The Effect of Perioperative Intravenous Lidocaine Infusion on Opioid Consumption After Lumbar Spine Surgery

The purpose of this study is to determine whether an infusion of lidocaine during surgery can reduce the need for postoperative opioid pain medication use in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. Participants will be recruited by spine surgeons from their pool of patients who are presenting for surgery at University of Vermont Medical Center. If they agree to participate, patients will be assigned at random to receive either an infusion of lidocaine during surgery, or an infusion of saline with 5% dextrose. Subjects will also be asked to complete a 15-item questionnaire that asks about health, quality of life, and level of pain, at three timepoints. Patients will also be asked to rate their level of pain at multiple timepoints after surgery, and we will collect the additionally data from patients' medical records.