Local infusion of ropivacaine for pain control after osseous free flaps: Randomized controlled trial

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Local infusion of ropivacaine for pain control after osseous free flaps: Randomized controlled trial Via Head & Neck Abstract Background Donor site pain after osteocutaneous free flap surgery contributes to postoperative morbidity and impairs recovery. We evaluated the efficacy of local infusion of ropivacaine for treating donor‐site pain after surgery. Methods We conducted a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial of patients undergoing osteocutaneous fibula or scapular tip free flaps for head and neck reconstruction at Mount Sinai Hospital. Patients were randomized to receive local infusion of ropivacaine or saline. We compared Visual Analog Scale pain scores for donor‐site specific pain 48 hours after surgery. Results There were 8 fibular free flap and 10 scapular free flap reconstructions. Average donor‐site pain scores were 29 ± 22 and 31 ± 28 mm (P = .88) for placebo and ropivacaine arms, respectively. The trial was stopped after the planned interim analysis for futility of the intervention. Conclusions Local infusion of ropivacaine did not affect donor‐site specific pain scores in this population. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03349034. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.