The postoperative analgesic effects of intra-articular levobupivacaine in elective day-case arthroscopy of the knee: a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical study

Purpose: Pain and emesis are the two major complaints after day surgery. Local anesthesia has become an important part of optimizing perioperative pain treatment. The aim of the present study was to study two different concentrations of levobupivacaine’s effect on postoperative pain following elective arthroscopy of the knee with lidocaine 10 mg/ml with adrenaline as active control. Type of study: Prospective, randomized double-blind study with lidocaine as active control but without placebo. Methods: One hundred and twenty patients were studied comparing levobupivacaine 2.5 mg/ml, levobupivacaine 5 mg/ml, and lidocaine 10 mg/ml with adrenaline given intra-articularly at the end of day-case operative elective arthroscopy of the knee done in light general anesthesia. Primary study endpoint was the need for any analgesics during the first 24 postoperative hours. Results: Levobupivacaine 5 mg/ml was associated with a reduced need for any analgesia during the entire 24-h study period (p = 0.013) as compared to both 2.5 mg/ml levobupivacaine and lidocaine with adrenaline. Levobupivacine 2.5 mg/ml was inferior to lidocaine with regard to pain relief with an increase in need for oral analgesia already during stay in the recovery unit (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Levobupivacaine 5 mg/ml was found to be an effective local anesthetic in day-case operative arthroscopy of the knee providing superior postoperative analgesia as compared to lidocaine with adrenaline or a lower concentration of levobupivacaine. Level of evidence: Level I: Prospective, randomized double-blind study without placebo.