Comparison of Intraperitoneal Bupivacaine and Saline Irrigation for Pain Relief After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

June 13, 2026 updated by: Wah Medical college , POF hospital

Comparison of Intraperitoneal Bupivacaine and Normal Saline Irrigation for Postoperative Pain Relief After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

This randomized clinical trial compared intraperitoneal irrigation of bupivacaine(a local anesthetic) vs a control group receiving normal saline for relief of post operative pain following laparoscopic gallbladder surgery. A total of 106 patients divided into two equal groups, with one group receiving bupivacaine and the other treated using normal saline(control).Previous studies on the subject found that bupivacaine significantly reduced postoperative pain. Although conventional intravenous analgesics remain widely used, bupivacaine may be a better option, especially in difficult surgical cases.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare the effectiveness of intraperitoneal bupivacaine and normal saline for relief of post operative pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A total of 106 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic gallbladder surgery were enrolled and randomly assigned into two equal groups. Non-probability consecutive sampling technique will be used to recruit patients.Patients with clinical findings of choledocholithiasis/pancreatitis/cholecystitis, who need intraoperative conversion to an open procedure, are pregnant or lactating, do not have the capacity to express pain, or have any contraindication to the drugs under study, will be excluded.In Group A, the patients received intraperitoneal irrigation of bupivacaine , while in Group B, only normal saline was used. The standard procedure of laparoscopic cholecystectomy will be similar in both groups, except for the difference that group A patients will undergo intraperitoneal instillation of 500ml normal saline solution, whereas those allocated into group B will have peritoneal irrigation using 20ml of 10% bupivacaine solution diluted in 480ml of normal saline to make a 500ml irrigation solution at the time of peritoneal closure. To ensure double blinding, the primary surgeon and patient will be blinded to the type of solution used. The time of extubation will be noted, which will be used to determine the duration of analgesia. Patients will be followed up for VAS scores at time intervals of 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively. When the patient complains of pain, intravenous tramadol of 37.5mg mixed with an antiemetic will be administered.To reduce confounding, all procedures are done by the same consultant surgeon; no additional postoperative analgesic advised, and a blinded surgeon will evaluate the patient for the pain scores at these intervals, with due recording of the dosages of rescue analgesics and duration of analgesia.Past literature has provided some insight into the efficacy of bupivacaine in reducing postoperative pain, but existing evidence is not enough to establish clinical practice guidelines. Our study has the rationale of strengthening the existing body of evidence by extending the research.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
106

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Wāh, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 47040
        • Recruiting
        • Wah Medical College, POF Hospital Wah cantt Wāh
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Muhammad asad Janjua, MBBS

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • • Adult consented patients of any gender aged 18 to 60 years Fit to undergo elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Patients who had developed choledocholithiasis or pancreatitis pre-operatively

    • Where conversion to open cholecystectomy is needed intraoperatively
    • Pregnant or lactating
    • Inability to express pain appropriately, like in psychiatric disorders
    • With any contraindication to the use of bupivacaine or normal saline, e.g., hypersensitivity

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental : group A: bupivacaine
Group A is the arm where patients have received intraperitoneal bupivacaine during laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, and their post operative pain is compared .
Drug: Bupivacain
In group A intraperitoneal bupivacaine is used for pain relief
Other Names:
  • Group A
Placebo Comparator: Placebo : group B: saline
Placebo : group B: saline Group B is the arm where patients have received only intraperitoneal normal saline .
Drug: Saline (0.9% NaCl)
In group B intraperitoneal saline is used for pain relief as placebo.
Other Names:
  • Group B

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Post operative pain relief
Time Frame: From the completion of the procedure til one hour after surgery
The study primarily aimed to compare post operative pain relief following intraperitoneal irrigation of bupivacaine vs normal saline.
From the completion of the procedure til one hour after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Wah Medical college , POF hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 13, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • WMC/ERC/IRB/134

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Time Frame

1 year after publication of article in journal

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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