Prolonged Opioid-Sparing Pain Control after Hemorrhoidectomy with Liposome Bupivacaine: Results from a Cohort of 95 Patients

The objective of this retrospective study was to examine the effects of an intraoperative injection of liposome bupivacaine on the quality and duration of postsurgical pain control, patient satisfaction, and opioid use in a cohort of patients undergoing hemorrhoidectomy in an outpatient setting. Patients underwent ambulatory hemorrhoidectomy conducted by a single surgeon. Liposome bupivacaine 266 mg/20 mL was administered via infiltration at the end of surgery. After discharge, pain-related outcomes were assessed via telephone interviews. Outcomes of interest included first onset of pain after surgery, patient-reported pain intensity (0 = no pain; 10 = worst pain imaginable), time to first use of orally administered opioids after surgery, number of opioid tablets consumed postsurgery, and patient’s satisfaction with postsurgical pain control. A total of 95 patients were included; the average number of hemorrhoids excised was 3.0 (median, 2.7) per patient. Mean time to first onset of pain after surgery was 36 hours; mean time to first consumption of postsurgical opioids was 38 hours. Mean pain intensity scores remained <5 through 72 hours after surgery. The average number of opioid analgesic tablets consumed after surgery was 12.4; 13% (12/95) of patients required no postsurgical opioids. Seventy-five percent of patients reported being “very satisfied” or “perfectly satisfied” with their overall pain control. No liposome bupivacaine-related adverse events were observed. A single intraoperative injection of liposome bupivacaine safely facilitated ambulatory hemorrhoidectomy, eliminated the need for intravenous opioids, minimized opioid use, and was associated with high levels of patient satisfaction.