Local Wound Infiltration with Ropivacaine for Postoperative Pain Control in Caesarean Section

Background The rate of the caesarean section has been on a progressive rise ever since its association with improved fetal prognosis was established. This study was conducted to assess the effect of local wound infiltration with ropivacaine on the postoperative analgesia requirement and pain scores in caesarean section patients. Methods This was a prospective single-blinded randomized control trial conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, KRL Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan over a duration of six months from January 2018 to June 2018. All the women aged 19 to 40 years, who underwent elective caesarean sections under spinal anesthesia, with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score II, were included in the study and randomized into two groups. The primary outcome studied was the efficacy of ropivacaine in controlling postoperative wound pain compared to no local analgesic. Pain severity was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) which was explained to the patient beforehand and which comprised a range of score from zero (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Initially, paracetamol 1 g intravenous (IV) was given every six hours, over 24 hours. If pain did not settle on this, ketoprofen 3 mg/kg IV was given every eight hours, and in case of further analgesic demand by the patient, nalbuphine 10 mg was given IV, if necessary. The data was collected on a specific questionnaire and analyzed on the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) version 23.0. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results A total of 100 patients were randomized into two groups. Pain scores were significantly reduced in the ropivacaine group at four, six, and 12 hours after surgery. The percentage of patients who requested the multiple doses of IV paracetamol, ketoprofen, and nalbuphine, was significantly lowered in the ropivacaine group as compared to the placebo group (p<0.001). Conclusions Local infiltration with ropivacaine during caesarean section significantly reduces the postoperative analgesic requirement and visual analog scores, reducing the incidence of side effects.