# Local Anaesthetic Infiltration at Trocar Sites for Early Postoperative Pain Control in Laparoscopic Surgery

## TL;DR

This review shows that injecting local anesthetic at trocar sites during laparoscopic surgery helps reduce early postoperative pain and may lower opioid use.

## Contribution

The paper provides a synthesis of evidence supporting the use of local anesthetic infiltration as a practical and effective early analgesic strategy in laparoscopic surgery.

## Key findings

- Local anesthetic infiltration at trocar sites reduces early postoperative pain, especially within the first 6-12 hours.
- Longer-acting anesthetics like bupivacaine provide more sustained pain relief than lidocaine.
- The technique is low-risk, easy to implement, and complements multimodal analgesia and enhanced recovery protocols.

## Abstract

Laparoscopic surgery offers clear postoperative advantages compared with open procedures, yet early somatic pain from trocar insertion sites remains a frequent concern. This narrative review examines current evidence on the effectiveness of local anaesthetic infiltration at trocar sites as an early postoperative analgesic strategy. Searches of PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar identified studies evaluating pain outcomes during the first 24 postoperative hours across various laparoscopic procedures. Most trials demonstrate that local infiltration provides meaningful early pain reduction, particularly within the first 6-12 hours, regardless of whether anaesthetic is administered before incision or at closure. Longer-acting agents such as bupivacaine, levobupivacaine, and ropivacaine generally yield more sustained relief than lidocaine. Although infiltration does not replace multimodal analgesia, it reliably enhances early comfort, may reduce opioid requirements, and aligns well with enhanced recovery principles. The technique is simple, low-risk, and easily integrated into routine laparoscopic practice, making it a practical adjunct for optimizing immediate postoperative recovery.