, randomized control manner.