Despite the minimally invasive nature of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), moderate-to-severe postoperative pain remains frequent and impairs recovery. Intravenous lidocaine possesses multimodal analgesic, antihyperalgesic and anti-inflammatory properties that may improve pain control and functional outcomes, but robust evidence in thoracic surgery is lacking. Moreover, its potential to attenuate neuropathic pain, a key component of chronic post-thoracic pain syndromes, has not been adequately investigated. This trial will determine whether continuous perioperative intravenous lidocaine infusion improves recovery, reduces acute pain intensity and prevents the development of neuropathic pain after VATS. This single-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will enrol 84 adult patients undergoing elective VATS. Participants will be randomised (1:1) to receive either intravenous lidocaine (bolus 1 mg/kg at induction followed by continuous infusion at 1.5 mg/kg/hour intraoperatively and postoperatively for 24 hours) or matched normal saline postoperatively, with identical intraoperative management in both groups. The primary outcome is the incidence of moderate-to-severe movement-evoked pain at 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes include pain at 48 and 72 hours, opioid consumption, pulmonary complications, sleep quality, quality of recovery, neurocognitive outcomes and chronic neuropathic pain at 3 months. Analyses will follow the intention-to-treat principle. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Tongji Hospital (Reference No. TJ-IRB202509102) and registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2500111163). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Results will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and academic conferences. ChiCTR2500111163.
To investigate the effect of intravenous lidocaine on postoperative fatigue syndrome (POFS) in laparoscopic radical colorectal cancer surgery patients, a randomized controlled trial enrolled 86 patients aged over 18 with preoperative Christensen score ≤ 4 at Xuzhou Central Hospital from September 2023 to June 2024. The lidocaine group (group L) received an intravenous infusion of 1.5 mg·kg of lidocaine for 15 min, 30 min prior to anesthetic induction, followed by sustained infusion at 1.5 mg·kg·h until surgical closure. The control group (group C) received an equal volume of normal saline in the same manner. Compared with the group C, the time-weighted average (TWA) of Christensen score in the group L decreased by 0.42 (95% CI, 0.12 ~ 0.73, P < 0.05). Compared with the group C, the VAS at 1,3 and 5 days after surgery in the group L were lower (P < 0.05), the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α immediately after surgery and 24 h after surgery were lower (P < 0.05), and the time to first flatus and defecation was shorter (P < 0.05). No significant differences between the two groups in extubation time, PACU stay duration, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), or length of postoperative hospital stay (P > 0.05). Results indicate that intravenous lidocaine effectively improved POFS in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer, which might be achieved by inhibiting the postoperative inflammatory response and reducing postoperative pain.
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common neurologic complication that occurs after surgery, which prolongs the hospital stay of patients to a certain extent, increases the occurrence of complications, and even leads to the patient's death. Intravenous lidocaine can reduce perioperative inflammatory response in patients undergoing surgery, but its effect on postoperative cognitive function has not been systematically evaluated. Notably, prior findings regarding the impact of intravenous lidocaine on postoperative cognitive function have been variable. Therefore, on this basis, this study explored the effects of intravenous lidocaine on postoperative cognitive function of patients undergoing general anesthesia through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, Wanfang Medical Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, and China Academic Journals Full-Text Database were searched from inception to February 2024 for relevant studies that investigated effect of intravenous lidocaine on POCD in patients undergoing general anesthesia surgery. Key data obtained from the referenced literature included the prevalence of POCD, scores from the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and perioperative serum concentrations of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and central nervous specific protein (S-100β) protein, serving as biomarkers for central nervous system specificity. Meta-analysis of data was performed using RevMan5.3 software. The software Trial Sequential Analysis (version 0.9) (TSA) was used to analyze high-quality literature focusing on POCD outcome indicators to explore the reliability of the results of meta-analysis. Twenty-five studies were included for quality evaluation and data analysis. The studies compared the effect of intravenous lidocaine on the incidence of POCD in patients undergoing surgery at different time points. Subgroup analysis was used to investigate the incidence of POCD at different time points. The results showed that intravenous lidocaine significantly reduced the incidence of POCD at 1, 3, 7, 9 days and 1 year after surgery compared with the control group (on the first day postoperatively: odds ratio (OR) = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.32-0.69, P < 0.001; postoperative day 3: OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.25-0.72, P = 0.002; postoperative day 7: OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.21-0.55, P < 0.001; postoperative day 9: OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.17-0.61, P < 0.001; 1 year postoperatively: OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.28-0.54, P < 0.001). The incidence of POCD in patients undergoing general anesthesia at postoperative day 1 with lidocaine was analyzed sequentially. The results showed that with the increase of the included sample size, the Z-curve still did not exceed the TSA boundary and did not reach the required information size. Fourteen studies compared MMSE scores before, 1, 2, 3, and 7 days after surgery between the 2 groups. The results showed that the MMSE score of lidocaine group was significantly higher than that of control group on the first and third postoperative day, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the serum concentrations of neuron-specific enolase and central nervous specific protein in the lidocaine group significantly decreased postoperatively and on the first and third day postoperatively. Perioperative intravenous lidocaine may improve postoperative cognitive function and reduce the incidence of POCD. However, limited to the current situation of low quality and small sample size, TSA analysis suggests the need for larger high-quality sample to confirm the accuracy of our findings. This is a systematic review, equivalent to a review, and does not require clinical trial registration. We have registered on PROSPERO. CRD42023493992.
