Preemptive Co-infiltration of Triamcinolone Acetonide With Ropivacaine for Postoperative Pain in Major Spinal Surgery

Preemptive Co-infiltration of Triamcinolone Acetonide With Ropivacaine for Postoperative Pain in Patients Undergoing Major Spinal Surgery

Patients undergoing major spinal surgery usually experience moderate to-severe postoperative pain. Inadequate pain control may lead to severe complications.

Local infiltration analgesia (LIA) with a local anesthetic, is a simple, minimally invasive, and effective postoperative pain management technique. However, LIA with local anesthetic alone can only last for a short time, steroid as adjuvant can enhance postoperative analgesia and prolong postoperative analgesia time. Triamcinolone acetonide as an adjunctive infiltration to local anesthesia presented a superior analgesic benefit compared with local anesthesia alone in various types of surgeries. To date, no studies have evaluated the additive analgesia effects of triamcinolone acetonide on incision infiltration in major spinal surgery. The purpose of this trial is to determine whether preemptive co-infiltration of triamcinolone acetonide and ropivacaine in surgical incision will further reduce postoperative opioid requirements and pain score after spinal surgery than that of ropivacaine alone.

Inclusion Criteria:

Age 18-65 years; Patients scheduled for elective laminoplasty or laminectomy with no more than 3 levels under general anesthesia; American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status of I-III; Anticipated full recovery and cooperation within 2 hours postoperatively.

Exclusion Criteria:

History of spinal surgery; Inability to use a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump or comprehend the pain visual analog scale (VAS); Body mass index (BMI)<15kg/m2 or >35kg/m2; Peri-incisional infection; History of diabetes mellitus and other metabolic diseases; History of severe cardiopulmonary, hepatic or renal dysfunction; Preoperative coagulation abnormalities (activated partial thromboplastin time greater than 1.5 times normal value); History of allergies to any of the study drugs; History of alcohol or drugs abuse (more than 2 weeks), or use of any analgesic within 24h before surgery; Use of systemic steroids within 1 week before surgery; History of psychiatric disorders, chronic neck or back pain; History of radiation therapy and chemotherapy or with a high probability of such treatment postoperatively; Pregnant or breastfeeding; Refusal to sign informed consent.