Perioperative Lidocaine Infusions for the Management of Pain From Burn Injury

Perioperative Lidocaine Infusions for the Management of Pain From Burn Injury: A Pilot Study to Investigate Analgesic and Opioid Sparing Effects

The purpose of this study is to find out if IV lidocaine infusion decreases the need of opioids, improves pain management, and reduces the risks of developing complications from prolonged opioid use in burn injury participants undergoing wound debridement in the operating room.

Participants will:

• be randomized to receive either an IV Lidocaine treatment or an IV Saline Placebo during their surgery. The IV treatment continues for 48 hours after surgery.
• be asked about their pain and how they're feeling at 4 timepoints during the 48 hours.
• be asked about their pain 2 weeks after surgery.

The participant and medical care providers will both be blinded to what IV treatment is being received.

Researchers will compare the 2 groups to see if IV Lidocaine helps decrease the need of opioids, improves pain management, and reduces the risks of developing complications from prolonged opioid use (this includes opioid tolerance, opioid dependence, and opioid induced hyper-sensitivity to pain).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Acute burn patients
• 18 years or older
• <20% Total Body Surface Area
• Wound debridement surgery scheduled at Harborview Medical Center

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of polysubstance use
• Chronic opioid use (MED>40mg for more than 6 weeks)
• Cases where the known clinical standard care would be to keep patient intubated postoperatively
• Cases where the known clinical standard care would avoid IV Lidocaine infusion
• Allergy to amide local anesthetics
• Any elevated risk for local anesthetic systemic toxicity as determined by the study team
• Cardiac arrythmias or cardiovascular instability (e.g. shock)
• Severe renal or hepatic impairment
• Pregnancy
• Local anesthesia will be given by another route (e.g. nerve block)
• Prisoners
• Non-English Speaking/reading