Comparison Of Intraperitoneal Instillation Of Magnesium Sulphate and Bupivacaine Versus Intravenous Analgesia In Laparoscopic Surgeries In Pediatrics

Laparoscopic surgery is a modern surgical technique used for various surgeries such as cholecystectomy, appendectomy and hernia repair. There are a number of advantages of this technique including reduced pain and bleeding, shorter recovery time and hospital stay, and over all reduced healthcare costs. The type of pain after laparoscopic surgery differs considerably from that occurs after laparotomy. Usually patients experience diffuse pain in abdomen, back and shoulder. Acute pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy has three different components: incisional pain (somatic pain), visceral pain (deep intra-abdominal pain), and shoulder pain (presumably referred visceral pain) . Postoperative nausea and vomiting is a commonly observed phenomenon after laparoscopic procedures. Its incidence increases depending on the anesthetic techniques used. Pain intensity usually peaks during the first postoperative period and usually declines over the following 2-3 days. Pain can prolong hospital stay and lead to increased morbidity.

Inadequately treated pain may lead to splinting, loss of sighing and decrease in vital capacity, and these may contribute to postoperative pulmonary morbidity. Various multimodal approaches have, therefore, been tried to ameliorate postoperative pain. These include parenteral analgesics, local infiltration with local anesthetics, epidural and intrathecal opioids and local anesthetics, interpleural and intercostals nerve blocks as well as intraperitoneal routes that in turn has been explored with local anesthetics and opioids . In order to get an instant relief, polypharmacy is commonly practiced which can be potentially harmful to the patient and can lead to re-admission. It has been appreciated that multiple glutamate receptors are expressed on peripheral nerve terminals, and these may contribute to peripheral nociceptive sensation .

Administration of magnesium sulphate via different routes has been used in anaesthetic practice for decreasing perioperative pain. Parenteral magnesium sulphate has been used for many years as an antiarrhythmic agent and for seizure prophylaxis in eclampsia and preeclampsia. It is N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and suppresses these receptor induced inflammation and hyper responsiveness . The antinociceptive effect of magnesium sulphate is not only useful in chronic pain, but it also determines in part, the duration and intensity of postoperative pain . These effects are due to calcium antagonism and decrease influx of calcium into the cell and antagonism of NMDA receptor. As these receptors regulate neuronal signalling and are involved in pain processing, magnesium sulphate by blocking this receptor, decreases postoperative pain as well .