The role of intravenous lidocaine infusion in enhanced recovery after laparoscopic renal surgeries: A randomized control trial

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has been applied in various laparoscopic procedures. Intravenous lidocaine (IVL) infusion is used for laparoscopic procedures as a part of ERAS protocols. The study aimed to evaluate the role of IVL infusion in enhanced bowel recovery after laparoscopic renal surgeries. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-control trial was conducted on 80 patients (with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–II) who presented for laparoscopic renal surgeries under general anesthesia. The study period was from Oct 2018 to Sept 2019. By computer-generated codes, patients were randomly divided into two groups: L (lidocaine) and C (control). Group L received an intravenous (IV) bolus (1.5 mg/kg) of 2% lidocaine over 2 min, followed by an IV lidocaine infusion at the rate of 1.5 mg/kg/h until skin closure. Group C received the same volume of bolus followed by normal saline infusion. Patients were monitored for bowel functions, total hospital stay, and total analgesic consumption. Student’s t-test and Chi-square test were used for quantitative data and occurrence of events, respectively. P <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. First bowel sound, flatus, and defecation occurred in 16.4 ± 2.50, 26.7 ± 9.02, and 39.1 ± 6.31 h, respectively, in group L and 18.2 ± 2.90, 32.3 ± 3.11, and 43.3 ± 4.22 h, respectively, in group C (P = 0.006, 0.001, and 0.01, respectively). Total hospital stay was 4.0 ± 0.74 and 5.3±0.0.91 days in groups L and C, respectively (P < 0.001). The present study concluded that IVL could enhance the bowel recovery and reduce total hospital stay after laparoscopic renal surgeries.