Can post-tonsillectomy pain be reduced by topical bupivacaine? Double blind controlled trial

Abstract

A double blind controlled prospective trial investigated the analgesic effect of topical Bupivacaine in 15 adult patients undergoing bilateral tonsillectomy. Each patient had one tonsillar fossa exposed to Bupivacaine 0.5 per cent solution and the other to normal saline. When visited four to six hours post-operatively, 12 out of 15 patients (80 per cent) stated that the Bupivacaine exposed side to be more uncomfortable than the saline exposed side. On the first post-operative morning 9 out of 15 patients (60 per cent) confirmed the same. The remaining patients were unable to detect a significant difference and no patient found the Bupivacaine side to be more comfortable. These results suggest that topical Bupivacaine 0.5 per cent solution has no place in providing post-operative analgesia in adult tonsillectomy.