Instilling bupivacaine on wound beds- Simple and Safe Analgesia after Modified Radical Mastectomy

Surgery is critical in the treatment of breast cancer. Regrettably, no progress has been achieved in terms of postoperative pain management after modified radical mastectomy (MRM).

Approximately one out of every two patients still has significant postoperative discomfort after breast surgery nowadays. Numerous pain-management techniques are utilised to alleviate post-surgical discomfort. While opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), and interventional regional anaesthetic procedures are all effective, each treatment has certain associated risks.

A recently published research suggests a very easy, safe, and effective technique of pain management after modified radical mastectomy (MRM) which is Instilling bupivacaine through surgical drains on wound beds.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of infusing bupivacaine into wounds through surgical drains in reducing pain after MRM. This was a trial including a randomised control group. All patients tested negative for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test prior to being randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group B (bupivacaine-treated patients) got 40 ml of 0.25 percent injectable bupivacaine, 20 ml into each axillary and chest wall drain, whereas Group C (control) had no instillation. The duration of analgesia was measured in hours from the time the patient was admitted to the post-anesthesia care unit after surgery until the patient experienced aching and discomfort equal to or greater than three on the visual analogue pain score chart (VAS). The mean duration of analgesia was substantially longer in Group B than in Group C (10.931.84 vs 5.031.35 hours, p=0.0005).