The study aimed to explore the impact of transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) combined with intravenous lidocaine on rapid recovery after bariatric surgery. A total of 80 patients who underwent elective bariatric surgery from October 2022 to October 2023 were selected as study participants and divided into a control group (CG) and a study group (SG). The CG received ultrasound-guided TAPB with ropivacaine, while the SG received ultrasound-guided TAPB with ropivacaine plus intravenous lidocaine. The two groups were compared in terms of total doses of propofol, remifentanil, and sufentanil used; pain intensity; intraoperative conditions; levels of inflammatory factors; additional use of postoperative analgesics; incidence of adverse reactions; and postoperative recovery time. Compared to the CG, the SG showed significant reductions in the total intraoperative doses of propofol, remifentanil, and sufentanil ( < 0.05). In addition, the SG had lower visual analog scale (VAS) scores at rest and during coughing at 12, 24, and 48 h postoperatively ( < 0.05), as well as lower heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) values at time points T1-T3 ( < 0.05). On the first day after surgery, the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the SG were significantly lower than those in the CG ( < 0.05), and the SG also required less additional use of postoperative analgesics ( < 0.05). Furthermore, the SG exhibited a shorter time to first flatus, first defecation, and first ambulation, as well as a shorter length of hospital stay compared to the CG (all < 0.05). TAPB combined with intravenous lidocaine may provide effective postoperative analgesia for patients after bariatric surgery and may accelerate their rapid recovery.
Current therapeutic research, clinical and experimental •
In patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery, enhancing perioperative cognitive function and facilitating expedited postoperative recovery are critical components for achieving swift rehabilitation. Intravenous administration of lidocaine has been shown to mitigate the perioperative inflammatory response in surgical patients; however, its influence on postoperative cognitive performance remains unassessed. Consequently, this study was conducted to investigate the impact of intravenous lidocaine on postoperative cognitive function in participants undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer. We performed a prospective, randomized controlled trial at The First People's Hospital of Changde City and Zhongshan People's Hospital to assess the impact of intravenous lidocaine on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal carcinoma. The primary endpoints of our investigation included Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores measured preoperatively and 7 days postoperatively, as well as the incidence of POCD at the 7-day mark following surgery. Secondary outcomes comprised an evaluation of recovery parameters in the postanesthesia care unit, overall length of hospitalization, and the prevalence of postoperative complications in both study cohorts. The occurrence of POCD at day 7 postsurgery was significantly lower in the lidocaine group compared to the placebo group ( < 0.05). When stratified by age, both elderly patients (≥65 years) and nonelderly patients in the lidocaine group exhibited a significantly reduced incidence of POCD on the seventh day postoperatively compared to the placebo group ( < 0.05). Preoperative MMSE scores were comparable between the two groups; however, on the seventh day after surgery, the lidocaine group had significantly higher MMSE scores than the placebo group ( < 0.05). In the nonelderly cohort, MMSE scores were also significantly elevated in the lidocaine group compared to the placebo group at day 7 postsurgery ( < 0.05). Mediation analysis indicated that lidocaine's influence on the incidence of POCD on the seventh postoperative day was partially mediated by propofol. Furthermore, there were no significant differences observed in intraoperative medication, postoperative recovery, or perioperative adverse events between the groups ( > 0.05). Perioperative administration of intravenous lidocaine has been shown to significantly enhance cognitive function on the seventh postoperative day following laparoscopic colorectal surgery. The mediating influence of propofol on the association between lidocaine and the occurrence of POCD at this time point was determined to be 10%.
Journal of anesthesia and translational medicine •
Postoperative sleep disturbance (POSD) caused by postoperative pain can impede the enhanced rapid recovery of elderly patients with colorectal cancer. We propose that perioperative intravenous lidocaine infusion may enhance postoperative sleep quality by alleviating postoperative pain in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer. Sixty-three elderly patients were divided into two groups: the lidocaine group (group L) and the placebo group (group C). Patients in group L received intravenous injection of lidocaine 1.5 mg/kg during the induction of anesthesia, followed by lidocaine 1.0 mg kg h during surgery and for 24 h after surgery. Patients in group C received the same volume of normal saline. The primary outcome was postoperative sleep function, which was evaluated using the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). The secondary outcomes included the pain-at-rest and pain-on-movement of patients at 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after surgery, opioid and propofol consumption, bowel function recovery time, postoperative complications, and lidocaine side effects. Compared to group C, AIS scores in group L were significantly lower on day 1 (12.9 ± 4.0 vs 10.6 ± 3.9, < 0.05), day 3 (8.6 ± 4.2 vs 6.2 ± 3.9, < 0.05), and 1 week (4.3 ± 3.1 vs 2.2 ± 2.5, < 0.05) after surgery. There were no significant differences in VAS scores between the two groups. The intraoperative consumption of propofol and remifentanil was significantly reduced in group L. Lidocaine infusion significantly shortened the recovery time of bowel function. There were no statistical differences between the two groups regarding the incidences of PONV and postoperative pulmonary complications. No cases of local anesthetic toxicity occurred in either group. Perioperative intravenous administration of lidocaine can facilitate the restoration of postoperative sleep function in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer.