The Use of Liposomal Bupivacaine for Pain Control After Shoulder Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Liposomal bupivacaine (LB) is a relatively novel anesthetic agent used in the management of postoperative pain in patients who have undergone shoulder surgery.

Purpose: To explore the literature on LB in the setting of shoulder surgery and assess its efficacy and utility in managing postoperative pain.

Study design: Systematic review and meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar (pp 1-20) were searched for articles published up to November 2023. Inclusion criteria consisted of randomized controlled trials comparing anesthetic modalities using LB with other anesthetic modalities using alternative drugs in patients who underwent shoulder surgery. Complications, pain levels in the first 24 hours postoperatively, and opioid consumption intraoperatively and in the first, second, and third 24 hours postoperatively were assessed.

Results: A total of 15 randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. In 4 studies comparing periarticular injections of LB (196 patients) with nerve blocks of other anesthetic agents (201 patients), there was no significant difference in pain levels (P = .74) and complication rates (P = .37); however, intraoperative opioid consumption was significantly greater in patients with periarticular injections of LB (P = .005). In 3 studies comparing single-injection LB nerve blocks (83 patients) with interscalene nerve block catheters (102 patients) and in 8 studies comparing single-injection LB nerve blocks (311 patients) with other nerve blocks (308 patients), single-injection LB nerve blocks demonstrated clinical superiority. Single-injection LB nerve blocks resulted in significantly lower pain levels and lower opioid consumption in the first, second, and third 24 hours postoperatively compared with other single-injection nerve blocks and both single-injection nerve blocks and interscalene catheters combined.

Conclusion: LB is a promising anesthetic component with efficacy in providing analgesia after shoulder surgery. Single-injection LB nerve blocks were found to be superior in reducing pain levels and opioid consumption compared with other anesthetic modalities.