Effect of Perioperative Intravenous Lidocaine Infusion on Postoperative Recovery in Patients Undergoing Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair Under General Anesthesia

Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is a commonly performed procedure but is known to cause significant postoperative pain. Effective analgesia after rotator cuff repair is crucial in improving the well-being of the patient but also to ensure long-term rehabilitation. The most commonly used analgesic for acute postoperative pain is opioids. However, the use of opioids is accompanied by several side effects which include but are not limited to nausea/vomiting, urinary retention, itching sensation and sometimes dizziness, respiratory depression and hypotension in higher doses. As of late, many efforts are aimed toward decreasing the use of opioids by using multimodal analgesia. Among such methods, intravenous lidocaine has been reported to be effective, safe and economic in various procedures. However, the existing evidence is mostly focused on laparoscopic procedures. The present study aims to find whether perioperative infusion of lidocaine is able to decrease opioid requirements after surgery and also improve postoperative pain compared to placebo in patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.