Effects of Intravenous Local Anesthetic on Bowel Function After Colectomy

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2006-07-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Epidural local anesthetics are the gold standard for shortening duration of bowel dysfunction after bowel surgery. Previous studies suggest that their effect may be in part a result of actions of the local anesthetic outside the epidural space. If local anesthetics could be administered intravenously instead, this might be a safer, easier and less expensive approach. Therefore, this trial will compare the effect on bowel function recovery of intravenous local anesthetics with those administered epidurally.

• Phase: Phase 3
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of Virginia
• Treatments: Anesthetics; Anesthetics, Local; Bupivacaine; Hydromorphone; Lidocaine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Informed consent

• Scheduled for colon tumor resection.

• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical classification classes I, II, and III.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age <18 or >75 years

• Allergy to local anesthetics

• Severe cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction within 6 months, profoundly decreased left ventricular function (ejection fraction <40%), or high-grade arrhythmias) or liver disease (known AST or ALT or bilirubin >2.5 times the upper limit of normal)

• Systemic corticosteroid use

• Chronic use of opiates

• Unwillingness or contraindication to epidural analgesia.